A/N: I know. I know. I started another story when SWSS isn't even close to being done...BUT I figured I'd start to post this to at least let you all see that I'm not just sitting here doing nothing. Maybe if i get some of this one out of my head it will free up some space for our favorite Secret Society. Let's cross our fingers.

This story is completely different from any of my other fics and I want to give a big thanks to Mishiko Shinsei for helping me out with it. I needed it.

WARNINGS etc.: This is rated M for a reason. There will be yaoi, yuri, character death, drug use, voilence and pretty much everything else you can think of. This is the only time I will give this warning so...be prepared for anything. Also, just so there is no confusion, there are 10 POV characters.

Alrighty...LETS DO THIS!

i DO NOT OWN BLEACH. IF YOU THOUGHT I DID...YOU'RE DUMB.

-o0o-

Ichigo

The Hypnotist. That's what the blonde said his name was before giving me a creepy ass smile that showed every single last one of his oversized teeth.

I followed the wiry man down the dimly lit hall as he calmly hummed an unfamiliar tune. The wooden floors perfectly complimented the red walls, vases, drapes…fucking everything seemed to be bathed in the hateful color.

"We needed a way to cover up all the blood."

"What?" I snapped.

The man chuckled. "Just fukin' wit' ya."

My eyes narrowed. I really wasn't in the mood. He didn't get the hint.

"The boss likes red…and pink, but ya can't decorate yer house in pink and still be badass, ya know? I don't care who ya are." He chuckled again. At least one of us thought he was funny.

My mind wandered momentarily to Renji, who I was supposed to have called when I got here. Pulling my phone out, I sent him a quick text. He was probably working anyway. I'd call him when it was over. He'd be pissed. He'd get over it.

I focused on the rhythmic swinging of the man's waist length braid across the back of his expensive looking brown suit. It offered little diversion, but I'd take what I could get. Anything to keep my mind off the impending meeting with the head of the "organization" my old man had apparently been a part of since before I was born. I glanced down at my baggy jeans and leather jacket, my helmet dangling loosely from my hand. Compared to the clown in front of me I looked like a damn delinquent. Nothing I could do about it now though.

We finally came to the end of the hall. The blonde opened a door revealing a dark staircase.

"Close it behind ya," he told me before disappearing into the blackness and down the steps.

I hesitantly followed him into the darkness, pulling the door closed behind me. What little light there had been was immediately shut out; admittedly not the most comfortable situation…this man was a stranger after all. Willing myself to remain calm, I dragged my suddenly sweaty fingertips along the wall, walking as fast as I dared.

"Calm down. I ain't gonna kill ya," came my chaperone's amused voice from the abyss.

"I am calm," I snapped defensively and hating that I was that transparent. His laughter echoed in the narrow space. My hand balled instinctively.

"So ya always breathe like Darth Vader then?" He laughed again.

I was hating this guy more and more by the second. He was trying to get under my skin and it was working. It couldn't be helped. Lately, my fuse had gone from short to nonexistent. Everything got to me.

An illuminated keypad marked the bottom of the staircase and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little relieved. I kept my distance as the man pressed a finger to the green pad. An automated woman's voice said the print was confirmed. There was a series of beeps, the red light turned green and the comedian pushed the door open. Light invaded the dark staircase once again, temporarily blinding me. He stepped through and I followed, stopping when I realized we were no longer alone. At least the bastard could have fucking warned me.

I searched the room, taking in the unfamiliar faces. My old man wasn't there. He'd told me he wouldn't be, but I'd been holding on to the small possibility that he might change his mind. Stupid.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." A broad shouldered man behind a large wooden desk smiled over at me. The only man sitting. The boss?

I stared momentarily at the figure hovering behind him, before giving the large man my undivided attention. His chocolate brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. His suit was grey, and his shirt…pink. My eyes moved to the blond who'd stepped up beside me.

He grinned and mouthed, "Pink."

My eyes rolled again.

"I haven't seen you since the funeral," the seated man said.

My eyes went wide, and then narrowed as I tried to remember having ever met this man, if only for a moment. I came up with nothing, but nodded as politely as I could manage. If this man was my old man's associate, then I guess it would have been normal for him to come pay his respects. I wouldn't know. I barely remembered anything from that day.

The awkward silence was quickly interrupted when he cleared his throat and continued. "Well…I suppose now is as good a time as any for introductions." His silky smooth voice and easy smile did little to calm my nerves. "The charmer that brought you here is Hirako Shinji, but almost everyone calls him The Hypnotist, a name well deserved."

I glared at the man who'd escorted me to the underground rendezvous. He winked a brown eye at me and inclined his head before smiling that massive, unsettling smile.

"The very grave looking gentleman behind you is Kuchiki Byakuya. Among his countless other talents, which we won't go into at the moment, he's our…" He paused for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "Accountant," he finally finished.

I glanced back over my shoulder and there stood quite possibly the best looking man I'd ever seen in my life. He was the kind of handsome that made you feel inadequate…either that, or question your sexuality. I threw the don't-fuck-with-me stare he gave me right back at him, and turned my head back around, without so much as a 'hello'.

Accountant my ass.

"This," the man's hand lifted off the desk to casually motion to his right. "Is Urahara Kisuke. I believe you two are acquainted."

I eyed the blonde man who leaned heavily on his ever present, and completely unneeded cane, and nodded rigidly. I knew him as well as I desired to. Before everything went to hell, he would occasionally come to talk medicine with my dad. He'd always made me uncomfortable though. My dislike of him was completely unfounded and I knew it. He'd never done anything to deserve it. In fact, he'd always gone out of his way to help us, especially after…everything.

My old man had been so crazy with grief that he hadn't really been able to be there for me, and I couldn't bring myself to blame him. Soon his mental health started to decline.

The depression I could handle, but then the delusions started.

I'd just come home from my part-time job. Dad was in one of his better moods; cooking dinner, a job that used to be strictly mom and Yuzu's. On my way up the stairs to my room he'd called up and told me to get washed up for dinner because my mom and sisters would be back any minute. That's when I realized he was really sick. He refused to get help, which I could kind of understand with him being a doctor himself.

The worse it got, the more time I spent away from home. It was too much.

As the months crept by, we grew farther and farther apart, but Urahara'd come by at least twice a week. Sometimes I saw him and sometimes I'd just see evidence that he'd been there...groceries, medical books or those stupid swirly lollipops he and my dad loved so much. He'd just let himself in, then he and my old man would disappear into his office for a couple hours. After he'd leave, for a while, my dad would be back to his old self. I never knew what they did or talked about, but I was grateful for it. I really was. Still, there was something about the man that I just couldn't get past. He walked the line between sanity and psychotic like a professional tightrope walker, and I was inclined to believe he was a little closer to insane than my dad was willing to admit.

"Ichigo." The pale blonde greeted me with a lazy smile.

"Yo," I said, hoping my informal greeting wouldn't be taken as disrespectful, but not really caring if it was.

He too was dressed expensively, but his appearance was unkempt. His black bowler derby hat sat lopsided on his head, his suit jacket hung open, the top three buttons of his untucked green shirt were undone, and his bowtie hung untied around his neck. I'd never seen someone make sloppy look so good.

"And over here is Zaraki Kenpachi and his younger brother Gilga Nnoitra."

I glanced to the right at the mountain sized men I'd been trying to pretend I hadn't noticed. They were the kind of men that looked like their favorite pastime was killing small children. They both sported long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and an eye patch, the taller one's on the left and the shorter one's on the right. Neither of them wore suits like the others.

The smaller one grunted and the other looked at me like he was calculating how long it would take to skin me alive. Was everyone here crazy?

I didn't know which name belonged to which man, and assumed that was the only greeting I'd get, so I nodded and turned back to the man in charge.

"Have a seat." The boss gestured to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. I moved to take a seat just as a loud beeping sound filled the room and the door to the dark staircase opened. I turned right along with everyone else to see who had joined our little gathering.

A tall guy with ridiculously colored hair that matched his impossibly colored turquoise eyes, stalked in. A scowl distorted his features. He didn't look too much older than me. Following behind him was a considerably smaller blonde man dressed in a suit. All black. Neither of them acknowledged me, or anyone else for that matter.

"Nice of you to join us." The boss, whose name I still didn't know, finally spoke up. Blue-eyes grunted and blondie said nothing. "I trust everything went well?"

At that, the blonde paused and turned slowly. That was when I saw them; his empty, blue eyes. They reminded me of my dad's. Dead. Maybe that was why it wasn't as disturbing as it probably should have been. It actually made me feel sorry for him. You had to have been through some really fucked up shit to get eyes like that. The large blue orbs paused on me momentarily before they moved to rest on the boss. No words were exchanged between the two, but a conversation was definitely taking place. I watched the silent exchange until the boss nodded, which signaled the end of their muted dialog. The blonde turned gracefully on his heels and disappeared into a back room, the door quietly clicking shut behind him.

The boss introduced the blue-haired man as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. I'd honestly forgotten all about him. He'd gone all the way to the other side of the room, obviously not wanting any attention, and taken a seat on the corner of a pool table. As far away from everyone as he could get. I lazily raised my hand in acknowledgment and got pretty much the same reaction I'd received from the brothers. Already tired of the shitty attitudes, I rolled my eyes and swiveled back around in my seat, feeling one of my headaches coming on.

"Let's continue." Mr. Charisma behind the desk smiled amiably

The 'brothers Grimm' took a seat on the couch in front of the pool table. Pretty boy moved forward, taking a seat in the chair beside me, while Urahara and The Hypnotist took the loveseat in the corner behind the boss' desk. It was then that I noticed that Urahara was wearing geta with his suit. Fucking weirdo.

"I don't know how much your father told you about what it is we do here," the boss started, interrupting my fashion critique. "But I do know he always wanted to keep you as far away from this part of his life as possible." He paused to stroke his beard, then took a drink from a glass filled with brown liquid. "You can imagine my predicament." He drank again.

"He never wanted this for you, but I suppose you're old enough to make your own decisions?"

I didn't hesitate. "You're damn right I am." I'd already had this lecture from my old man and the last thing I wanted was to hear it from a damn stranger. I hadn't realized it at the time, but my decision had been made the day my mother and sisters were killed.

Painfully aware of every pair of eyes in the room boring into me, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. The nameless leader took another drink and off to the side I saw Urahara pull out a gold cigarette case, quickly extract one of the white sticks and light it. The room was silent for a long, torturous moment before the boss spoke again.

"I suppose there's no way I can talk you out of this young Kurosaki, so I won't try. I despise wasting my time." He leaned on to the desk, lacing his fingers together. "I just have one question for you." The friendly smile that had been plastered on his face for the majority of the meeting, disappeared. I sat up straight in my seat and looked him straight in the eyes. I wouldn't be intimidated so easily. "Revenge is what you're after, is it not?"

I didn't respond. He knew the answer.

"How far are you willing to go for it…this revenge?" He spat the word out as if it tasted foul in him mouth.

"Will you kill?"

I grit my teeth.

"This isn't a game son."

I wanted to tell that asshole that I wasn't his son, but I wisely bit my tongue.

"You will easily go the way of your mother and sisters if you think it is."

My body went rigid. Who the hell did this asshole think he was? My head was pounding now.

"I mean no disrespect, young Kurosaki, but the reality is that people die, and in our line of work they die faster…especially inexperienced children."

Inexperienced? Children? I supposed that both of those were true. As far as whatever it was this group was involved in, I was, in all probability, as green as a seasick frog. And to him I probably was a kid. My dislike for this man was growing by the minute.

I watched with a deepening frown as he sat back in his large chair, bringing the brown liquid to his lips again. I was tempted to smack the cup right out of his hand, but I was mad, not an idiot. Besides, this was the only way to get to the bastards who'd ruined my family, one of the few things in life I held dear.

"You're a good kid I've heard," he said. "Why don't you go on home and forget all about this business. The people you're after are as good as dead anyway." His tone was suddenly frightening.

I couldn't say why, but for some reason his declaration shocked me, and although just a moment ago he was speedily crawling up the fairly short list of people I wanted to fall off a cliff, something in his voice made me believe him. Silver orbs bored into mine. I held his gaze a moment. His kind eyes had turned to something much more menacing…murderous even. Looking around the room I saw that every eye was on me, all except the accountant who seemed wholly indifferent to the proceedings. All their expressions matched the boss' though. In that moment I knew what his intentions were and I'd be damned if they were going to do it without me.

"Whoever did this…I don't want them killed," I said seriously, moving my eyes from the two blondes back to their boss.

The boss' eyes widened slightly and for the first time since we'd been introduced the onyx-haired man at my side looked at me, his aloof expression gone.

"Good thing we don't' care, huh?" Kisuke smiled taking a deep inhale of his smoke.

"Well, I'm telling you." I snapped, my hands shaking with pent up anger. Not necessarily towards Urahara, or anyone in the room for that matter. Anger at the world…at fate, and at life for being such a bitch. What was I thinking? I wasn't. My mouth had gone rouge. "I want them to know what it's like to be left behind. I want everyone they love killed." My tone was hushed, but I knew the boss had heard me by his change of expression. I couldn't believe what I was saying. It was what I'd been thinking for years, but had never had the guts to say aloud...not even to myself in the privacy of my bedroom. Honestly it was a little frightening. Not because I was saying it, but because I meant it…with every fiber of my being.

"Leave it to us." The boss' voice was hard and insistent, but my last comment had brought a small smile to his face.

"No," I blurted before I could stop myself, my eyes darting around the room. No one seemed too concerned. "I'll do whatever I need to do to get the bastards who took my family away from me." I stood, completely losing the loose grip I'd had on my composure.

Just then the Hypnotist gave a perfectly timed dry cough that drew everyone's attention away from the heated conversation I was having with the brawny brunette. He looked up and raised an apologetic hand. "Good shit," he rasped holding out the cancer stick before passing it to Urahara, as if that were explanation enough. It wasn't until that moment that I noticed the overwhelming smell permeating the room.

I don't know how I'd missed it before. It didn't have its usual skunk smell, but there was no mistaking. I dropped back into my seat, my face scrunched in disapproval, as I realized the two blondes were not smoking a cigarette.

The boss chucked. "I don't think the boy approves of you two's little habit."

Urahara took a hard pull on the hand rolled smoke. "I'm certainly sorry to hear that," he responded, obviously not giving a shit, before blowing a cloud of transparent white smoke in my direction. "Besides, it's not a habit. I can stop whenever I want."

The raven-haired man at my side actually snorted. "And when will that be?" It was then that I noticed how young he looked.

"Never," Urahara grinned.

"Right," the man in charge said with an absent snicker, before pausing for what seemed like forever. The group's attention turned back to me, but mine was focused on the man behind the desk. The man who, as far as I was concerned, held my life in his hands. When his lips finally parted I nearly jumped from my chair with excitement. He could have very well told me to go fuck myself, but at this point I just wanted it to be over so I could get the hell out of here. The not knowing was killing me.

"I suppose that makes you one of us now." He didn't seem too happy about it, but he'd said it.

An overwhelming sense of relief washed over me, but I dared not show how pleased I was. Especially when everyone else looked like they were at a funeral. I glanced over at pretty boy, before directing my attention to the blondes on the couch. This time it was Urahara with the look of disapproval. I didn't know what his problem was and honestly, I didn't care. I needed this. My new boss pinched the bridge of his nose. I guess he was tiring of this whole thing too. Again, he reached for the sweating glass, and finished it off. As soon as the glass was returned to the red wood of the desk, it was being refilled by the Accountant. I hadn't even seen him get up. Guess he was paying attention after all. The boss nodded his thanks before downing the replenished brown liquid in one gulp.

"One condition." The boss, who was obviously also an alcoholic, spoke calmly. I met his eyes.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Uh, eighteen," I answered hesitantly.

"How were your grades in school?"

"What does that have to do with…"

"How were they?" he interrupted.

I couldn't hide my confusion. Where was this going? "Good,"

"How good?"

I shrugged. "Real good." It was true. Most people, and even most of my classmates, thought I was just a punk who was always fighting, which was true. I just made sure to fit in some studying between knocking people's teeth out.

The boss smiled "You want your revenge…fine, but you'll go to school while you do it."

"School?" I blurted. "I don't have money for that." We weren't by any means poor. We'd lived comfortably, never wanting for anything for as long as I could remember. If I was honest with myself, we'd lived a little more than comfortable. While my friends got cards for their eighteenth birthday, I'd gotten a 2011 Suzuki Hayabusa…black and red. But now, with dad's health being what it was, he wasn't working much. I didn't have the heart to ask him for anything. I'd gotten a job my senior year and gave up on any idea of college.

"I didn't ask what you had did I?"

"Uhh. No, but-"

"Urahara," the boss called out, completely ignoring me. "Get him into whatever school it is you attend now." He paused for a moment. "Law would be good, don't you think?" Urahara nodded. "I don't care. Pick what you want." His hand waved dismissively.

"Wait!" My mind was reeling, struggling to catch up. I wasn't about to sit here and let strangers plan my life. "Are you saying you're willing to pay?" Was this guy for real? He didn't answer. "Don't you think maybe I should choose what I study?"

"Whatever," he waved an indifferent hand at me, "As long as it will benefit us."

His frankness was irritating, but something I could respect. I sighed. If he was really going to foot the bill, this would be a dream come true. Why would he do something so generous for some random kid? "What's the catch?"

He laughed heartily. "Good. Be suspicious of everything, you'll survive longer. Ask questions whenever you can. No question is stupid I always say…of course, unless it's stupid."

"What?"

"Do we have a deal," he asked, smoothly sidestepping my question.

I thought a moment. There was definitely a catch. I would owe him, but it would be worth it if I achieved my goal. School was just icing on the cake. I shrugged. "Fine by me."

He nodded, getting to his feet and showing off his own menacing size. He was well over six feet. Not as tall as the one-eyed brothers, but he was bulkier. I followed his example, picking up my helmet and getting to my feet. The meeting was obviously over.

Everything had turned out ok. I could hardly believe it. Renji definitely wouldn't believe it.

"This will be your home now," he said casually, stepping out from behind the desk. "Hirako," he called out.

"Yea." The blonde stood.

"Get young Kurosaki settled. Kuchiki and I have business."

"Settled? Wait…what?" I looked around trying to process what I'd just heard.

The Accountant rose gracefully, following the brunette into the same back room the blonde with the dead eyes had disappeared into. "This meeting is over," pretty boy said calmly.

"Hey," I yelled as the two retreating figures shut the door behind them. "Don't ignore me," I yelled at the closed door that seemed to be mocking me. I whirled around, eyes shooting daggers at Hirako. "I'm not staying here." The little bit of hope I'd been given a moment earlier had been all but snatched away.

"Follow me," Hirako said coolly, as he moved pass me, a little too nonchalant for my taste.

Catching the man's wrist, I stopped him in his tracks. "I'm not staying here," I repeated. "He can't tell me where to live." My nails dug into my palm as I clenched my fist. There was no way I was moving out of the house I grew up in to live with a bunch of thugs.

The Hypnotist just smiled his creepy smile as he slowly peeled my fingers from his wrist.

"You'll do what you're told." A large hand landed on my shoulder, gripping it firmly. My head whipped around to see Urahara's slightly shadowed grey eyes glaring at me. "You made your choice, and now you've got to live with it. But in the future, you may want to make sure what's in the cup you're given is indeed water and not vodka."

I didn't even try to decipher the code Urahara was speaking in.

With the two blondes so close the smell of marijuana was overwhelming. I tried in vain to shake free from the man's grasp, but he was a lot stronger than his slim frame suggested. I swallowed hard trying to suppress the pounding in my chest and head. What had I gotten myself into? Living in the same house with this nutcase was definitely not a part of my plan.

"You won't parade your activities in front of Isshin. While he is fully aware of what goes on here, what he doesn't need is you throwing it in his face. His mind is too fragile." The pale blonde paused. His fingertips were firmly lodged under my collarbone. My eyes began to water from the excruciating pain, but I didn't dare say a word. I glanced over to where the Hypnotist stood idly by. His usual smile was absent. Instead he watched intently with a small frown. His eyes weren't on me though. They looked beyond me, to the man that was all but ripping my shoulder from its socket.

Urahara started again. "But if you insist on doing so, I can always kill you." My eyes widened and I could have sworn my heart stopped. There were very few things that scared me, but this man was definitely one of them. And just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger, his lips curled up into a goofy smile. "Just kidding," he chuckled, releasing my shoulder. "You're one of us now. I wouldn't kill a comrade." He paused. "Again," he added with a smile.

I stood frozen. What just happened? The murderous aura that had been almost suffocating me a moment ago was now completely gone. His shadowed, penetrating eyes now seemed almost inviting and his face held a genuinely friendly expression. My mouth wouldn't move. I just watched stupidly as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket and offered it to me. My gaze shifted from his face down to the ball of sugar on a stick, still unable to coax my vocal cords to work. There was no way in hell I was taking that.

When I made no move to take his offering he shrugged, unwrapping it and popping the thing in his own mouth. Apparently feeling the Hypnotist's eyes on him, Urahara grinned over at the man before patting me on the back and then turning to leave the room, humming jovially.

My shoulder ached.

"Come see me tomorrow," he called back over his shoulder before disappearing.

It wasn't until the psycho was gone that I noticed everyone had cleared the room, leaving me alone with Hirako. I felt sick.

"What the fuck?"

He snickered and shrugged, letting me know I'd get no sympathy from him.

"I'll take ya ta yer room." Hirako picked up right where he'd left off before Urahara had tried to dismember me, "You'll need ta bring yer things here, when ya get the chance." I followed silently as he lead me back out the way we'd come.

-o0o-

So, how is it? Good start? Complete shit? Let's hear it.