Summary: Ichigo is a thief with an animal spirit (called an ikimono). One day, Ichigo gets kidnapped and sold on the black market to Aizen, a man who 'collects' ikimono. What happens when Ichigo meets a certain albino who is also trapped in Aizen's mansion? AU IchiShiro onesided AizenShiro

Explanation:

So, this story takes place in the Bleach world, minus the shinigamis and hollows. In it, there are people who have an 'animal spirit', which basically means they have certain physical traits of an animal that they can make appear or disappear at will (i.e. ears, tails, claws, fangs, etc.). They're kinda like +anima or sex pistols if you've ever read/watched those manga/anime series. There aren't many ikimono in the wold. Side not: according to the online Japanese translator, ikimono means animal or living creatures. So, on with the story!

Pairings: ShiroxIchigo, one sided AizenxShiro

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I own only the plot and my OCs, Tite Kubo owns everything else.

Chapter 1: alley

Ichigo walked down the street silently, letting the wails and honks of the city night soothe his tense muscles. He almost managed to calm himself completely, but the image of a certain blonde poorly shaven shop keeper popped into his head. The characteristic frown that always donned his face deepened and he clenched his hands in his pockets.

The deal had gone south fast and Urahara hadn't seemed to notice. The antique pocket watch he had busted his ass to get ended up being sold for only half of what it should have gone for. What the hell had been wrong with Urahara today? He had only half paid attention, as if whatever was on his mind kept yanking him away from the deal.

Ichigo gritted his teeth in frustration. That was a month's worth of rent down the toilet. Now he would have to steal something else to make up the difference. He usually wasn't one to start a fight. That was, unless someone pissed him off, which a certain shopkeeper had managed to do quite successfully. But at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to find someone to take out his frustrations on, especially if that person happened to be blonde.

A siren wailed in the distance, adding to the symphony of evening traffic clogging the roads. It was this time of night that made Ichigo glad he didn't own a car. The yellow streetlights flickered to life, casting a gentle glow on the orange spikes of hair that jutted out from under his white hoodie. In an attempt to prevent himself from picking a fight with some stranger, he focused on the steady beat of his worn out high-tops. Everything seemed in tune with the usual hustle and bustle of the waning evening. Until the hair on the back of his neck rose.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, but he forced his outward appearance to remain calm and relaxed. Someone was stalking him. He could feel the animalistic predatory intent with all his senses, and his senses, his instincts, were never wrong. Well, he had wanted a fight to take out his frustrations and here it was.

Ichigo crossed the street at the next intersection and headed in the opposite direction as his apartment. The last thing he wanted was to lead whoever this creep was to where he lived. It wasn't the first time someone had followed him. Being a thief had the tendency to make you fairly unpopular, unless someone wanted something they couldn't obtain through strictly legal means.

He concentrated on the uneasy feeling he was getting, trying to pinpoint it. It wasn't law enforcement; they had a more professional feel to them. Ichigo frowned. No, this person's style was more casual, like they didn't really care if he noticed them or not. That sparked Ichigo's temper. If whoever was following him thought they could handle him on their own, they were dead wrong. He may be a thief, but he knew his way around fighting, especially with a knife. It was a necessary skill for survival in his line of work. He could take care of himself no matter who this bastard thought he was.

Ichigo saw an alley that was one of his usual haunts and turned down it. Now that he was in his territory it was time to see who his stalker was. He glanced at the brightly colored graffiti that decorated the dirty brick as he walked halfway between the entrance of the alley and the high chain link fence that divided the alley in half. He turned to face whoever was following him.

A thin man stood in the mouth of the alley and stopped. Ichigo's frowned deepened as he tried to asses his threat level. He was slouching slightly with his hands in his pockets. His hair was spiky like Ichigo's own, but shorter and sand colored. He eyed Ichigo with dangerous golden orange eyes, very similar to Ichigo's brown amber ones. A devilish smile played across the other man's face. Ichigo narrowed his eyes. This guy had to be an ikimono, a human who had an animal spirit. Ichigo was one, a cheetah, and found it somewhat unsettling to be facing one. Ikimono were fairly rare and usually left each other alone.

"What do you want," Ichigo asked casually, never taking his eyes off the man before him. The man's feral smile widened, revealing two sharp canine teeth.

"I want you," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. A chill ran up Ichigo's spine. He ignored it, forcing himself to stay calm and focused.

"Sorry pal, but I don't swing that way," he retorted venomously. Sure, lately he'd discovered that his sexuality might not be exclusively centered towards girls, but that was the last thing this creep needed to know.

"Ooh. Testy," the guy responded mockingly, "Lucky for you, I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

"Then what do you-," Ichigo was cut off as he answered.

"I'm a black dealer."

That was all it took. Ichigo spun around and took off toward the fence that split the alley in half. Black dealers were people who illegally sold ikimono to the highest bidder. The thought that an ikimono could be one shook him to his core. The wind from his sprint knocked his hood off his head, revealing his spiky orange hair. Good. The hood would only block his peripheral vision if it came down to a fight. Ichigo tensed his muscles and sprang upward as he closed in on the fence. His hands took hold of the metal and he used his momentum to vault the rest of the way over the fence with practiced ease. He rolled as he hit the ground and back onto his feet. He turned and looked at the strange man through the chain links. The black dealer hadn't moved. Maybe following Ichigo over the fence didn't seem worth it.

"So long," Ichigo said grimly, giving the black dealer a one-finger salute in farewell. The man just grinned wider. Ichigo only had a second to wonder what he was up to before his instincts kicked in and threw his body to the side to avoid a blow dealt from behind.

"Wow," commented the sandy haired man, "Testy with good reflexes."

Ichigo bared his teeth when he heard the grin in the man's voice. He recovered himself and snatched his black and white dagger Zangetsu from the sheath belted to his leg. He had to dodge another punch from his attacker as he turned to face him. How had this second guy snuck up on him? He didn't have time to ponder it as he was forced to dodge more attacks.

Adrenaline sung through his body, making every movement look sharper and more defined. It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on him to wake him up. More blows were thrown at him, which he managed to dodge or block. There were now three people on his side of the fence, two of which were currently backing him into a corner. Ichigo growled. It was time for him to go on the offensive.

He lunged at the larger of the two attackers, hoping the man's size would give him a speed advantage. A loud clack resounded through the alley. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized his dagger had been stopped by a tortoise shell that had materialized over the large man's belly.

Gimme a break!, Ichigo thought distractedly, Are all these guys ikimono?

He was wrenched from his thoughts when his smaller attacker took advantage of his distracted state, grabbing the hood of his sweat shirt and using it to hurl him around and into a wall. It took all of Ichigo's concentration not to let go of Zangetsu as he slammed into the dirty brick. His vision wavered for a moment before his head cleared again. A sharp click from farther down the alley to his right caught his attention and he looked to see the third man that had been watching the fighting pointing a gun at him.

"Now, now. None of that. We don't want to have to hurt you," the man with the gun said calmly.

Ichigo froze for a moment. It was a bad move to make. Pain exploded in his ribs as someone kicked him. Hard. He gasped for air as someone pulled his arms behind his back. They clenched his wrists painfully until he was forced to drop Zangetsu. Ichigo struggled as he heard two more clicks from handcuffs being snapped around his wrists. His stomach dropped when he thought about how final those clicks had sounded. How the hell was he going to get out of this one?

This was obviously a well-trained team. Why would they come after him? How had they even known he was an ikimono? He'd never told anyone. Ichigo was dragged to his feet roughly and propelled toward the end of the alley. Over his shoulder he caught a brief glimpse of the sandy haired ikimono giving him the farewell salute he had given him not a few minutes earlier. Fear gripped Ichigo as he caught sight of a sleek black car blocking the end of the alley they were heading towards.

Adrnaline crashed through his system once again. He was not getting in that car. His leg swept backwards, catching whoever was forcing him forward by surprise. Ichigo felt the man's grip loosen on his arms and took off like a shot towards the end of the alley.

The only thing left in his way was the guy with the gun. The gun had caused him to freeze before, but now that his head was clear he remembered this wasn't a job, but a kidnapping. If they damaged him in any major way, they wouldn't be able to sell him for as high a price. The gunman yelled at Ichigo to stop, warning him that he'd shoot if he didn't. Ichigo didn't buy it. Besides, there were worse things than being shot and being sold like livestock was at the top of the list.

A thick arm crashed around Ichigo's waist from behind, interrupting his thoughts and pinning him to someone's chest. His eyes widened and something snapped inside him. Full on panic surged through his body and he started to struggle violently against the hold on him.

"Get him to the car," someone snapped.

Ichigo dug his heels into the asphalt as he was pushed slowly to the car. The man he had kicked before came to help get him to the car. Ichigo kicked out violently as he approached and managed to land his foot between the man's legs. He let out a howl of pain and fell to the ground. The man forcing him to the car wrapped his other arm around his throat. Ichigo gasped as he struggled to breathe and tried to bite into the man's arm. He wasn't above fighting dirty if it meant survival.

The gunman opened the black car door for them when they reached it. Ichigo was tossed unceremoniously into the back seat, followed by the gunman and the large turtle ikimono. He scrambled to the other door, but it was locked before he could even try to push it open. Ichigo bared his teeth and sprang at the two men in the back seat, fully intending to sink his rapidly growing canine teeth into them since his claws were currently handcuffed behind his back. He was not going down without a fight.

The car squealed away suddenly, throwing Ichigo sideways against the back seat. He snarled as someone pinned him down. There was a drawn out ripping sound before a large piece of duct tape was pressed over his mouth. He tried desperately to thrash out from being pinned, but couldn't move under the weight of his restrainer.

"A real fighter, this one," said one of the men, "we'll have to be careful not to lose him."

xXx

Ichigo lay still for the rest of the car ride. Even though he had stopped thrashing around in an attempt for freedom the grip on him hadn't loosened at all. They weren't taking any more chances with him. Well, at least they're taking me seriously now, Ichigo thought grimly. Between his sore ribs, the crushing weight on his back, and the duct tape over his mouth, he was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. He silently prayed they would reach their destination soon before he suffocated.

He felt the car lurch to a stop a little while later. The driver got out and a second later Ichigo heard the door behind him open. Damn it. These guys were getting smarter about how to handle him. Open the door that wouldn't allow him to plunge straight toward an exit. The huge man pinning him down carefully changed his hold on him so he could drag him out of the car. The fear that had washed over Ichigo before came at him in a second wave as he took in a spacious warehouse filled with large cages.

Adrenaline pulsed through his veins and reality seemed to shift out of focus. He was vaguely aware of thrashing against his captor, of claws and fangs ripping fabric. More body weight was added to the force already trying to subdue him. It only made Ichigo struggle harder. A strong burning sensation snapped his attention to his chest where his lungs were struggling to take in gasps of oxygen through his nose alone due to the duck tape covering his mouth. His panic increased, causing his lungs to hyperventilate further, while his struggling weakened with the lack of oxygen. His already hazy surroundings dimmed and his vision flickered in and out of blackness. His abused body continued to struggle against the inevitable. His eyes slipped shut and he to fell into the darkness that was waiting to claim him.