Life in Myth

by whitespiderlilly

UP FOR ADOPTION! Shiro is an ordinary high school student, ignoring the fact that he's an albino, a loner, and gets in gang fights. But when he meets Ichigo, an orange haired vampire, things start going differently for Shiro.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did there would be more Shiro and Zangetsu.

Chapter 1

It was late at night and the crescent moon was high in the sky. A dark figure could be seen jumping silently from rooftop to rooftop.

Of course, he wasn't worried about being seen. At least, not by an ordinary human anyway, for he was moving to quickly for their eyes to follow him.

He finally stopped on an apartment in the residential area, eyeing the apartment on the other side of the street. He did not need to look in to know that the person living there was present; his nose did that for him.

The person's sent was incredibly strong, and traces of it hovered over the entire town, even the places he didn't go. Naturally, the sent was even stronger at the source.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at the apartment window, but by the time he left the sky began to lighten with the coming sun, illuminating his brilliant orange hair.

*BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BE-Slam!*

The alarm clock that was going off was silenced when an unnaturally pale hand landed harshly on it.

The hand pulled back underneath bed covers as the figure beneath the blankets groaned from the loud awakening. In one movement, the figure kicked off the covers, revealing the being underneath.

The person, a teen, was pure white. Both his hair and his skin had no color, obviously an albino. The teen sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, yawning as he rubbed his eyes before opening them. Surprisingly, instead of red eyes that were usual for albino's, they were a brilliant gold.

Getting up, the albino got dressed and ready for school and then left the apartment without a backwards glance. As he walked down the sidewalk, the teen ignored the stares and whispers that were aimed at him.

'Che.' he thought, 'Ya would think that after a few years they would be used ta seein' an albino.' Not that he really cared anyway.

There was one gaze, though, that was different from the rest. One that sent chills up his spine. Unlike the other's, this stare came at random times and he had been getting it since he moved to Karakura town seven years ago when he was nine. Not that he ever found the culprit, no matter how hard he looked. But after a while he eventually got used to it.

The chill followed him all the way to school but disappeared before he even entered the building.

The albino headed toward his class room, A-1, and even in the hallway, he could hear the other students talking loudly. When he entered the room, however, all noise ceased and all eyes turned to him. As usual.

Completely ignoring them, he walked over to his desk by the window and stared out at the blue sky. At that time the teacher came in and the students sat in their own desks so he could take role. The desks beside, in front of, and behind the albino were vacant, however. The teen had no friends, which was fine for him, he didn't want any, and many were afraid of him because he was known for getting into fight's with gangs. It wasn't his fault they kept coming at him just because he was an albino.

"Shiro Akuji," the teacher, Mr. Ishida, called out.

"Here," the albino, Shiro, responded dully before the older man moved on. The day continued as a boring haze to Shiro, mainly because he was half way sleeping the entire time not paying any attention to the lessons. Despite his thuggish reputation and laziness at school, Shiro was smart and always got good grades.

Lunch came and as usual he went to the roof as very few people went up there. Eating in solitude he vaguely noticed the chill come back for a few moments before disappearing again. Lunch ended and he went back to the boring lessons.

When school finally ended, the albino quickly left the building and headed strait to work. The teen had foster parents but they lived in another part of town and he never heard from them unless they were sending him money. The government should have done something about him being underage and living alone, but as long as he was able to pay the bills, the government overlooked him.

After his shift was over, Shiro decided to take the long way home through the park. The park didn't do anything romantic like calming him, not that he needed any calming, he simply liked the scenery change every now and then. Less people, too. The sun had already set, turning day into night. Parents had taken their children inside, out of the dark so as to not lose them and get ready for dinner and a majority of couples had left the "cold" night to probably cuddle on a couch or something else just as mushy.

Halfway through the park, the chill had returned and an itch formed on his neck. However, the chilling stare felt different, and Shiro got the feeling that it wasn't the usual culprit. When Shiro had first moved into Karakura town, the stare felt curious of the newcomer and as time went on it felt as though it was just checking up on him. But the stare he was getting now felt… dangerous. He frowned as fear began to gnaw at the pit of his stomach.

He stubbornly shrugged the feeling off. He was not going to be scared of some disembodied look, damn it. He continued walking forward, since he had stopped earlier, and scratched at the growing itch on his neck. It wasn't going away, damnit! The chill wasn't going away either.

A twig snapped. Jerking, Shiro turned to where the sound came from and saw nothing. His fear increased as well as the itching on his neck. A slight breeze blew through the trees nearby and the albino noticed that there wasn't anyone around.

Suddenly, his instincts screamed at him to move and he jumped back as something flew past him. Tripping and falling into his back, Shiro let out a small cry as his brain registered pain. Even though he dodged whatever it was, it still struck him in the chest. He was bleeding but the wound wasn't deep and was ignored, overshadowed by the shear pain in his neck. The whole left side of it felt as if it was on fire. Unbeknownst to him a long line, from underneath his ear to almost his shoulder, was glowing blood red.

He could hardly think and he couldn't focus is eyes, the pain was so intense, but he still tried to look up and try to see what had attacked him. What he saw made him freeze as a wave of fear washed over him.

The being looked humanoid for the most part but its hands were oversized and were tipped with deadly claws, its skin was a sickly grayish-white, and its face was a white blob, before Shiro's eyes clarified for a moment and he saw it was a mask. There were round eyeholes where the eyes should have been, and yellow slits filled with bloodlust stared out at the cowering teen and on the mouth there were two teeth longer and sharper than the rest. Fangs.

"W-what are you?" Shiro stuttered form pain and fear as he willed his body to move away.

The thing laughed, its voice thick and gravely, inhuman, "I'm the predator and you're the prey. You're marked as someone else's prey so even if you lived you would have the same fate later so I'm being nice and eating you now." And then he lunged.

Shiro watched with wide eyes as the creature shot towards him, faster than anything should. Right when the thing was almost on top of him another blur rammed into it from the side. He felt, more than heard, the thud of the landing. He noted that the pain in his neck had lessened somewhat.

Turning to see what had happened to the creature, the snowy teen saw that the thing was on its back pinned to the ground by someone else. The persons back was to him so he couldn't see if it had a mask or not. Shiro really hopped that the other person was not the other creature that had apparently marked him as his prey.

The other person spoke, the voice a smooth and low and sent tingles through his body and for a moment Shiro felt relief. He was human! But the relief was short lived when Shiro's hazy mind processed the words.

"It's a bit rude to attack prey that's already been marked. Also, this is my territory and I haven't given you permission to hunt here."

Shiro's blood ran cold. The voice sounded human but it was obvious that this was the one who marked him and from what he knew about animals, if it had territory it was strong.

'What if this thing defeats the other one? Does it matter? Either way I'm dead meat. I've been marked. Better yet how have I been marked and what is marking anyway? He didn't pee on me did he?' he almost panicked at this and wanted to smell his clothes to see if he could smell anything but his body was frozen. 'Gah, earth to Shiro, two deadly, bloodthirsty creatures fighting for the right to eat you, right in front of you. Not a good idea to take your mind off of them.' He thought immediately snapping back to the unfurling drama between the controller and the invader.

The first thing felt the same terror. It tried to respond but nothing it said could be understood.

The second creature was apparently losing its patients, "I had marked him. You hunted in my territory without my permission and tried to kill someone else's prey. By law I have every right to kill you." Then in a move faster than Shiro could see, the second creature had its hand in the other's head.

The thing let out a terrible ear splitting shriek before dissolving into nothing. The pain in the teen's neck was now reduced to nothing but an itch again before vanishing.

He tensed as the figure stood up and turned to face him. The albino sucked in a breath. The creature looked exactly like him!

The being gave a small smirk as it, he, began to walk over and the albino took in more of the others appearance. Yeah, the being liked like his copy but the skin was nicely tanned and his hair was bleach orange. The hair was a stark contrast to his chocolate colored eyes. His clothes were like what any other teen would wear. Dark blue jeans, ripped at the knees, a dark colored shirt and a black jacket.

Staring at the normal looking person in front of him, the teen had already forgotten about his fear. Shifting into a more comfortable sitting position, he hissed as the wound from the other creature made itself known. Looking down he saw his shirt shredded and four shallow gashes. Except for a few places, the wound had already stopped bleeding.

At the sound of footsteps stopping in front of him, Shiro looked up as the other person was beginning to kneel. They made eye contact and Shiro was reminded that the being in front of him was not human.

Earlier, the other persons eyes had been brown but now they were a burning gold, similar to his own, and the pupils of his eyes were narrowed slits like those of a cat.

Seeing this, his fear retuned and he made a move to get up but the other was too fast. Raising a hand and putting it on the albino's shoulder, the other easily sat him back down. Shiro saw amusement in his eyes.

"Hold still," he said as he started to move forward, his eyes focused on the wound. The albino raised an arm in front of his chest as he glared at the orange head.

"What are ya gonna do ta me?" he said, refusing to look away from the others gaze. He looked a little annoyed.

"I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're thinking. I'm trying to heal you. My saliva has some healing properties." He pushed the pale arm aside and continued.

"Saliva?!" the pale teen jerked back when he felt a moist tongue touch his skin.

The orange head looked up clearly annoyed this time, "Stay still." He put a hand on the others back to keep him from moving again as he went back to what he was doing. When he felt the tongue on his chest again, Shiro tried to move back but the arm kept him in place and the other teen growled, causing the albino to still his movements. With the other distracted Shiro was able to get a good look at his features. 'He looks ta be about my age,' Shiro thought before a shiver went down his spine.

Shiro, being the outcast and loner, had very little contact with others. And now he had someone licking his chest. It felt incredibly intament to him. And just plain weird. It also seemed that the other was really getting into it.

Sometime later, the albino had to keep himself from groaning. He had to admit that the licking felt pleasurable, but now the pleasurable sensation was starting to head down south. Before Shiro could ask how much damn longer it was going to take, the orange head finally pulled back.

"There, that should do it. See? No scars." The orange head said proudly.

Shiro snorted but looked down and was surprised to find that the others' words were true. There wasn't a trace that the wound was there not too long ago.

Before the albino could say or do anything, the orange head picked him up and slung him across his shoulder.

"GAH! What the hell are you doin'?!" the pale teen yelled.

"I'm taking you home." Was his calm reply, making it sound like it was obvious. Somehow this pissed Shiro off, but before he could say anything the world jerked and his surroundings became a large blur.

'Wait,' Shiro thought, 'does he even know where I live?'

His question was answered when the world finally stopped and he saw where they were: his room. Shiro was really creeped out.

In a smooth motion, the orange head sat the teen on the bed before sitting down next to him. Silence blanketed the room.

Shiro gave the other a glare, "How do you know where I live?"

"Your scent," the other answered, "is the strongest in this room. That makes it easy to find."

"What are you? No human could move that fast or have a nose that good. And what's all this shit about 'marking' and 'territory?'"

The other smirked and casually settled in as though he was simply at a friends house. When he looked at Shiro the albino saw seriousness in the brown orbs.

"I was wondering when you going to ask. I'm a vampire." The other didn't make a dramatic pause and instead continued with his explanation. "You're probably thinking, 'Yeah right, vampires don't exist' but after what you have just witnessed, or better yet, felt," He raised a hand and made a sweeping gesture at Shiro's now healed chest, "can you really believe that?

"As for the territory thing I'm sure you can figure that out, it's kind of self explanatory. Karakura town is my home and the place where I hunt." Then the orange head scowled, his face turning serous.

"The reason I marked you is connected to your scent. It's incredibly strong and has a spiciness that would make even the elders want to drink your blood. Younger and hungrier vampires are drawn to your scent so I marked you, warning them that you are mine and that to attack you would mean death for them. In short, I marked you to protect you." The expression on the vampires face showed the truth in his words and Shiro couldn't help but believe him a little. He also thought that the other was either telling the truth or a really good actor.

"How do I know that you aren't going to eat me later? You're one of them aren't you?"

The other looked as though he had been insulted.

"I'm not a whelp who has no control over himself and I don't just attack people. I was human once too and I have morals."

"But why?" Shiro insisted, "Why protect me? Why not eat me? Maybe you do have morals, but you do have to drink blood right? I've lived here for years but you've never done anything."

The orange head sighed and scratched his head.

"I'm not really sure why. Impulse maybe?" he leaned back, his hands supporting him as he looked at the albino his eyes holding a strange, determined gleam. "It doesn't mater now. I've decided to protect you so that's what I'm going to do. I also don't know why I don't want to eat you. Your scent is good but I just never felt the desire to do so.

"Also, when you came here you were just a child," he ignored the tic that had formed on the others head and continued, "and I don't drink the blood of a child. It's just wrong and I'm not the only one who thinks that. A good majority agrees with that." Bronze eyes shifted to look behind the pale teen. Turning to see what he was looking at, he saw that his clock read 9:20.

"It's late," Shiro's attention was drawn back to the vampire, "you haven't had dinner or done your homework. I should go. Later." The other stood up and made his way to the window he had entered through earlier.

"Shiro Akuji." Shiro said suddenly. The orange head looked at him confused for a moment before understanding crossed his face.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," and with that he was gone.

Chapter 2

Shiro stood in his room, eyeing the spot where the vampire, no, Ichigo, had been only moments before. Then he went to his drawer and pulled out a muscle shirt and a pair of boxers before heading to the shower, the nights events filling his head.

After twenty minutes, Shiro came out of the bathroom, now-clean hair dry and in his sleeping clothes. Throwing the dirty clothes into the laundry hamper, he strode into his living room. He was surprised to see to-go boxes from one of his favorite restaurants that he frequented on his table. The boxes were open and the food was still steaming.

Shiro cautiously walked over to the food and noticed a note next to the boxes. Picking it up, he read the incredibly short note.

"To save time, I got food for you. You can focus more on your homework this way. – Ichigo."

P.S. – I don't know what you usually get, so I just got something I thought you would like."

Looking at the food, Shiro saw that it wasn't what he usually got. Instead of the cheap fish and rice, it was chicken and rice, and miso soup instead of beef ramen. This food came from the not-as-cheap side of the menu.

Now, Shiro lived alone. He had foster parents who sent him money every three months but that was mostly to keep him in school. His job allowed him to buy necessities such as food, shampoo, clothes, ect. and whenever he had spare money he would horde it for collage, leaving him very little luxuries. If he ever went out, which wasn't very often, he usually got the cheapest on the menu.

After a few moments, Shiro stomach growled, and, throwing caution to the wind, dug into the food. It was the best food he had in a while. Finishing it in record time, Shiro threw away the containers and started on his homework. Luckily there wasn't much and was done with it before eleven.

Finally done, he crawled into bed and the feeling of someone watching him returned. Looking out the window beside his bed, Shiro saw a black figure standing on the rooftop of the apartment across the street. He knew it was Ichigo and somehow that knowledge comforted him. Shiro slipped into a peaceful slumber, the orange haired teen watching over him.

The next morning was the same as usual. Shiro would get up, get ready for school, and ignore the stares he got. It all felt a little surreal to Shiro.

'It's as if last night never happened.' He thought.

School was the same routine as well. He'd walk in, the class would go silent, and he'd sit in his desk as the other students would start talking again until the teacher came.

Settling in his chair, Shiro viewed out the window and let his mind wonder, half listening to the teacher introducing a new student. He was brought back to reality when the student said his name.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," a familiar voice announced.

Shiro's eyes widened and his head snapped to the owner of the voice. There, standing in the front of the classroom as if he belonged there, was the orange haired vampire form last night.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, Kurosaki?" Ishida-sensei suggested. The teen shrugged.

"Sure, first, my name means 'he who protects' not 'strawberry' and if anyone calls me that, I'll kick your ass. Second, this is my natural hair color, so leave me alone about it." He paused, "I guess that's it."

"Alright then, why don't you sit next to…" Ishida trailed off looking for any vacant seats but the only ones were the ones by Shiro. He sighed, he didn't want to put the ignorant teen by the albino but he had no choice. It also worried him that the pale teen was staring so intently at Kurosaki. It was also strange that the new student looked so much like Shiro. Glancing at the other students he knew he wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Sit down next to Akuji. Akuji, raise your hand please." He didn't but it wasn't like he needed to and Ichigo was already walking towards the empty desk beside him.

Shiro watched the teen as he came closer, their eyes not breaking contact. He sat in the desk, brushing off the dust, ignoring the looks of pity and astonishment form the other students. The teacher brought the teenagers attention to himself by calling role and then proceeded onto the lesson. Shiro ignored him but instead of daydreaming like he always did his listened to his classmates, mostly the girls, who were whispering behind the teachers back, who either ignored this or didn't notice.

"Wow, those two look so much alike. Do you think they're brothers?" Girl 1.

"I don't know but I definitely think they know each other. Kurosaki started walking to the seat beside Akuji before sensei finished his sentence!" Girl 2.

"Well there are only so many empty chairs; Kurosaki must have figured out that he was supposed to sit next to Akuji. Also, just because they are identical does not mean they're related." Hum, it seemed that Girl 3 had some brains, unlike her friends. Girl 3 continued, "Kurosaki looks really hot don't you think? Should I ask him out so we might have some 'fun' afterwards?" Scratch his last statement. For some reason anger welled up inside of him at the thought of some shallow bitch using Ichigo. He brushed the feeling aside and went back to listening.

"Yeah, you should do that. Someone that hot must have some experience. Once you're done with him I want him next." Shiro became furious but didn't show it. Those little sluts! They were talking about him like he was a toy or something! But then again to them, that's probably what he was in their eyes. Shiro remembered that Ichigo had a supersensitive nose. He looked at the seemingly oblivious orange head. Did he have supersensitive hearing too? Judging by how tense he was and the low growl that he was sure the surrounding people couldn't hear, he guessed yes. This appeased his own anger.

Shiro chose to ignore the gossipers for the rest of the class, sure that he would snap and his IQ would lower if he listened to too much. After what felt like ages, the lunch bell finally rang and the snowy boy quickly walked out of the classroom heading to the roof, knowing that Ichigo was following, the two of them leaving the disappointed sluts behind. When they finally got here, he rounded on the teen behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Shiro yelled, not caring of the fearful looks he received from the few other students that were already there.

Ichigo shrugged, "Because I wanted to."

A tic formed on the albino's forehead as the other sat down. The vampire glanced at the aggravated human.

"Are you going to stand there all day or eat? Sit down." He reached up and tugged on the others arm, bringing him down to his knees. Shiro sat down and started to eat his lunch. A slightly tense silence fell between them.

It was quite odd to Shiro to eat with someone since he has been eating alone for as long as he could remember. He looked at the other eating beside him. Ichigo didn't seem to mind the silence. Wait…

"Vampires can eat food?" the question was out of his mouth before he could stop it. Ichigo focused his eyes on the teen and gave a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, we can eat food. It's a bit bland and we can't live off it alone, but it's good for 'blinding in.'"

"Blinding in?" he asked.

"Yep. If a vampire wanted to live amongst humans, he or she needs to act like a human. This includes eating food."

Shiro let out a huff as he stored the information in his head and they lapsed into silence again. However, something from the other night kept bugging him. He finally voiced his thoughts.

"How come you look so different from that other vampire? I mean, he had a mask for a head and his hands were oversized, with claws. Why aren't you like that?"

The orange head took a bite of his sandwich before answering, his face serious.

"That was what we call a 'hollow.' Sometimes when a human is turned into a vampire, the human cannot accept the transformation, whether mentally or emotionally. Their instincts, which are incredibly strong to newborns, consume them and they lose themselves to them. They become mindless creatures who are ruled by their never-ending hunger for blood. When a vampire becomes a hollow, abnormalities in the body that are signature to hollows occur, which are a bone mask forming and other body parts growing or shrinking, depending on the person. The process can take months or years, but for some it happens immediately." The vampire paused, letting the other absorb what was said. Shiro frowned.

"If they couldn't accept that they were a vampire, why did they agree to become one, or did they not have a choice?"

Ichigo frowned, "Some are asked, some aren't. But that doesn't matter, it depends on the person, as I said earlier. A person may agree to it, but their will might be too weak and they fall to their instincts. I'm not kidding when I say they are strong in newborns. My own master, the one who made me a vampire, had to keep me locked up sometimes. Anyway, some might not like the idea of attacking people and the starvation makes the instincts harder to fight thus, they become a hollow. Some might not be able to handle the rest of their mortal family aging and dying as they stay young. And others are simply born as hollows, as hollows, like any other creature, are capable of reproducing."

"I see." Shiro said before they lapped into silence, the albino getting his thoughts together as they ate quietly. Soon the bell rang and the two stood up and stretched.

"Well, time to go back to class." He smirked, "If you have any more questions, you can ask me later."

"Whatever." And the two returned to class.

The rest of the day was like any other. He would ignore the teacher and his classmates. But every now and then he would glance and the orange haired vampire beside him.

When school ended Ichigo walked with Shiro but they parted ways when they reached the gates. Shiro didn't give it any mind and continued to work. When his shift was over he took the short way home, the events from the other night still fresh in his mind.

Shiro relaxed a bit when he entered his apartment and strode towards his room to get started on his homework. Opening his door, he stood, stunned at the sight of Ichigo lying on his bed like he owned it.

The albino wanted to say "What the hell are you doing here?" but instead what came out was "It's rude to enter someone's home uninvited."

Ichigo smirked, "Sorry, I had forgotten." He sat up.

"So, you have any more questions?"

The teen thought for a moment as he sat down next to the other.

"I read in stories that a vampire can only enter someone's home if they are invited but you seem to have no problem. So is that just a myth?"

Ichigo smiled, "Actually, a lot of the myths are just that: myths. Though some of them have some truth. A vampire does not need permission to enter someone's home. And as you may have already noticed, the sunlight does not burn me to death. Newborns are particularly sensitive to sunlight the first ten to twenty years, but it doesn't harm us. And we don't sleep in coffins, nor are we repelled by crosses, I don't know how those rumors got started. We can cross water and die if someone stabs us in the heart with a stake; most creatures tend to do that when that happens. The reason garlic would drive away a vampire is simply because they reek to high heaven not because of some holy property. I also don't know where they got the idea that holy water gets rid of us and we do not just prey on virgin woman. And we don't fly but there is an energy in the world that mortals can't feel, but we can. We gather it underneath our feet as we run and sense we have so much power in our legs we can move very fast so the humans wouldn't really see the movement. Most vampires can't turn into bats or any animal at all but there are some. I know one who can turn into a cat." Shiro raised an eyebrow as Ichigo blushed. What was so embarrassing about turning into a cat? "Bats are used as our familiars though; they are mostly used as messengers really. And vampires can be seen in mirrors. Again, I don't know where that started." He turned to the pale boy. "Anything else you would like to know?"

"Yeah, you said that vampires can live amongst humans but you also implied that vampires don't age. If they lived with humans, wouldn't the human notice that he's not aging?"

"We don't live with them for very long. It depends on the age you look. I look fifteen, and teenagers go through a lot of changes like growth spurts or such and they're still growing. A person can change drastically in three years. As such, I can only stay amongst humans for about that long before they notice. Someone who looks to be in their mid-twenties or something could stay longer as adults don't change as much. We also have spells that can make a person forget things."

"Spells? Vampires can do magic and stuff?"

"Well, it's not just spells, there's some science in it too. Vampires are actually far more advanced than humans."

"I see." A look of contemplation crossed his face. "And why would ya go to a human school if the technology is so outdated?"

"Well, vampires are more advanced but the technology is different. Humans change so quickly. Ten years ago, cell phones weren't as advanced and ten years before that you wouldn't even recognize a cell phone. Your math and science changes as well. So, to keep up with the times I have to go to school every now and then. If only to understand human behavior so I know how to adapt my hunting or something."

"Adapt yer hunting?"

And that was how the night continued. Shiro seemed to have no end to his questions and Ichigo kept answering them until he made Shiro get started on his work. To save time and have the teen get to bed at a decent time, the orange head made dinner for him, ignoring the others protests. Afterwards, Shiro was glad Ichigo had cooked for him because the food was great. The best he had had in ages. He told this to the other, who blushed. It pleased the albino that he was able to get such a reaction from the other.

For three months, this routine continued. Shiro would go to school and Ichigo would sit next to him. At lunch Shiro would ask questions, though sometimes Ichigo questioned the younger teen. After school they would walk together to the gates and split up and when Shiro got home Ichigo would be there in his room. Sometimes they would talk, play around or just hang out.

Walking through the park, Shiro remembered one such time. The two were watching some horror movie on the TV (Ichigo got it for him and even paid his cable bill for it. Where Ichigo got the money, Shiro didn't know) when Shiro got startled from a monster popping up. Ichigo teased him and they eventually got into a wrestling match.

Shiro had learned a few things about his companion. Turned out that despite his youthful appearance, Ichigo was almost 200 years old. He loved rock music and, surprisingly, Shakespeare. He even made his own poems and stories every now and then. He was a master as swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat and also seemed to know a bit in the vampirism medical field too, something that Shiro found out through experience.

FLASHBACK

Shiro was walking home after he had gotten into another fight. Just another, small gang out for his ass because he looked different. He defeated them easily, of course, there were only eight guys but he didn't get away unscathed either. The albino had a busted lip and his arm hurt like a bitch. It didn't feel like he broke it, probably just fractured it or something.

He hesitated as he reached his door though. He knew that Ichigo was going to be on the other side in the apartment somewhere. How would he react to a slightly hurt Shiro, expectably if he found out about his arm?

Sucking the blood off his lip, the taste of copper in his mouth, he unlocked the door and slinked in. He could hear the TV in the living room.

Walking in and closing the door behind him, Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him (Shiro remembered that he called it shunpo or something).

"Hey, Shiro-" he started but then stopped. Sucking the blood off his lip again, Shiro noticed how the vampires now amber eyes followed the action.

"What is it Ichigo-hmph?!"

Before he could react the orange head had latched onto his bottom lip, licking and sucking the blood that was there. That didn't stop Shiro from freaking out. The albino tried to push him away, his arm protesting the action as it sent jolts of pain up the limp, but the vampire simply grabbed his wrists and, using his body, pinned the younger teen to the wall, never letting go of the pale lip. Shiro froze his struggles when a tongue slipped into his mouth. It moved around a bit before retreating and Shiro felt Ichigo swallow before the small muscle returned. It repeated this action several times before Shiro came out of shock and began to try and push the tongue out and keep it out. Instead it felt like he was have a heavy make out session and Shiro couldn't help the heat that began to flow in his veins. He was reminded of the night he first met Ichigo and the healing of his chest wound.

Finally, Ichigo pulled back, both teens panting. When they made eye contact the orange heads irises were brown again.

"Oh shit, sorry Shiro I didn't mean to… well… do that. I just smelled your blood and…" he paused and scrutinized Shiro. "You got into another fight." It was a statement. Shiro nodded.

"Besides the busted lip, which is healed now, did you have any more wounds?"

Shiro pouted a little before answering. "I think I just fractured my arm or somethin', it's nothin'."

Ichigo scowled, "A fractured arm is not 'nothing.' Let me look at it."

"What can you do to fix a fractured bone?" Shiro smirked as he raised his hurting arm.

"Watch." Was all he said before he turned his attention to the limp as he placed a hand an inch over it. His palm started to glow blue as Ichigo muttered under his breath and soon the pain was gone. When the glow died he pressed his hand to the arm but Shiro felt no pain. Ichigo smirked at Shiro.

"Healing kidou does wonders."

END FLASHBACK

Of course after that, Shiro had to ask why he had to lick his chest to heal him when they first met when he could have just used kidou. Ichigo bashfully admitted that when he saw the blood he couldn't help but have a taste. Shiro couldn't help but laugh.

Not all of his time with Ichigo was happy though. For some strange reason, Ichigo would always go quiet and distant when it rained, a scowl in place instead of his usual confidant and cocky grin. Whenever it rained at night he would stay with Shiro and the pale teen would sometimes wake up at night to Ichigo staring at him. One night he confronted him.

FLASHBACK

Shiro worked diligently on his homework, ignoring the fierce storm outside and unwavering gaze of the vampire behind him. Shiro had no idea why but Ichigo watched him like a hawk whenever it rained. But tonight he was going to get some answers.

Putting down his pencil, he turned to the orange haired teen.

"Why do ya always watch me so much when it rains?"

The other didn't answer and hard, bronze eyes continued to bore holes into him. This only fueled his growing annoyance.

"Oi, I asked ya a question and I would like an answer."

For a moment there was no response and then he let out a sigh closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

"It's nothing." Was the curt reply.

"'It's nothing' my ass! Ya stare at me as if I'm gonna keel over any minute and-"

"Shiro," the others demanding tone and steely eyes silenced him, "It's nothing. You should get back to your studies."

And without question, Shiro turned back to his work. The night continued with a heavy silence pressing down on them.

END FLASHBACK

Needless to say, Shiro didn't get an answer from him and he wasn't going to try again, at least not until he had more of Ichigo's trust. The albino had a feeling that he had a few bad experiences in the rain and wasn't ready to tell him about them.

Ichigo wasn't just protective in the rain. Shiro made a mental note to never piss off the vampire. Seeing him angry like that forcefully reminded him that, while he may look and act like it, Ichigo wasn't human.

FLASHBACK

Shiro was walking home from work as usual, and surprisingly Ichigo was with him. The albino was currently bitching about one of his coworkers.

"-and then she got the boss on my ass and he chewed me out even though it was her fault! That bitch nearly made me lose my job!" He started cussing up a blue streak that made a passerby blush but Ichigo seemed unaffected. When he finished, Ichigo spoke up.

"Impressive combinations, I've never heard some of those words used like that. And don't worry about your job."

"I'm not worried, I'm beyond pi-!"

Shiro didn't finish his sentence as a group of people came out of the alley they were passing and circled around the two look alikes. They were all big, muscled, looked like they had rocks for brains and carrying various weapons like crowbars and hammers. Shiro recognized them as one of the gangs he fought with.

"Well, if it ain't Shiro."

"He he, yeah, he he, and his stupid friend too. Hey did he blackmail ya?" the other members laughed at the idiots pathetic joke.

"What the fuck does it matter, today yer gonna die albino freak!" and the thug launched at him, aiming a crowbar at the teens head.

Before Shiro could react, Ichigo was in front of him, a hand on the crowbar. When he spoke his tone was low and deadly, sending waves of terror through everyone, even Shiro.

"I don't mind you putting me down but no one insults Shiro or tries to hurt him." With a flick of his wrist, he bent the metal as if it was a twig and then flung it to the side with enough force that when it hit one of the others leg the bone broke, some of the bone poking out of the leg.

Shiro watched, frozen to the spot as, Ichigo fought all the gang members. He flowed in and out of the light, dodging attacks and retaliating with his own, golden eyes gleaming and face in a feral expression, fangs extended and glowing blue claws visible.

In hardly any time at all the men were on the ground either moaning in pain or unconscious. Ichigo walked over to the still albino, pinning his with an unholy amber gaze. He wrapped his arms around him and held Shiro possessively. The vampire whispered, warm breath brushing his ear.

"You are mine and I won't let anyone hurt you." He pulled back, brown beginning to seep into the gold. He smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I was just angry and when they attacked you my instincts took over."

Shiro nodded and the two went on their way, stepping over the bodies.

"Note to self: Never piss of Ichigo."

END FLASHBACK

Ever since then, Shiro had gotten into fewer fights. Not because he didn't want to fight, but news of the beat down spread and now most gangs avoided him. Also, the girl that had nearly lost him his job, he couldn't remember her name, had been avoiding him like the plague and whenever he came close to her, she would become terrified and practically run the other way. Shiro wondered about that but didn't care enough to peruse it. Besides, it was one less person after his ass for no reason.

Coming out of his thoughts, the pale teen saw the blood red sunset. He remembered that a red sunset meant a storm that night.

"Well I better get ready to have Ichigo tonight." And he left the park, heading home.

It was late and Shiro was lying in bed, watching the orange head who was staring out the window with distant eyes. The pitter patter of the rain was the only sound in the silence.

The albino sighed before sitting up. He was going to ask Ichigo what was wrong with him and he was determined to get an answer this time.

"Ichigo." Vacant eyes focused on him, "What's up? And don't say it's nothing, I know something's wrong with you."

Ichigo sighed and lowered his head, orange locks covering his eyes before he crawled over, crossing his arms over the side of the bed and rested his head on them, eyes still covered.

"It…it happened a long time ago." Shiro waited for him to say more and when he didn't he sighted. Normally, he would have been aggravated by Ichigo's silence but his voice was so timid and venerable that he couldn't be angry.

He shifted over and lifted the covers, "Clime in, Ichigo."

Without protest, the vampire crawled in and laid next to the younger teen.

"Come on Ichigo, you can tell me." He spoke softly, dropping his accent. Ichigo started off slowly.

"It happened a long time ago, when I was a child. I was eight years old at the time and still human. I had a wonderful family. Dad, the town doctor, acted childishly most of the time to make his family smile and laugh. I had two younger, twin sisters Yuzu and Karin. They were five. And then there was mom.

"Mom was the center of our universe. Everything revolved around her and she was the optimum of motherhood. Whenever someone was sad or crying, she would come and you would be happy again." Ichigo had been smiling softly as he talked but now it was melting away.

"Mother always took me to and from karate class. One day, it had been raining heavily all day. On the way home we walked by a river that was overflowing. I saw a little girl standing by the river and when she was about to jump in I ran after her to save her, not listening to my mom telling me to stop. And them everything went black." He put a hand on his face and his voice became slightly muffled.

"And when I woke up… she was on top of me… and there was blood everywhere." His nails glowed bright blue and turned into claws. "You know Shiro that my name means 'he who protects.' But that night I failed.

"The family wasn't the same after that. Dad became overly happy in his pathetic attempt at cheering up the family and hiding his own pain, Yuzu continued to cry a lot and also tried to take over the house chores, and Karin stopped crying all together. Even when she broke her leg, she didn't shed a single tear. The family was broken and it was all my fault."

"Ichigo…"

"And then a year later, on the same day, an earthquake hit when we were eating dinner. The house fell down on top of us. Dad's face caved in, killing him instantly, Karin also had a horrible head wound and little Yuzu's chest was completely crushed."

Shiro wrapped an arm around Ichigo and rubbed circles with his thump as the others voice began to waver. He now knew why he was so reluctant to talk about it.

"I should have died that night! I should have died!" Ichigo was almost on the verge of tears now and Shiro held him tighter. "But Zangetsu saved me. Like you, he marked me. Like you, I had a strong sent. I was young, I was dying, and I wanted to live so bad that I accepted his offer when he asked me if I wanted to become a vampire and live. For years I regretted that decision and would have lost myself and become a hollow if it weren't for Zangetsu." He turned to Shiro, removing his hand, his eyes slightly moist and gave a smile.

"You should meet him some day, you'll like him."

Silence filled the room.

"Have you told this to anyone else?" Shiro asked. Ichigo shook his head.

"No, no one not even Zangetsu or Chad, one of my most loyal friends."

"You've been holding this in for 200 hundred years?" He nodded. After a minute Shiro spoke.

"I'm glad ya told me."

Ichigo mumbled something that Shiro didn't catch.

"What was that, I didn't hear ya."

"Don't leave me." He whispered. Shiro gave a soft smile and hugged the other closer. He didn't sleep that night, instead lying awake with Ichigo.

That night, everything was perfect.

Chapter 3

ADLAS = Attention Definite-Look A Squirrel!

The next day, Shiro was tired as hell. He had stayed up the entire night with Ichigo on a school night. He didn't regret it though since the tanned male seemed perkier than usual this morning. At school, instead of dozing like usual, Shiro slept, using his arms as pillows, Ichigo next to him smiling.

Surprisingly, the teacher didn't say anything about Shiro sleeping in his class. Usually if someone did that, the jerk would slap his ruler on the persons desk and give them extra cleaning duty or something, but Shiro's nap was completely uninterrupted. He had a hunch that Ichigo was the cause of it, placing some sort of illusion over him making it look like he wasn't asleep or a spell on everyone else to make him go unnoticed. Apparently vampires can do things like that.

Ichigo woke him up for lunch and, when they got to the roof, apologized for keeping the albino up all night. Shiro just shrugged it off and said that it was his decision to do that and that Ichigo didn't ask for him to, so it was his fault he was tired, not Ichigo's. Other than that not much was spoken at lunch though Shiro did ask if he put a spell of some sort on him to keep him from being noticed by the teacher. Ichigo nodded in affirmative, saying that he used a spell that when people looked at him their eyes and mind would simply slide over him and not pay him any attention. It was the only illusion spell that Ichigo could do. Ichigo went on to say that it was a simple spell that all vampires could do and knew by instinct and was often used to stalk prey.

That afternoon when school let out the two walked to the gates before going their separate ways. After a few steps, Shiro stopped and turned around to ask the vampire a question before dismissing the thought. If he asked now it would lead to more questions and then he'd be beyond late for work which would in turn get him fired, he just knew it. He'd just question the teen later.

His shift came and went and when he got home Ichigo was, naturally, already there in his hunting outfit lounging on his bed.

Shiro had seen Ichigo's hunting outfit many times before. It was all black and somewhat old fashioned. His pants were traditional hakama with a white tie holding it to the teens waist. His coat was a bit odd. It was long sleeved and formfitting. It came together in a V in the front, showing off some tanned and muscled chest. The fabric continued down for a few inches before is split again, reveling an inch or two of stomach, the fabric going all the way down to his ankles and on his feet were traditional white socks and yellow sandals.

"Yo, goin' hunting later?"

The orange head smirked, "Yeah, much later. I just ate. You're curious about something aren't you? You were about to ask me a question when we left the school. So, what do you want to know?"

"Where do ya live?" This inquiry had been nibbling at his mind ever since the question first popped into his head earlier. "And how do ya get money?" Another question he had been wondering about for a while, thinking about the nice TV in his bedroom and living room.

The vampires smirk widened.

"I can answer both of those questions at once." And before the albino could say anything, Ichigo grabbed him, slinging him over his shoulder, and they shot out of the window, the city becoming a blur below them.

"Damnit Ichigo! Can't we just travel the normal way?!" A laugh was all he got for an answer.

Finally, the world came to a halt and once his eyes focused, Shiro recognized the area as the old warehouse district. Most, if not all, of the warehouses in the area were abandoned but nobody tore them down yet. He turned to the vampire who was walking to one of the warehouses. Curiosity gnawing at him, he followed.

"Hey Ichigo, why are we at a warehouse?"

Ichigo turned around and smirked but didn't say anything as he opened the warehouse door and walked in, the pale teen not far behind. When Shiro entered Ichigo closed the door and turned on the lights.

The first thing Shiro noticed was that the place was filled with what looked like junk, random objects and boxes all along the walls and a big, apartment sized box in the middle with a door. Dismissing the box for a moment Shiro took a good look at all the objects in the room. There were old samurai armors, probably dating back to the Edo period, a wide collection of Japanese helmets and weapons ranging from katana's and wakizashi to nunchaku and shuriken. There were scrolls of old fashioned art and there were several boxes all over, some small enough to fit in his hand and others that looked too big to lift.

"What is all this junk doing here?" the albino finally said as he turned to the other. The orange head chuckled.

"They're nick-knacks that I've either found or stolen over the years. Sometimes it's too much trouble to make fake papers, so instead of getting a job, I take some of this to a pawn shop or convention. The stuff here may be old junk but you'll be surprised at the price they would sell for. Come on."

The vampire started striding to the big box in the middle and when the two entered Shiro was surprised to see a well-kept kitchen and living room. There was a TV on the wall to his right with a table in front of it and a love couch. On the wall to his left was a book shelf that went to the ceiling and filled with books, some of which were works of Shakespeare.

"Like reading much?" Shiro teased.

"Only when I'm bored." Ichigo replied with a smirk closing the door behind them.

"So this is where ya live? It's like ya just picked up an apartment and put it in a warehouse." Shiro stated as he walked further in, heading towards the kitchen, taking in the rooms appearance. There were counters on both sides, one side shorter because of a refrigerator, and cabinets on both sides as well. At the end of the kitchen there was a closed door, which he guessed led to the bedroom.

"I built it actually. If I lived with humans then I would have to move every couple of years, which I think is too much trouble, especially with all the stuff I have. Here, I have plenty of room, no one bothers me, no annoying or nosey neighbors, and I don't have to move. A perfect place for a vampire. At least, it is to me anyway. Thirsty?"

"No, I'm good." Shiro said as he sat on the couch, Ichigo taking the spot next to him and turned on the TV. "Do all vampire's live in warehouses and places like that?"

Ichigo chuckled, "Not all, but most. Like me, many vampires find it too much of a hassle to buy a house, live in it for a few years and then move. Some live in warehouses like I do and others live in old abandoned apartments and construction sites. That's if they live in large towns and cities. If they live in the country or the mountains like Zangetsu, they can have their own house and not share it with anybody."

"What kind of places do they live in? And why would they need to share, don't they have that territory thing going on?"

"Well, about the territory thing," Ichigo shifted into a more comfortable position, "the size of one's territory depends on how many humans are in it. For example, let's say you're a vampire in plains of Africa. And yes, there are vampires in Africa." Ichigo said, answering Shiro's question before he asked it. "Now, in the rural areas of Africa there are small villages that are far from one another. A vampire can't eat only the people in one village or else they would drink the people dry, so he would have to have several villages in his territory in order to live. And that's just for one vampire. As such, there are few vampires in the rural areas of Africa.

"In cities, however, there are a lot of people in a small area, so that means a smaller territory. This means that you can have several vampires hunting in one city. This can lead to some confrontations every now and then but it's rarely anything big. Also, because there is so much food and so many vampires, there's pretty much no point in having a territory. So they all group together and share the city.

"Karakura town is pretty large, but it's still a town. It's small enough for the territory rule to apply but large enough for more than one vampire to live in. I'm currently the only vampire living here but traveling vampires can stop here and eat their fill, so long as they ask for permission first.

"Now, as for what kind of places they live in, it depends. Someone living in the rural areas of Africa would probably have a nice home, away from anyone that would find it. In the cities, there are simply not enough empty warehouses and the likes that would allow someone to live by himself. As such, some group together and stay in warehouses, abandoned office buildings, abandoned apartments, etc. They decorate the place however they want. For example, Shinji and his gang in the next town all live in one warehouse together."

They lapsed into silence after that watching whatever was on the TV. The silence was perfectly fine with Shiro, he liked it and he wasn't the type of person who talked much or filled all his time with chatter. Ichigo was the same way; it was something they had in common. Sometimes they would sit with each other for hours and not say a word, just thinking to themselves, like now. It was one of the things he liked about Ichigo. He knew when to talk and when not to, he didn't yell at him whenever he got into a fight and didn't look down his nose in distain whenever Shiro cussed. He treated Shiro the same, no matter if they were in public or private. Ichigo seemed to care about who he was and not what he looked like.

At that last thought, a familiar, but unfamiliar, sensation filled his chest. Shiro wasn't the sentimental type, but it touched him that someone in the world actually cared about him. And Shiro wondered just how much Ichigo cared about him. During the three months that they had spent together Shiro started liking Ichigo more and more. He enjoyed seeing him at school, he looked forward to seeing him after work and he just liked having Ichigo around in general. Ichigo was already his best friend (his only friend) but Shiro was beginning to wonder if he was developing a crush on the other teen.

Before he could think more on the subject, the couch shifted, bringing him out of his thoughts. Ichigo stood up and stretched before turning to the albino.

"I'm going hunting, you want to stay here or do you want me to drop you off home?"

The pale teen followed his example and stretched while the thought. When he finished, he looked the other in the eye.

"I want to see you hunt."

Shiro didn't think he's ever seen Ichigo so surprised. His brown eyes were wide and he blinked a few times. His mouth opened and closed before he responded.

"Are you sure?" he sounded hesitant.

"Yeah, I'm sure. What's the worst that can happen anyway?"

Ichigo looked like he was about to answer before he closed his mouth with an audible 'click.' His eyes darkened in thought and he stared hard at Shiro, making him feel as though he was being sized up or something. He stood up slightly straighter.

"Alright, you can come." When he said that his eyes became soft and warm again, putting the pale teen at ease. Ichigo reached for the remote on the table and turned the TV off before grabbing Shiro's hand and guiding (more like dragging) him out of the apartment and warehouse. When they were outside, Ichigo knelt down indicating for Shiro to climb on, which he did without a fuss, having grown used to this. Shiro wrapped his arms firmly around Ichigo's neck as Ichigo griped his thighs, his front flush against the vampires back. Then the world jolted and blurred as Ichigo shunpoed off.

For a while, it seemed as though they were just wondering, as Ichigo kept changing directions like he didn't have a destination in mind. After what seemed like forever (though it probably only 5 to 10 minutes) they finally stopped and Ichigo let Shiro climb off. Once he got rid of the dizziness Shiro noticed that they were in the space between two houses, another row of houses across the street. He had never been in this area of town. The area he came from was a lower district that was closer to the gangs, hookers, bars, and the dark side in general. The area they were in now was where all the rich people lived, with their fancy houses and pretty yards and frilly curtains.

Turning his attention back to the orange head he saw that the vampire was holding up his hand, palm up. Which was glowing blue, by the way. Then a glowing blue-white butterfly formed on his palm. It fluttered its wings a bit before it gracefully flew off, in the direction of the house across from them, white, star-like sparkles trailing behind it. His eyes followed it with unnatural intensity, the world around him slightly bluring, but snapped out of it when it disappeared suddenly. Then his mind caught up with him and he realized that it hadn't disappeared it went through the wall of the house.

He glanced at the vampire standing beside him and saw that Ichigo was watching the house with the upmost concentration. Shiro felt a sickening feeling worm its way through him and at first he had no clue what it was before he realized he was feeling jealous. Jealous! Over a butterfly! He shoved the feeling away and turned his attention to the house. Why would he need to be jealous anyway? It wasn't like they were together or anything. Besides, it was silly to be feeling that way over a butterfly…

They had been watching the house for three minutes when the front door to the house started to open. Shiro tensed. What if they were caught? Then he caught sight of the butterfly as it flew out the door and the door widened, allowing the teenaged girl to follow it. At first, Shiro tensed even more but then he saw the look in the girls eyes. They were dull and blank, almost as if she was in a trance. Ichigo shifted beside him as he leaned close to his ear. He could feel the soft breaths against his skin as he whispered in his ear.

"The butterfly puts the victim in a trance like state and makes the person a puppet. Also, she won't remember this encounter later." He then pulled away.

At this point the girl was right in front of them and the butterfly had landed on Ichigo's shoulder. Shiro watched as Ichigo gripped the girls shoulders as he leaned forward, mouth open with his fangs extended and amber eyes gleaming hungrily before being hidden as his eyes closed, fangs sinking into the soft flesh of the neck. The girl gasped and automatically tilted her head, giving the vampire more access, which he eagerly took. Again, jealousy reared its ugly head, though why he was jealous in the first place he didn't know, before he squashed it down. She was being eaten how can he be jealous of that?

They stayed like that for several minutes, Ichigo's addams apple bobbing with every swallow. Shiro noticed that the girl was slightly paler than before but Ichigo still kept drinking. Did Ichigo normally drink this much? Eventually, Ichigo stilled and gingerly extracted his fangs from the girls neck. When he opened his eyes Shiro saw that they were still a burning amber. He lifted a hand to the girls neck, palm glowing and Shiro assumed that he was healing her. When he finished, the butterfly took off again, the girl following. They watched as she entered the house and then waited for the butterfly to appear from the window, letting them know that she was back in her bed.

When the little insect returned and then disintegrated, Ichigo turned to Shiro, his eyes more brown than gold now, but just as intense. Shiro almost felt as though Ichigo was going to bite his neck next.

"Let's go, it's getting late." Ichigo said in a controlled voice and he turned around and kneeled, his actions sharp. Deciding not to question him Shiro got onto the others back without a word, noticing how tense Ichigo's muscles were. The snowy teen wondered what had set the other off but wisely kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting the vampires anger to be directed to him.

On the inside, Ichigo was furiously cursing himself. He knew, he knew, that he shouldn't have let Shiro come with him! He knew that after he started drinking blood his desire to drink blood would reach to insane levels like all vampires, and it didn't help that Shiro was so close. His scent was surrounding him, sinking into his clothes. He could hear his heart beating, feel it pulsing underneath his fingertips, the organ pumping the sweet, divine, mouth watering liquid throughout the warm and soft body pressed against his own.

The thought of the teens blood brought forward memories of the taste of the liquid and the feeling of it flowing down his thought. Oh, it was sooo good and he wanted to just turn around, sink his fangs into the muscled neck, and drink and drink and drink…

No!

Ichigo clenched his jaws tightly together. His k-9's had lengthened into fangs and he began to repeatedly clench and unclench his jaws, his body craving for something to bite into.

He finally arrived at the humans house and he crawled through the window, kneeling down to let Shiro off. When the albino climbed off, Ichigo stood up wanting to leave as quickly as he could but stayed where he was. Curious and worried for his friend, Shiro moved to stand in front of the vampire.

'Go away!' Ichigo mentally commanded the other. Naturally he didn't hear it, and instead continued standing there, oblivious to the others inner war. The orange-heads heart and mind demanded that he leave, knowing that if stayed he would hurt the pale human. His instincts demanded that he stay and drink every last drop out of the human standing before him. Unfortunately, the longer he stood there, breathing in the humans scent, the weaker his defenses became and the stronger his instincts became.

"Ichigo?" the vampire heard Shiro say and he snapped his head up to look at the other. A look of fear passed over the humans face, and he could hear his heartbeat speeding up. Ichigo knew that his eyes were more than likely gold now, maybe the whites of his eyes were turning black too. But right now he didn't care. There was a human in front of him with the most delicious blood he's ever tasted.

When Ichigo just stood there after letting him off, Shiro knew something was wrong. Shiro moved in front of him, trying to see the others eyes, but they were covered by orange locks. He noticed that the older teen was taking slow, deep breaths, his jaws clenching and unclenching.

"Ichigo?" He asked and Ichigo quickly looked up at him. Shiro couldn't help the fear that shot through him at the look of the vampires eyes. His irises were a fierce amber with slited pupils that were staring at him hungrily. In his left eye, black was beginning to creep over the white. What really got him was that there was hardly any reorganization in his eyes and was more like an animals than a humans.

The vampire stepped forward and Shiro took a step back. The vampire took another step and another, and Shiro kept stepping back but then fell as the back of his legs hit the bed, making him fall. Before the albino could even begin to move away, Ichigo was on top of him, straddling the pale teen and placing his hand on either side of his head, trapping him.

Even though he was terrified, Shiro didn't move, not even when the other began to lean forward. The albinos muscles just locked up. He watched as the vampire's mouth opened, revealing long, sharp fangs. Shiro closed his eyes and tensed, expecting to feel pain. Much to his surprise, something warm and wet slid over the nape of his neck before retreating, then repeating the motion with more force.

"Wha- is that his tongue?!"

As Ichigo continued licking, Shiro began to squirm. Despite the dangerous situation, he couldn't help his body's reactions to the ministrations on his neck and Shiro cursed teenaged hormones. The teen bit his lip to hold back a moan as the warmth in his lower stomach intensified. He inhaled sharply then let out a small whimper when Ichigo nipped his neck then gave a powerful suck.

Shiro panted and writhed as Ichigo licked, sucked and nipped on the slowly growing bruise. He shivered in anticipation when he felt fangs graze over the hicky and Shiro bent one of his legs up, making the vampire's groin press onto a hard, lean stomach.

Ichigo rocked forward once before going still. He pulled back sharply, making Shiro open his eyes (when did he close them?) and look at the other with confused, hazy eyes. Ichigo's own eyes were wide. They were still gold but there was barely any black and, most importantly, there was humanity in them, something Shiro hadn't noticed was missing before.

"Ichigo?" he asked hopefully.

Ichigo sucked in a breath and then disappeared, leaving Shiro confused and alone.

When Ichigo finally snapped out of it, he ran away from the temptation that was lying in the apartment. He bounded across town, heading in the direction of Urahara's shop. Arriving there he saw the two little demons, Ururu and Jinta, sweeping in the front as usual (at least one of them was anyway). Landing in front of them, he spoke in a hurried tone.

"I'm leaving town to see my master. Tell Urahara he needs to watch my territory." And without waiting to hear their response he took off.

He ran and ran and ran and soon left his territory, entering another. He sensed the other vampire heading towards his but Ichigo was soon out of the others territory as well. City streets and buildings began to make way to tress and forest and Ichigo ran on. His body was pumping with a foreign feeling and his mind kept conjuring up images of Shiro below him, the two of them doing intimate things with Shiro moaning and writhing and…

Ichigo tried to push the image back. They were only making the foreign feeling in his body increase as well as the heat in his stomach. Shiro's scent-which was clinging to his clothes-was only making it worse.

Right now, Ichigo wasn't a 200 year old vampire full of confidence. Now, he was a little whelp again, confused as to what was happening to him and desperately wanting help. He had never before felt this and he didn't know what to do or how to react to it. He needed the advice of someone older and wiser and had more experience.

Ichigo ran for a long time, passing through towns, cities and nature. Running through the forest, he could see a town tucked beside a mountain and he ran up the mountain. Soon enough a western style mansion came into view with Zangetsu standing on a pole on the roof.

Ignoring him for the moment, the orange head rand around the house to the hot spring that he knew was behind the house. He dove into it and scrubbed himself with his bare hand. His extended blue claws cut through his clothing and scratched his skin but Ichigo gave it no mind. He needed to get the scent off!

When Ichigo thought that he was clean enough he walked out of the hot springs, his water logged clothes clinging to him like a second skin. Practically ripping the fabric off, Ichigo left the clothes in a wet pile as he ran into the house, up the stairs and into his old room. He dove onto the bed and pulled the covers over his head, attempting to surround himself with his own scent and to hide. When he calmed down a bit and realized what he was doing, Ichigo mentally chastised himself for acting so childish. He may have been confused, but that was no excuse for his behavior. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm down some more, meditating as Zangetsu had taught him and breathing in his own scent.

For a while, the teen didn't move even when he heard Zangetsu's steady footsteps walk in and stop at the edge of his bed. Neither vampire said anything. Ichigo knew that Zangetsu was waiting for him explain.

"Well, I…" he began, "I…don't know where to start."

"Start from the beginning." Was all Zangetsu said.

"Well," he began again, "there's this human named Shiro Akuji who lives in my territory. His scent smells wonderful and his blood tastes even better. I had marked him a few years ago and three months ago an idiotic whelp tried to eat him. After that we became friends." Ichigo paused then, not sure how to continue. "We…I took him a hunt with me. He wanted to watch me hunt. So I took him and I ate. Not him! Some other person. But when I took him back to his house I almost did. At least…I think. I…" Ichigo stopped again, blushing. Shiro was his friend, a good friend, and he almost…did…that to him! And even just thinking about made his body warm. He was both repulsed and aroused by what happened. What made it worse was that he left Shiro and he wasn't sure what the other thought about it.

"I'm not sure what happened." Ichigo continued. "I was going to eat him from him. I had him pinned down and I was about to bite him. But the humanity didn't want to hurt him, so instead of just biting him I started to, um," Ichigo paused again, a blush forming on his face. Zangetsu was like a father and all, and he told him a lot of things, but there were still things he didn't feel comfortable talking about. "I gave him a hicky. To soften up his neck. And then things kind of got carried away…" Ichigo trailed off.

"You were afraid and so you ran here."

"Yes," the younger vampire said shamefully. He ran away because of fear, something he knew Zangetsu disapproved of.

"I'm not surprised," the old man said, startling Ichigo, "You have never been in such a situation or felt such emotions before. So, what do you plan to do now?"

Had Ichigo not been raised by Zangetsu and understood him, he would have angrily replied that he had no idea and that was the reason he was here in the first place. However, Zangetsu's calmness and way of thinking had somewhat rubbed off on him. He sighed and finally pulled the covers off so he could look out his window, something he had done many times when he was younger and still lived with Zangetsu. Outside the sky was somewhat lighter, the stars not shinning as brightly as they had an hour ago.

"I'll go back and talk to him." He said aloud. 'Hopefully he'll listen to what I have to say. I don't want to hate or reject me.' He thought privately to himself.

He pushed the covers off and got up, not caring that Zangetsu would see him in only is boxers. The guy was practically his father, it wasn't the first time he had seen the boy in his underpants. Ichigo walked over to the closet in the room to get dressed. If he wanted to home before sunrise he would have to leave soon. He knew it was a good idea to put some spare clothes in here the last he visited.

"Ichigo." The teen, who was rummaging through the closet, looked up at Zangetsu, who was still standing beside the bed.

"I would like to meet this Shiro someday." And with that, he turned and left. Ichigo gave a small smile as he went back to hunting for clothes.

If Shiro was still his friend after the ordeal, he would love for the two to meet.

Chapter 4

Shiro woke up the next morning to the sound of his beeping alarm clock. Shiro groaned. He had just gotten to sleep an hour ago, though it only seemed like minutes. He briefly considered skipping school today before dismissing the thought. He had done that once before in the past and it completely screwed him up.

Groggily, the albino got out of bed and turned off the alarm, last night's events swimming through his head. He rubbed his sore neck, the bruise only serving a reminder.

When Ichigo left, Shiro went to take a shower and to take care of his "problem." After that, he had dinner and tried to study but eventually gave up. His mind just wouldn't focus on the words. But he couldn't sleep either. His mind kept going over the events from earlier and his confusing emotions.

His body loved the attention he had received and wanted more, he wouldn't deny that fact. Ichigo was quite attractive, too, and Shiro was aware that he might have a crush on the vampire. And that was the problem. He treasured his friendship with the older teen and he feared that if he asked too much from Ichigo or tried to force too much on him, he might leave Shiro. And Shiro definitely didn't want that.

And thinking about last night, Shiro could only wonder what Ichigo felt. Was he disgusted with himself for doing that? Was he disgusted at Shiro for reacting the way he did? Was he going to start avoiding Shiro like everyone else? The last thought made Shiro's heart clench.

The albino shook his head as he left his apartment, heading to school. What the hell was wrong with him, he never thought like this. It was so out of character for him. But then again, Ichigo had that effect on him.

As he was walking an old woman who was passing by looked at him and then let out a huff of contempt. Shiro smirked at her wickedly and stuck out his blue tongue at her. She let out a squeak and then hobbled off as fast as her cane would allow her. Shiro chuckled darkly.

Before too long, the albino was at school. He could hear his loud as hell class and he was on the other end of the hall. What an annoying bunch. At least there would be blessed silence for a minute once he entered the room. Like always. But today Shiro wanted something different to happen. An idea came to him and a shit-eating grin formed on his face but he forced it back down.

Like usual, when he entered the classroom, it became dead silent and all eyes were on him. Perfect. Shiro released his shit-eating grin and then laughed the same laugh that caused many gangsters to piss their pants. When he stopped, he grinned and glared at this "classmates" who were backing away from his and trembling, fear evident on their faces.

Pleased with himself, Shiro strode over to his seat and plopped down into it, feeling like a king. Scaring the crap outta people, the perfect way to take your mind off things.

The next 5-10 minutes were quiet, the other students too scared to speak above a whisper, and were all cramped together in a corner farthest away from him. When the teacher came in he ordered them all to go to their seats, which they did so reluctantly, the one's closest to him eyeing him warily.

Mr. Ishida took role, looking up when Ichigo did not answer.

"Not here today I see. That's a first, I wonder if something happened to him." He turned back to his list and continued, missing the looks the students gave to Shiro. Ichigo didn't come to school the same day the white demon laughed like the psychopath he was. The albino must have done something to the innocent teen. Shiro ignored the looks and even smiled wider, though now it was forced. Ichigo's absence forcefully reminded him of what happened last night and his previous worries returned. Was the vampire so disgusted that he wasn't even coming to school? No, no he wouldn't do that. Ichigo wasn't like that.

It was thirty minutes into the lesson when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Ishida said. The door opened and everyone sucked in a breath at the sight of orange hair. They all released a sigh in relief when they saw that he was perfectly fine. Ichigo walked in, an apologetic look on his face as he handed the teacher a tardy slip.

"Sorry I'm late. Slept in."

"Alright, take your seat."

Ichigo walked over and sat down, not even giving Shiro a glance, which unnerved the pale teen. A few more minutes into the lecture a folded piece of paper landed on Shiro's desk. He quietly opened the note.

'Can we talk at lunch?'

There was no name or anything on it but Shiro knew who it was. Who else would give him a note? Glancing at Ichigo, he saw that the orange-head was looking at him out of the corner of his eye. The albino gave a nod and Ichigo nodded back before turning his attention to the lesson.

Shiro continued looking at Ichigo from the corner of his eyes. He acted as though last night didn't happen! What unnerved Shiro even more was that he couldn't read Ichigo. He was normally very good at guessing what someone was thinking by their facial expression or body language but he couldn't get anything from the vampire. He didn't look angry or sad or disgusted or anything! Having the vampire sitting next to him but not knowing what the other was thinking made the albinos worry increase.

For the rest of the classes, Shiro waited for the slow as hell bell to ring so he could go ahead and get things over with. Naturally, time seemed to have slowed down and he could have sworn that the hands on the clock went backwards. After what seemed like forever, the bell finally rang. The albino shot out of his seat and headed for the roof not even checking to see if Ichigo was following. He knew that he was.

When they go to the roof, they simply stood there, and they didn't say anything for several moments. They weren't looking at each other either. He didn't know about Ichigo, but the silence was killing Shiro. Ichigo was the first to break the silence.

"Do you hate me?"

Shiro turned his head so fast he was surprised he didn't' get whiplash.

"Huh?" was his oh-so intelligent response.

"Do you hate me?" Ichgio said again. His face was completely neutral, not giving away anything he might be thinking. Shiro looked at him in utter surprise.

"No! Why would I hate you?"

Ichigo fidgeted and looked away from Shiro.

"I completely lost control of myself and I attacked you. I acted like a mindless animal and I…I just," Ichigo stopped and let out a sigh before looking back at Shiro, locking eyes with him. "I'm sorry."

Shiro believed him. The vampires brown eyes had a deep sadness that the human didn't really understand, the weariness in them showing just how old Ichigo was despite how young he looked. The albino got a feeling that Ichigo's actions last night affected the vampire more than it did him.

Shiro gave a small smile, "It's alright." He said gently. "I forgive you." Ichigo smiled a bit before it fell.

"But what about you?"

"What do you mean?" the albino asked as he sat down, Ichigo doing the same.

"I mean how do you feel about it? I'm your friend and I attacked and molested you. And stuff. So how do you feel about it?"

Shiro looked at him bemusedly.

"…'and stuff?'"

"And stuff." Ichigo said with a straight face.

There was a moment of silence before they started chuckling, growing into full blown laughter. Anyone on the roof in hearing distance ran terrified of the sound of Shiro's laughter, but they didn't care. After a minute the laughter finally subsided and Shiro smiled at Ichigo.

"Don't worry about it Ichigo, I don't mind. I was a little freaked out at first but I understand. I'm simply irresistible." At the last part, the albino gave a cheeky grin and winked, making the orange haired vampire chuckle.

"So everything's good then?"

"Yep everythin's good. So why were you late today?" Shiro asked as he took a bite of his lunch.

"After I left last night I went to see my master, Zangetsu, and he lives a good ways away. It took me awhile to get there and back."

"Why do you call him master?"

Ichigo opened his mouth then closed it, his eyes furrowing deeper in thought.

"I don't know. It's just something that everyone calls the one that turned them."

After a few minutes of talking, Shiro finally noticed that the skin below Ichigo's eyes were dark. Just then the vampire yawned.

"Hey Ichigo are those bags under your eyes?"

The teen blinked at him a bit before he shrugged.

"Probably. I didn't get any sleep last night or yesterday and I didn't get much sleep the night before. I imagine that I look like shit." He closed his eyes and tilted his head to rest it on the fence. Shiro's eyes widened.

"You haven't slept in two days?" he paused. "Vampires can sleep at night?"

"Yeah, just like humans can sleep during the day."

Ichigo lied down on his back before rolling over onto his side.

"Could you wake me up when lunch is over?"

"Yeah, sure." Shiro's reply fell on deaf ears. The orange head had already fallen asleep. The albino watched the other breath softly as he slept. Even in his sleep, Ichigo scowled, but it was more relaxed than when he was awake. The albino realized that this was the first time he'd seen Ichigo sleep. He looked vulnerable and younger when he was asleep.

'Hard to believe he's a blood drinking creature that could easily kill people if he wanted.'

For the rest of the lunch period, Shiro ate in silence. When lunch ended he woke the vampire (which took some effort mind you) to go back to class where he promptly put up an illusion barrio around himself, probably to get more sleep. Shiro didn't know, he wasn't immune to magic.

And so, the rest of the day went by, as did the rest of the week. Ichigo still came over every night and acted as though everything was normal, for which Shiro was glad. He would have gone crazy if there was a weird vibe or something between them.

-Two weeks later-

Saturday came and Shiro was thrilled. No school or work! The main reason he liked the weekend, though, was because he got to spend more time with Ichigo. But it wasn't as though Ichigo was there when he woke up and the spent the whole day together, oh no, that would drive Shiro crazy. While the albino was glad to have a friend and spend time with him, he liked his time by himself. Shiro also had a hunch that the vampire was probably sleeping. Ichigo had complained once that school was such a pain because of lack of sleep. He had school during the day and at night he had to hunt and check his territory. And he wasn't even counting the time spent on homework.

'And,' Shiro thought, somewhat guiltily as he made breakfast, 'the time he spends with me.'

The last thought baffled him. If Ichigo was so tired then why would he spend so much time with Shiro instead of sleeping? He just didn't understand.

After he finished his breakfast and did his morning routine, Shiro grabbed some money and left his apartment. He walked around town for a while with no destination in mind, and completely bored. No one was picking a fight with him, and he wasn't somebody who spent their money at the arcade or mall (he preferred to spend as little money as possible) but he couldn't think of anything to do! He had already gotten bored with people watching, one of his favorite things to do and something he did as a hobby. He also got tired of creeping people out. And now he was bored!

Shiro felt like his brain was going to melt from boredom when an idea popped into his head. Two actually. The first was to go to the library. Shiro went there a lot, usually on Sundays and Saturdays, and the people who worked there stopped giving him looks and just ignore him. Once on a Saturday at closing time they had locked him in and he had to spend the night there. It was quite a shock to the librarians when they came to work the next day and found him already there.

His second idea was to go to Yoko's place. Yoko was an old man and surprisingly fit for his age. He was a retired police man with a black belt in karate, a master in kung-fu and the basic knowledge in swordsmanship. He wasn't a nice person; he treated everyone with equal cruelty and had a sharp tongue. But in his own weird way, he was a good person. He hated bullying which was how Shiro met him. Shiro had just moved into Karakura town and at the time he could barely even throw a punch right. But that didn't stop the bully's. One day when Shiro was getting beaten – again – Yoko happened to be walking by and chased the bullies off, yelling at them for beating someone younger and weaker than them. Then he rounded on Shiro and yelled at him for being a weakling little runt who couldn't fight back. Shiro argued back that he didn't know how to fight and that he couldn't afford lessons. The old man told the young albino to follow him and lead him to his home/dojo where he preceded to beat/train him. When they finished, Yoko told him to around whenever.

At first, Shiro had gone only for the training but over the years as the albino got better at defending himself he started going simply because he had nothing better to do. This annoyed the old man and often told the albino to get lost but Shiro wouldn't leave and then Yuko would give him chores to do, saying that if he was going to hang around he might as well be useful. So while Shiro did various chores, he would listen to the old man gripe and complain and if Yoko was in the mood he would talk about his time as a police man and tell stories.

Making up his mind, Shiro started heading towards Yoko's. It was almost noon and he probably wouldn't hear from Ichigo until at least three, and visiting Yoko would be the perfect way to kill time.

After some time, Shiro found himself standing in front of Yoko's door. He raised his hand to knock but before he could, the door opened reviling the owner. Yoko grunted as he glared at the albino.

"What are ya doin' 'ere runt?'

Shiro simply shrugged, completely unphased by the glare.

"Got nothin' better ta do."

Yoko grunted and turned back into the house. Shiro followed him into the living room where the old man had his sword collection out. Yoko sat down and picked up the unsheathed blade on the table next to him. Without even looking at him, Yoko barked an order at him.

"Pick up a sword and start cleaning it. See how they're in groups? Keep them in those groups and be careful when yer cleaning them or you'll cut yourself and I'm not taking care of it."

And so for the next hour they cleaned the swords, Shiro silent almost the entire time while Yoko talked ever now and then, the subjects ranging from political problems to superstitions and myths. After they were done with the swords, he ordered Shiro to do the dishes along with a list of chores to do.

While Shiro did the dishes he thought about his "relationship" with Yoko. They weren't friends by a long shot and neither would be disappointed if the other were to drop off the face of the earth. However, Shiro did see his as a mentor of sorts. Before he met Yoko, he had no clue how to cook or clean but Yoko taught him (it was not a nice experience and it involved many pushes and yelling). Shiro would admit that he didn't like the man but he didn't dislike him either and that he had a small attachment to the man, but that was simply human nature.

For the nest two and a half hours, Shiro did chores and listened to the old man's rants. Shiro was at one the back windows, wet rag in hand resting on the winder and was currently having a glaring contest with the cat outside. It was the neighbor's black and grey cat that Shiro knew was evil; he could see it in the little hellions blue eyes.

"Oi! Runt!" Yoko called from behind him. "I've got people comein' over soon, so get!"

One reason why Shiro didn't like Yoko was because in some ways he was like everyone else. He didn't want to be seen with the albino freak. Whenever the old man had company coming over he would make Shiro leave and if Shiro wasn't able to leave before the guests came, Yoko hid him in the basement. Shiro didn't like it at all but Yoko could have easily refused to train Shiro any more so he put up with it. The time he spent in the basement taught his patients, so at least one good thing came out of it.

Shiro dumped the wet rag in the sink and left the old man without even saying good bye. He once again began to wonder the streets, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. It was around three now so Shiro expected to see Ichigo between now and the next hour or so.

At that moment, a thought came to him. Ichigo had once mentioned someone named "Chad" and that he was Ichigo's closest friend but that was it. He never mentioned anything else about Chad or any of his other friends, or even if he had any besides Chad.

Shiro was jerked out of his thoughts when something black, blue, and orange landed in front of him. Focusing on what was in front of him, he saw it was Ichigo dressed in lose black pants, a black jacket and a blue shirt. The vampire smirked at him.

"Hey."

"Yo."

For a moment there was silence before Shiro broke it.

"Hey I was wondering something…" he trailed off, uncertain how to ask. Ichigo waited patiently for the other to speak.

"Who is Chad? And what is he like?"

Ichigo smirked wider and started walking, Shiro walking next to him.

"As I told you, he's my best friend. Chad's real name is Sado Yoshitora, but it mispronounced his name and called him Chad. The name stuck and pretty much everyone calls him that now. He's a quiet person, hardly ever talks, and the most dependable person you'll ever meet. He doesn't like fighting very much. In fact, the only reason he would fight would be to protect someone. Other than that he doesn't fight, even to protect himself. Which is alright, considering how sturdy he is. The attacker would probably hurt himself if they punched him."

"And what is he? Another vampire like you?"

"Not exactly. He's a vampire hybrid. His grandfather was a hybrid and Chad got a strong dose of his genetics. He looks completely human except when he uses his powers, then his arms turn into fleshy armor. Eh, sorry, I'm not very good at describing his arms. Maybe you'll see them someday."

Shiro nodded, "I look forward to it. What about your other friends?"

"Well, first is Tensa, Zangetsu's son. He's around my age and he's practically Zangetsu's mini-me; he's just as detached and logical but he has a bit more of a temper. Next is Tatski. We met a little while after Zangestu turned me. Zangetsu knew her parents and because we were around the same age, they set us up on play dates." Ichigo smirked fondly as he reminisced. "Even back then, Tatski was a tomboy through and through. We would spar together often and for years she would beat me every time. She's fiercely protective of her friends and has quite the temper, but she never starts fights. Unless it's to protect someone, then she'll kick your ass, doesn't matter who you are. She's a good person and someone you can depend on and talk to. She's practically my sister almost."

"And what is she?"

"A dragon hybrid." Ichigo chuckled at the odd look on Shiro's face.

"A dragon hybrid? Does that mean she has like, wings and a tail and breaths fire and stuff?" Ichigo chuckled again, a bit louder this time.

"No, they don't have wings and stuff, at least, not most of the time. Dragon hybrids have two forms: a released form and a sealed form. Their sealed form is completely human and that's the form they're in most of the time. Their released form is where the dragon characteristics come in. Scale armor gauntlets form over their hands, forearms, feet, and calves. A helmet forms on their heads and a plate of armor forms on their shoulder blades. The wings come from the plate of armor and from that plate, extend a spinal cord like armor that goes over the spine and when it reaches the rear it keeps going, forming a tail." The vampire looked at the albino walking beside him.

"Because you're human and weak compared to a supernatural being, I'll warn you that if you ever see a released dragon hybrid, it means that you've pissed him off and you're fucking screwed. Dragons are temperamental and dangerous and you don't wasn't to piss one off."

Shiro nodded slowly, "Uh, okay, and your other friends?"

"Next is Orihime. No one is sure what she is, her powers are unique and practically god-like, but we believe that she came from an ancient race of fairies that died out long ago. Anyway, we met through Tatski. We really didn't start out as friends, she thought I was scary and I thought she was too happy and ditzy. But over time we eventually began to grow on each other.

"After Orihime is Uryu Ishida. And no, he is not related to our teacher. He's a smart know-it-all and knows the answers to everything. He's also very observant. He's a quincy, a race that was thought to have been killed off. They also used to be called vampire slayers." Shiro interrupted him.

"Vampire slayers? And you're friends with this guy?"

"Yeah. You see, vampires and quincies used to get along once upon a time. The quincies themselves were, over all, a peaceful race, only using their powers when needed, such as when they came across a hollow. But then some bad blood got between the quincies and the vampires and the two started a war. Unfortunately for the quincies, the vampires had more resilient bodies, stronger powers and were larger in numbers. Once the fighting had ended, the vampires were the victors and it was believed that the quincies had been wiped out."

"Damn. Wait, if the quincies were wiped out, then what about Uryu? And wouldn't he be trying to kill you for being a vampire?"

"Well, apparently a few managed to escape and while he didn't try to kill me, he hated my race and tried to defeat as many vampires as he could, trying to prove that he quincies were better than vampires. He challenged me a few times, and after a few ordeals and lots of yelling, he finally decided that not all vampires are bad."

"I noticed that you have a unique band of friends. And so far you haven't mentioned a single vampire friend."

Ichigo smirked. "I have more vampire friends and aquatences than anything else. My two closest vampire friends would be Renji and Rukia. Renji is hot headed and short tempered and tends to jump into things without thinking. Though I'm not one to talk, I've done it too. Rukia is the exact opposite. She's calculating and sometimes cold. She has a temper too, but she has more control. She's more into spells and speed while Renji is just brute force."

"And what about your other vampire friends?"

"Well there's…"

And so the two spent their evening walking around town, with Ichigo talking about the people he knew. He mentioned an Urahara and Yuroichi before quickly changing to others. There was Kukaku and Ganju Shiba, twho roaming vampires, Hanataro, a timid vampire doctor, Kenpatchi, Yachiru, Yumichica and Ikaku, four vampires who took pleasure in fighting (Ichigo said that this was a major understatement), Unohana, the head doctor, Byakua, a noble and Rukia's brother, and the list went on, though it was mostly aquatences.

He moved on from vampire awuatences to other races. There was Toshiro Hitsugia, a wolf hybrid, Matsumoto, a cat hybrid, and her mate, Gin, a fox hybrid. Next was Naruto, a four tailed fox demon, and his 'best friend' Sasuke, a wolf demon, and their group of demon friends called the 'Konoha gang plus Suna sibilings.' At Shiro's questioning, Ichigo said that the difference between a hybrid and a demon is that demons had three forms: human, hybrid(animal tail, ears, eyes, etc.), and full demon form. Also, hybrids only had super strength and senses and no special abilities while demons had super strength and senses and special abilities depending on the type of demon they were.

Continuing on with the people he knew, Ichigo mentioned two wizards, Edward and Alphonse Elric, though their kind preferred to be called alchemists. Then there was Rin and Yukio Okumura, twins who had the power of the blue flame, an ability said to come from Satin himself. Then there were the Yami's and Hikari's – people who were once human but had become the guardians of darkness. The Yami's (Atem, Bakura and Jaden) used the power of darkness themselves while their Hikari's (Yugi, Ryo and Jesse) helped keep them balanced and mentally stable by practically fusing their souls with their Yami. Jaden himself was the 'Herald of Darkness.' When Shiro asked what all that meant, Ichigo just smiled and said "The world is a large place and there are many secrets it keeps. Not even the oldest of any species knows everything."

And that's it. I have nothing more on this. That last bit with Ichigo's aquatinces was something random that I just added in.

I did have a Halloween special, but I lost it. It was about when Shiro was 9 and his first Halloween in Karakura town. He stays out late and on the way to his apartment a hollow attacks him, knocking him unconscious. Ichigo saves him and decides to go ahead and mark him, then takes him to his apartment. Because of a hit on the head, Shiro had no memories of the incident.

To whoever adopts this story – Ichigo and Shiro do wind up together (or it's at least hinted that they will eventually) and Shiro does wind up a vampire; however, Ichigo changes him into a vampire to save his life – either he was attacked by a hollow/villain or he got fatally injured in an accident.