You're All The Same
Summary: His family had never been normal. Neko's in hiding, arranged marriages, gangs, death, torture, all hidden behind a small family pet hospital. His mother had never been for it, but she wasn't here anymore. Now that he was of age, wasn't it his turn to have an arranged marriage? Could he run away and end the cycle of nightmares? Or would he be stuck in this cycle as well? Could his fiancé be the way out?
Chapter 1
It was all the same. It never changed, never got better. Ichigo was always alone, always crying in his corner. Nobody talked to him, nobody held him. It was a cruel world and he had got the shortest stick.
"Are you okay?"
Ichigo blinked at the sound of the voice, wondering if it was all just in his mind. Nobody talked to him. He was a machine, a reusable device people used and threw away until there was nothing left. Nobody talked to him, so when the voice asked again he looked up to prove to himself it was just in his mind.
Blue was the first thing that came to his mind. The blue was so vibrant and pretty, and it made a part of his mind wake up. Ichigo was not the best with colors, but it looked cerulean. It was so bright so he wanted to reach for it, but he needed to know it wasn't just in his mind. The blue slowly became less blurry, forming over the face of a person.
Ichigo opened his eyes. He looked to the clock next to his bedside, sighing as he saw once again it was only five in the morning. He woke up every night at this time; at least he had been for the past month. It bothered him since he couldn't quite sleep right afterwards as his mind searched to find the face from his dream.
That face had gave him hope when he had none, since it had talked to him. After his mother's death he remembered the emptiness he felt. Every night after the dream he would remember just how much pain he had felt in his chest, how much he hated every part of his life. He remembered his plans for suicide, wanting nothing else than just die since that was all he could do.
That voice had saved him.
Ichigo closed his eyes, turning over onto his side. Just as it always did the image slowly started to fade and all that was left was the blue. Ichigo was sure he could pinpoint a person with blue hair, but it was a lot harder than he thought it would be. After he grew up and got over his mother's death, he forgot about his mission to find that person.
He went to high school like a normal high schooler, did his homework and tried his hardest to pass all of his classes. He wasn't normal though. His father was one of the five leaders of the Yakuza and other gang chains in Japan. He was also a neko, a thing most people called fiction. His father told him times of when they used to be hunted, but now they were left at peace as long as they hid their true forms.
His father put up a pet hospital for any injured creatures, since their blood was a large indicator of their heritage. Let alone their tails, ears, claws, and occasionally shape shifters. There were other creatures, like Blood C's, or what humans referred to as vampires. They really weren't all that bad. Then there were Inu's. Ichigo got along okay with Inu's, but secretly he despised them.
Then there were the half breeds. They were so common people didn't even know when they were half breeds. It wasn't detectable in blood until they turned sixteen, in which a lot of families got unwanted surprises. Mostly murder's of uncontrolled Blood C's, or the killing of the household pet or younger sibling by neko's and Inu's. It was gruesome, but half blood Blood C's were rare, so the neko and Inu half breeds were quarantined until they learned control.
Or got put down.
That was the life of half breeds though. Full breeds knew from birth and were usually well controlled. Ichigo wondered what type of breed the blue person had been.
Was he human?
Half breed?
Or was he a full blood?
Ichigo turned over in bed, sitting up and heading to the shower. He stopped when he saw the calendar, frowning when he noticed today was the day. His father had picked a candidate for him, a husband out of thousands. Since he was a fertile neko their plans were to produce offspring to take control after his father passed.
Since Ichigo was a fertile neko he was considered more of a woman than a man in his species, which irritated the hell out of him. His scent, which he kept closed firmly, was strong enough to overpower most alphas. It was mostly because his mother and father had been high ranked, which gave him a leap forward rather a waddle when it came to marriage.
Since he could easily overpower most males he was not allowed to mate with a human, which took away the half breed nightmare factor. He could chose between a Blood C, Inu, or neko. His father chose another neko out of politeness to Ichigo's dislike of Inu's. Blood C's were okay, but since they were becoming a dying breed their gene pool wasn't as strong as it used to be.
Ichigo sighed, wondering why it had to be like this. He was sixteen now, which was marriage time for his species. If they waited too long they became infertile, the only down side of being a neko. Most were infertile by eighteen, but some were lucky to last till twenty. So in short, he had to have as much kids as possible before he became infertile.
Since he would be reproducing he had five years until he became infertile. Since neko's had children in multiples, if their fertility wasn't cut off they would spread like a disease and wipe out Inu's and Blood C's.
Ichigo snorted softly at the thought, walking out of his room and heading towards his bathroom. He took a quick shower before putting on his school uniform and bag, prepared to go to school like any other day. He bolted downstairs and grabbed a piece of bread, saying hi to Karin and Yuzu who both seemed too tired.
"Ichigo, dad said stay home. He already called the school about your absence." Ichigo frowned, biting into the piece of bread with a small grumble. He didn't want to stay home. Staying home meant the people would come here, and that also meant he had to clean his room. Let alone the whole house. He melted his true form away, not wanting to be arrested for exposing himself.
Ichigo put down his school bag, heading deeper into the kitchen to get a piece of fruit. He talked with the piece of bread in his mouth, planning to do other things since he didn't have school.
"Tell dad I'm going to Renji's then," Ichigo told them, his words coming out sounding like 'sell sads m' coin so Rensi's then'. His sister's knew his so well to the point they just nodded, Ichigo grabbing an apple and a rice ball from the fridge. He bolted toward the door, putting all of his food in one arm and taking out his phone.
He was about to dial Renji's number when a shock went up his spine, forcing him to duck low unless he got kicked. His senses were right on the dot as his father flew over him with a yell of victory, falling down on the sidewalk roughly. Ichigo frowned, taking a bite of his apple.
His father took a second to rise back up to his feet, dusting off his pants as he sighed heavily. He looked to Ichigo who swallowed the food in his mouth, his father clearing his throat as he readied himself to talk.
"Ichigo, I need you to stay home today," his father told him, Ichigo frowning in irritation as he thought of the boredom that would ensue from being home all day.
"I was just going to Renji's for a couple hours," Ichigo defended, taking two more bites of his apple. His father nodded in understanding, but that didn't mean his answer changed in the least.
"Your fiancé will arrive within the hour. I told you that you will have to go on a courting with him," his father reminded him, Ichigo trying not to roll his eyes as he swallowed his apple. He really wondered why this was so important anyway. He was sixteen yeah, but he still had two more years, so why now?
His father read him like a book.
"Is it really that bad to have a fertile as a leader?" Ichigo asked, his father sighing as he led him back inside so they could talk privately. Ichigo was sat down at the family table, Yuzu and Karin already gone off to school so they didn't interrupt Ichigo's courting.
Ichigo would have gladly followed them. Their courting would consist of what humans called a date, and then they had to attempt to arouse each other without having sex. If they couldn't arouse each other, there was no point in going through the whole process to get married.
If they had sex before getting married, the alpha would be held accountable. The fertile was considered too weak to fight back, even if the fertile had seduced the alpha originally. It was a game of tug a war with virginities.
"Ichigo, I know you would rather take the throne, but I don't make the rules," his father told him, Ichigo sighing as he looked away from him. Isshin touched a hand to his son's shoulder, understanding his frustration. Isshin smiled, removing his hand as he sat down across from Ichigo.
"You remind me of your mother." Ichigo looked up to his father, snorting softly as he imagined how his mother had taken the arranged marriage at his age. He didn't have as much memories of her as he wanted to, but he remembered how she was always by his side. She was a hurricane when messed with, but a calm wave when happy.
Ichigo set his jaw, his chest throbbing softly. His father sighed softly, pointing to the stairs.
"Change into something more flattering. They'll be here soon." Ichigo nodded, getting up. He ducked when his father kicked again, kicking him square in the stomach. His father yelped out in pain, Ichigo rushing upstairs before they had a full blown fight.
He dressed into a tight pair of black jeans, putting on a purple long sleeve and a black jacket with no sleeves, fluff around the collar. He sprayed himself with a little bit of cologne, attempting to fix his hair. He quickly gave up though, tired of it's habit to stand up in all corners.
Ichigo left it alone, his ears twitching when he heard the front door open. He concealed his true form again, in no mood to be exposed to a stranger. He went downstairs slowly, keeping his frown on his face. When he reached the kitchen where he heard voices, his eyes widened slightly.
Blue.
Ichigo was blinded by the immense color, his mind flashing back and comparing the two colors. They were identical in his mind, the color so profound Ichigo wondered if he could touch it. He blinked when his mind told him to locate the face, looking away from the electric blue down to those eyes.
His blood boiled in a very uncomfortable way when those eyes pierced his own, tempting him in ways nobody had tempted him before. Ichigo was so lost in the man's eyes he forgot he wasn't the only one there. He snapped out of his daze when his father cleared his throat, looking to him with a raised eyebrow.
"Sit down Ichigo," his father ordered, Ichigo moving to sit in the seat across from the two men who accompanied them. He looked back to the blue haired man, looking over his face instead of just his eyes. The man had a perfect jaw, his lips plump enough for him to want to sink his teeth into. He had two small tattoos on his face, the marking's making him look even more mysterious and aggressive as Ichigo hoped he was.
"Ichigo, this is Grimmjow," his father introduced, Ichigo nodding and outstretching a hand. Grimmjow's hands were a lot bigger than his own, calloused and warm. Ichigo let go, sitting down next to his father with a frown. He averted his eyes from Grimmjow, his mind not wanting to believe this.
Instead of being excited, a part of him was angry. He had spent his entire childhood searching for this man, hoping to find him to fix himself. Instead he was left empty handed and broken. And now he just shows up?
What type of messed up crap was this?
Ichigo listened to what his father had to say, his eyes locked on his hands. Ichigo started tuning him out, wanting to leave this suffocating atmosphere. He stood up, excusing himself as he walked towards the kitchen. Grimmjow got up and followed when he was ordered to do so, Ichigo keeping a distance between as he grabbed the rice ball he didn't finish.
"Was that your mom?" Grimmjow asked, Ichigo looking up from his rice ball and looking to the other neko. He sighed, taking a bite of his rice ball.
"Yeah," he grumbled, Grimmjow looking to him with a small frown.
"A lady shouldn't chew with her mouth full." Ichigo stopped chewing, his eyes narrowing slightly in anger. His brain threw the years of admiration out of the window, his anger boiling inside of him as he swallowed his food.
"Don't call me a lady, I'm no hopeless female," Ichigo retorted, Grimmjow raising an eyebrow. Ichigo stood his ground as Grimmjow moved closer, stopping only a few feet from him. Ichigo wanted to slap him, to burn him alive. He hated being referred to as a female, since he was plainly not one.
"Then what are you Ichigo?" Grimmjow asked, Ichigo taking a bite of his rice ball. He talked with his mouthful, just to irritate the hell out of him.
"A male neko." It came out a tad muffled, but the anger painted on Grimmjow's face was totally worth it. Ichigo snorted, taking another bite before walking out of the kitchen. Grimmjow followed obediently, Ichigo planning full heartedly to make the asshole his pet. It was obvious Grimmjow had been raised in a rich and proper family, but Ichigo had always been the opposite.
Even though he was of high ranking, his father and mother didn't want to raise their children like other high rankings raised their kids. Ichigo was raised to be himself, regardless of what other's said of his poor manners and behavior.
Ichigo sat down next to his father again, eating his rice ball with a lighter mood. His father looked to him from Grimmjow, Ichigo shrugging his shoulders. His father cleared his throat, Ichigo raising an eyebrow as his eyes looked to Grimmjow.
"How about you two go upstairs? Ichigo can show you his room." Ichigo frowned, not too happy to do so. Grimmjow seemed just as unwilling, but Isshin shooed them away quickly so their father's could talk.
Ichigo sighed as he walked up the stairs, Grimmjow following with a frown of irritation. Ichigo opened his bedroom door, walking in and going over to his small candy jar and taking out a piece of chocolate. He sucked on it softly as he walked over to his bed, resting down with small jump and placing his arms under his head.
"This is my room, don't touch anything," Ichigo ordered, Grimmjow leaning against his dresser as he looked over Ichigo who had closed his eyes to rest some before he had to pretend to be interested.
"For a high rank, you act like a commoner," Grimmjow told him, Ichigo grunting softly as he lifted a knee and turned onto his side to get comfortable. He decided not to respond, letting his true form seep through since he was too tired to care.
Ichigo gasped when he was suddenly grabbed and flipped onto his back, a hand put over his mouth.
"I will have to fix that attitude of yours. I will not allow a mere female to be so ill mannered towards me," Grimmjow hissed, Ichigo narrowing his eyes. He flared his power, Grimmjow's eyes widening when he was caught off guard. Ichigo pushed him back with a hiss of anger, Grimmjow narrowing his own eyes and flaring his power. They were equal, which led to neither backing down.
"I am not yours yet, and I don't plan to be," Ichigo grit out, hissing and exposing his sharp canines. Grimmjow hissed back, his true form seeping through in anger. They circled each other; Ichigo wondering how he ever felt this man was worth his time. He may have been attractive, but his personality was sour and rude.
Ichigo looked to his phone when it rang, expelling his power and true form. Grimmjow was caught off guard, Ichigo taking out his phone and answering it when he saw it was Karin.
"Yeah?" Ichigo asked, Karin whispering for some reason.
"Is your fiancé cute?" She whispered, Ichigo frowning as he rolled his eyes. He sat down on his bed, leaning against the bed frame. Grimmjow wasn't sure how to react to the sudden shift in atmosphere, capping his own power and hiding his true form. He just stared as Ichigo talked to the person on the other line, Ichigo looking to him with a frown.
"My sister wants to talk to you," Ichigo grumbled, handing Grimmjow the phone. Grimmjow was confused, taking the phone slowly and putting it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Is this Ichigo's fiancé?" The voice on the other line asked, Grimmjow frowning in confusion.
"Yeah," he replied, the girl's voice going from a whisper to an inside voice.
"Good, has Ichigo done anything stupid yet?" The girl asked, Grimmjow looking to the orange haired neko with a frown of contemplation.
"No," he decided to answer, not wanting the girl to get in their business just yet. The girl suddenly hung up, Grimmjow taking the phone from his ear and looking at it in confusion.
"She hung up," he told Ichigo, Ichigo rolling his eyes as he took the phone away. He crossed his arms over his chest, leveling Grimmjow with his stare.
"Let's make a deal," Ichigo proposed, Grimmjow crossing his arms over his chest with a frown of irritation and thought. He nodded after a long second, Ichigo clearing his throat.
"It's obvious this won't work, so let's pretend for the next few hours and then go our separate ways," Ichigo proposed, Grimmjow about to nod at first. He pursed his lips, Ichigo raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Let me try to turn you on, if I can't then I'll agree," Grimmjow offered, Ichigo raising an eyebrow. Ichigo was sure he wouldn't get turned on, since Grimmjow didn't exactly look like the gentle type.
"Why? It's not like we could actually get along with your prissy ass," Ichigo tried to intervene, Grimmjow taking a step forward. Ichigo gasped when he was kissed, taking a few quick steps back to escape. Grimmjow followed, the two falling on the bed. Ichigo pulled away from the kiss with a gasp, feeling Grimmjow grab his thigh as he pressed his groin against his.
Ichigo shut his eyes tight, fighting the arousal that poured into his stomach. Grimmjow kissed him again, Ichigo putting his hands against Grimmjow's shoulders to push him away. Grimmjow separated from the kiss, his lips venturing towards Ichigo's neck. Ichigo moaned when Grimmjow bit onto his neck, his eyelids fluttering as he became jelly underneath him.
Ichigo gripped onto his shirt, but quickly let go once he realized what he was doing. Grimmjow stopped moving when the door was opened, Ichigo's cheeks painted red as he turned his face away in fear of who had walked in. The door closed slowly, Grimmjow getting off him from and looking down to Ichigo who was a blushing mess.
Grimmjow grinned.
"Guess I'm staying."
Ichigo had been beaten at his own game, and he had never been so aroused and angry by it.