Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Bleach and all its characters belong to Tite Kubo. Song rights belong to Aj Rafael, and all those other little things i got in there, nothing belongs to me. :(
Warnings: Language, Implied Yaoi, and Grimmy's rockstaryness. (Definatly not a word, i looked it up)
Enjoy...
Grimmjow let out a gusty sigh, his elbow resting on the window as he looked out of it. They had been driving for far too long in his opinion. The same country side over and over, repeating itself like they were on a big conveyor belt. And every other minute Ggio Vega, one of the stage hands, asked in an exasperated tone, 'Are we there yet?' God, he could see Nnoitora's hands twitching, wanting to be around that slim neck to choke the life out of the cat like boy. The only thing stopping him was Grimmjow and the boy's father Barragan. Even though Grimmjow's patience was anything but limitless, he had a soft spot for the boy, he liked his style if nothing else.
"Are we there yet?" Ggio sighed, his chin in his hand. Nnoitora growled at him and faked a lunge, grinning when the boy flinched.
"You know, we'd get there a hell of a lot faster if you would just shut your trap." Nnoitora said, his feet up on the air conditioner.
Ggio sneered at him, "That doesn't make any sense, dumbass." They proceeded to argue like that for a while after Nnoitora said 'You wanna take this outside?' even though we were on a moving tour bus. What a fuckin idiot, Grimmjow thought, looking back outside, to his surprise they just entered city bounds. The sign said: Karakura Town, Pop. 106,134. Oh great, another place I haven't heard of before, why can't we go to Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, or Kyoto, or just somewhere bigger. What a rinky-dink town name too, 'Empty Seat Town'. What the hell? What does that even fuckin mean?
"Oh! We're here." Ulquiorra said, staring at the window. He stood and sat in the seat opposite Grimmjow's. "Wonderful isn't it?" He asked, in a voice that suggested it wasn't wonderful at all. Grimmjow wondered momentarily if he was using sarcasm, and how he would ever be able to tell if he was.
"Yes, my dear Espada." Aizen's vaguely amused voice said, breaking off all conversation. "Are you ready to perform for the wonderful people of Karakura town?" He glanced at the stage hands and Neliel's personal assistants; the former being Barragan, Ggio, Yylfordt, and Tesla; and the latter being Pesche and Dondochakka. "Please leave, I need to speak with the newest hottest music group, The Espada." Ggio looked at his father Barragan for permission to speak. Though, he probably should've been more afraid of Aizen than his own father.
"How exactly do you expect us to leave, Aizen sama? We're on the bus…" Ggio said, trying to hastily remind him, of something he already knew. Aizen gave him a slight smile and tilted his head to the side like a bird.
After a short while Aizen said, "You can either A. jump off the bus and die as an attractive road pizza, or B. go to the upper level." He smiled gently, "I won't think any less of you if you chose the second option." And with that, all the unwanted people fled the room, each and every one choosing option B. which was probably the most preferred for obvious reasons. He then surveyed all the faces.
"Neliel, how is the fan club doing?" He asked almost conversationally, sitting down on Nnoitora's air conditioner, his curly brown hair flying up around his face.
Neliel, Grimmjow's sister and elected president of the Espada fan club, smiled angelically at Aizen. "The fan club's doing well, sir. Growing even as we speak. Many of them have flocked to Karakura Town to get a chance to see them in person. Also, you asked me to have a competition for the remaining backstage passes, and the winners are waiting impatiently for them to come in the mail. The concert for two nights from now is, as expected, sold out." Even Aizen looked shocked at this.
"I know that the Espada are a popular group, but for 60,000 plus, in a city this size is rather unbelievable. That's more than half the population. How long have we been sold out for?"
"For the past month." She replied, looking down at her clipboard. Grimmjow smiled at her, she could be really annoying and childlike at times, but whenever Aizen, their manager, got close it was like some switch was flipped and she became serious and businesslike. "Tickets for this concert are currently being sold on Ebay for around 40,100 yen. The original price was 8,000 yen."
Aizen thanked her and then looked at the group members, the Espada. Which consisted of Nnoitora, bass guitar; Ulquiorra, keyboard player; Grimmjow, lead singer; Starrk, drums; and Szayel on electric guitar. "Espada, good job recently, I'm proud." Grimmjow smirked, wow, an actual fuckin compliment. "I hope you are feeling a bit nervous about tonight's show. Sixty thousand plus people will be watching you, not to mention countless viewers at home. If you mess up, they will all see, and they will all know. Can't have that now can we? You have to have a little bit of fear. Fear is necessary for our line of work. The fear that you can be surpassed by another group at any moment. Be thankful for your positions and work to keep them." And with that, he strode back to the front of the bus. Ggio appeared from behind the stair rail.
"Is he always like that?" He asked in a bratty tone, sitting down next to Grimmjow. He smiled at the young boy and tousled his already messy black hair.
"Yep. But you won't get used to it, trust me, I haven't and I've known him for years." He said offhandedly, and watched the shock on the boy's face grow as everyone nodded their ascent, well…all except Ulquiorra who was forever loyal to Aizen. Kiss ass, Grimmjow thought, sneering outwardly, though no one was looking at him anymore.
After ten minutes of pretending to listen to their conversation, he turned and looked out of the window again, asking whatever god or goddess there was that he would find someone in the next few days that would provide a welcome distraction. Aizen didn't allow them to have people on the bus, though Nnoitora had had Tesla countless times. He said that if there were pregnancies or women coming around for compensation that he would personally castrate them on the spot. Under that terribly convincing threat, backed up by Aizen two favorite bodyguards Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen, of course Grimmjow had accepted this rule, he didn't bring them on the bus, and he didn't tell them his real name. But some still came around claiming that they would tell the media they'd been with him if he didn't pay them some odd sum of money. And of course he promptly paid them and told them 'Would've been cheaper and better if I'd just hired a prostitute' and slammed the door in their faces.
He chuckled, staring out at the plain people of Karakura town. Grimmjow knew he wouldn't find anyone here worth banging, and hopefully the people at the concert in two days were all the more attractive side of their fan club. Well…here's hoping
"Ichigoooo," Shinji called, jumping up and down, with Yumichika and Keigo standing behind him practically oozing joy. Ichigo scowled up from his book.
"No." He replied, and then continued reading. He heard collective sighs, and smirked, thinking they'd given up. But he was sadly mistaken.
"But you haven't even heard what I was going to ask you. Now c'mon Ichigo, you can't be inside all the time reading and watching porno's."
Ichigo sputtered indignantly, "Firstly, I do not watch porn. And secondly, I can be inside as long as I want and there's nothing you can do about it." Yumichika smiled and raised his hand.
"If I may, Ichigo, we do have ways of getting you out of here, by force if necessary, though I'd rather not." He said, grimacing at his nails.
"Oh yeah, how would you do that?" Ichigo challenged, raising an eyebrow. He knew he could take on any of these men, they were pretty much lightweights.
Keigo grinned at Yumichika and put an arm around his shoulders. "I bet he's talking about his new boyfriend." He said wiggling his eyebrows at Ichigo and Shinji. "Apparently he's 'Beautiful when he calls me beautiful' isn't that right, Yumi?" Yumichika removed Keigo's arm and took a step away.
"I did not say such a strange thing. Ikkaku is always beautiful to me, but don't tell him that. He would get all mad and say that men are supposed to be hot, not beautiful." Yumichika pouted.
Keigo looked at Ichigo with a 'Is he fuckin serious?' look. "Ikkaku is anything but beautiful. He blinded several children in the park yesterday when the sun shined on his dome." He shook his head sadly. "Those poor kids." Ichigo chuckled and sat up, stretching his arms above his head.
"Alright, lemme hear this idea of yours, Shin." Ichigo sighed. Almost every time he got tangled up in Shinji's plans he ended up doing something he'd regret, and all of the pictures were worthy of being burned and never talked about again. "But if it has to do with cross dressing, count me out."
Shinji giggled, which by the way, is never a good sign. "It has nothing to do with cross dressing. However…our wonderful Keigo here, the leader of the Espada fan club, Karakura Town sector, managed to snag us tickets to a concert featuring the hottest group out there." Ichigo blinked, waiting for a punch line. He couldn't be serious. Concerts were a waste of money. The singers never sounded as good as they did on the CD, and all rock stars were fake. "Now Ichigo, that wasn't the reaction I wanted. We got five front row seats and two backstage passes. You can invite whoever you want for the extra ticket, but you're not using the backstagers though; Keigo chan and I are taking them." Ichigo laid back and nodded once.
"I'll go, but please don't embarrass yourselves. I have an image to uphold y'know."
"Thanks Ichi, you won't regret this." Shinji exclaimed, planting a kiss on Ichigo's cheek before running out, fist pumping the air. Ichigo shook his head and looked out of the window. Oh god, it's gorgeous outside. He thought, slipping into some shorts and lacing up his black converse. Maybe he could chill out in the park a little while, soak up some sun and finish reading his book in the great outdoors. He grinned and picked up his book, racing outside to go and catch some sun.
Grimmjow waved to his companions, taking a ukulele with him. He needed to get out of the bus, it was driving him to the point of insanity. The stale air, the bad company, all contributed to an intensely bad mood that seemed to be sucking all of the life out of the air. When he breathed in the air of Karakura Town, he found that it had a lightly floral scent mixed with the smell of rust. He grinned, the ukulele case in one hand as he toured some of the streets, ignoring the dirty looks he got. He could practically hear what nasty thoughts they were throwing at him 'Delinquent', 'Troublemaker' he grinned at each and every one of them, scaring them off a bit. Which was, admittedly the desired effect.
He turned a corner and found himself at the open gates of a very busy, very beautiful park. In a trance, he walked through the gate, and found himself a nice comfortable spot on a park bench directly in the middle of it all. The busiest place. Mothers pushing strollers, business men eating their meager lunches while chatting on their cell phones, young teens holding hands and making out, and a few nerds here or there oblivious to the warmth and beauty of the day, their noses in books. He'd always hated that type, he didn't understand why people would want to read about other people's lives when they could just as easily go out and live their own. His motto was 'Get high off of life' a phrase which hadn't exactly endeared him to Aizen, who told him that young kids didn't need to hear such things.
Grimmjow smirked and unzipped the ukulele case, dropping it, still open on the ground in front of him as he began to play a sweet soft melody, teasing and light. He allowed the song to create itself as it went, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the park bench, allowing himself to get lost in the music. It also made him more approachable, and approach they did, slowly people gathered around him to listen, some swaying unperceptively to the tune, others had caught on and whistled with it. When he saw light brown almost hazel eyes surrounded by a halo of bleached orange hair he found the words he had been searching for.
"And I'll, I'll sing a song to break the ice,
Just a smile from you would suffice.
It's not me, being nice.
Boy this is real tonight
'cuz I've been, thinking bout you lately,
And maybe you could save me from this crazy world we live in.
And I know we could happen,
'cuz you know that I've been feeling you…"
He winked at the now blushing teen, and all other eyes went between the two. "I know you want me too." Grimmjow continued the tune for a short while and then stopped, surprised by the amount of applause. Yet…there were twenty eight cents and an opened lollipop in the case. Cheapskates, he thought, taking out the lollipop and pocketing the rest of the money as the people started walking away. All but that orange haired teenage boy who just stood with a stupid look on his face as he started at Grimmjow, unashamed to meet his eyes and be caught staring at a complete stranger. He smirked and threw and arm over the top of the bench, watching and waiting for the teen's next move.
After what seemed like eternity, the orange haired boy walked over and sat next to him with a sigh. He smiled lightly, wanting to say something to break the ice, but unable to do so. So he waited for whatever the teen was going to come up with, while he studied him.
Besides the bright bleached hair, there didn't seem to be any other punk like qualities about the boy, he seemed more like a goody two shoes than a delinquent. Maybe he was just misunderstood, much like Grimmjow. Only…probably more on the extreme side of the spectrum, considering he was clutching a thick paper bound book to his chest, looking down at the ground with intense concentration, like he was the only thing keeping the ground from splitting open and killing them, instead of say, eating babies and kicking puppies. How fascinating, Grimmjow thought, watching raptly as the boy looked up at him, his scowl turning into a light smile. He held out his hand, and Grimmjow took it, much to his amusement, it was a bit sweaty.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ichigo." Grimmjow nodded and shook the hand, letting it drop. He didn't know whether or not to make up a fake name or not. It wasn't like he had any intention of fuckin this kid, though…upon closer inspection he discovered that he was kinda hot. Lightly muscled upper body, lithe hips, cute little ass, and long slim legs, the boy, Ichigo, was a sight to behold. "Anyways…I liked your song. I thought it had a wonderful feeling to it." Light brown eyes met his and he stifled the sudden urge to run his hands through that thick orange hair.
Grimmjow frowned, knowing he was going to come across as rude but not caring so much about it. "Why'd you choose orange?" He asked, his eyebrows pulling together after he'd said it. The bluenette didn't know if he wanted to know his original hair color, it might take away from the enchanting image in front of him. Ichigo glared at him, his lips in a thin line.
"This is my real hair color, ass. I got it from my mother." He replied, still looking pissed. Ichigo turned and looked out over the park. "And as to the reason why I keep it this way…" He watched a slight breeze rustle the trees, Grimmjow watching him, in a trance. "I guess it's to honor her memory. And it makes my dad happy." For a moment, Grimmjow couldn't help but wonder why the kid was spilling his lifetime story over a simple question. What did he look like, a bartender? They asked one simple 'What can I get for you?' and some drunkard replied 'What can you get me? You can get me a new dog. My wife ran over my old one in the driveway this morning when she left after she told me we were getting a divorce. I found out I have a long lost son, and my children want nothing to do with me.' Grimmjow shook his head that was precisely why he had become a rock star instead of a bartender. So he wouldn't have to sit and listen to all the crap that drunkards spewed on the regular.
But instead of being annoyed, which he wanted to be, very badly. He felt sad, a sympathetic feeling that hadn't risen in a long time. Grimmjow awkwardly patted the teen's back, unsure of how to console someone, but was saved by a quick smile and shake of the head.
"Sorry, you probably didn't want to hear all that." His nose crinkled as he laughed, and his eyes sparkled. Grimmjow looked away quickly, what the hell was happening to him. "Anyways, I'm just gonna go. See ya…or not."
Grimmjow grabbed the boy's wrist, touching his smooth skin felt good. "Why don't you hang out a little longer?" He asked, and then abruptly let go of Ichigo's wrist. The last thing he wanted to come off as was desperate. To his surprise the teen shook his head, and offered him a coy look.
"Sorry I can't. I've got a craving for ice cream that won't go away." He nodded in the direction of an ice cream truck. "But…I'll be back." Ichigo set his book down next to Grimmjow, as a promise he wasn't bullshitting and would return, and then he walked off to the ice cream truck, his hips swaying a little as he walked. Grimmjow smiled and picked up the book, reading its cover. Naughty Strawberry Maid…? Grimmjow read the description almost laughing aloud. Well…at least now he knew where Ichigo's sexual preferences lay.
Grimmjow soon discovered that you could learn a lot about a person by what kinds of books they read. First of all, there was no library code on it, so it must belong to him. That meant, he was the type of person who bought a book maybe to support the author, when he really liked it. And secondly, there were some pages that had crinkly bottoms, and Grimmjow knew that the book must go in with Ichigo when he was in the bath. And he was clumsy, dropping the book in the water while he read. He had just cracked open the book to actually try reading it, when Ichigo came back, one drumstick and one Bomb Pop, which was red white and blue. Ichigo handed Grimmjow the popsicle, and unwrapped his ice cream, biting down on it after a moment's hesitation.
The bluenette winced, his sensitive teeth empathetic to what Ichigo must be feeling. Normal people licked an ice cream cone, or whatever syrupy sweet treat that Grimmjow now had, instead of biting it. Ichigo didn't even seem to be affected by it, and he continued biting into his ice cream cone. He found himself watching, a small smile on his face. The boy just got more and more interesting by the second. It almost took his mind away from the fact that he had left without Aizen's permission. Crap, he's gonna flatten me when I get back.
"So…"Ichigo said after he was finished devouring his ice cream cone, before Grimmjow could even unwrap the rapidly melting treat. "I don't think I caught your name before…"
Grimmjow smirked at him and leaned back against the bench, running his hands through his hair. "You mean, you don't already know me?" Ichigo shook his head, the most adorable confused look on his face. His eyebrows were pulled together and he had that scowl again. "Grimmjow Jeagerjaques." The bluenette said, without even thinking of the repercussions.
40,100yen~ Roughly 500 USD
8,000yen~ Roughly 89 USD
I'm glad i finally got this one out. Freaken A, this has been a hard week. Yet, due to popular demand, here i am. Your Eyes, Your Voice Epic Length has only just begun. Oh yeah, and someone asked me to have Ichi kidnapped. As much as i appreciate your input, i think the whole kidnapping thing has been over done and is over rated, many apoligies. But i do have some obstacles in store for them just you wait, you wont regret it. -Evil laugh-