Creep, chapter one.
"The only important matter here is our end goal. If we must make some rather unethical choices along the way to achieving that, then we must, no question." The white haired man spoke, voice even; the calm before the storm. "I don't suppose you have an issue with the way I choose to bring our goal to light, do you?" Red eyes met with brown, the former flashing in subtle anger.
"You lack basic human decency, Kariya. I've never understood how you and your pack of brutes have gotten this far in the first place, and I'll never understand my choice to join you in the first place. I once thought we were the same, but I now realize that I'm so much better; I have done some deplorable things in my lifetime, yes. But I'd never harm a mere boy. Thank you for bringing me to this point of realization. I will be taking my leave now." Go Koga stood, his faded blue jeans swishing together as he stalked to the frosted glass paneled door.
A young man sighed. To everyone else in the room, it seemed like he was bored; a junior member of the Bounts that preferred cracking skulls and gunning men down over watching the political, non-violent side of things unfold. In reality, he'd been frustrated, knowing he'd have to step in and save the day when Kariya tried to kill Koga later on. It wasn't news- he'd known he'd have to save the guy as soon as he'd heard him metaphorically step out of line by questioning Kariya's morals. Ichigo really didn't understand why the mow-hawked man chose to throw his life away, seeing as he was in their little group long enough to realize that their leader was heartless enough to kill anyone for looking him the wrong way. Ichigo respected the large man enough to save his life in though- even if it cost him dearly to do so.
The temporary brunette looked around, warm amber eyes concealed in grey contacts surveying the wide space once more. They were in a conference room, sitting in computer chairs that were set up around a long, oval table. At the head, directly across from himself, was Jin Kariya, founder and "leader" of the Bounts. He was a tall, muscular man, white hair always gelled up and away from his pale face and out of his piercing red eyes, set under dark eyebrows. The 39-year-old man wore a grey dress shirt, sat under a red tie and long coat, the latter being light brown until about a fifth of the way down, where it abruptly became a navy blue until it stopped at his ankles. The ensemble was completed with plain, belted, dark brown slacks, plus black loafers. His facial features were admittedly handsome: a straight nose led to thin lips, the only thing marring his mug being a scar that trailed from the bottom of his mouth to his chin.
At his left sat a serious-looking 23-year-old man, name Maki Ichinose. He didn't look imposing at first glance, lean (deceptively so, as he could defeat most of his opponents fairly easily in hand to hand) and tall, with somewhat boyish features framed by jet black hair. He wore a near all black outfit, jeans and tight t-shirt down to plain, all-black vans. The only light area of his attire was a denim vest with a white hood, the garment showing off lightly muscled, tanned arms. His hazel eyes were pointed towards Jin at all times, always filled with admiration for the older man or something of the sort. Aforementioned arms crossed, he was always ready to un-holster the Sig Sauer that they were all required to carry. Only if Kariya had given the order though- he'd never fall out of line.
Directly opposite Maki was Koga's empty seat; the man had, for all intents and purposes, been Kariya's right hand man (before the leader had killed a teenage boy for practically no reason). Next to where Koga would've been, sat Sawatari Baura; an old man with a nasty attitude. His white hair was slicked back so it didn't hang into his black eyes, and his matching eyebrows were drawn into a dark scowl. The man was said to be ruthless when fighting, and although he looked about 80 (he was actually 52), he was cunning, fast, strong, and dangerous.
Other members present included: A tall curvaceous woman named Yoshi Nieder, snake like features pulled up in a slight smile, olive toned thin face framed with waist length dark green hair. Extremely dangerous, but not even close to high ranking among them. Ban and Ho Gunther, pale, black haired twins aged 17, both thin and fairly short- unimposing. They were born to a woman that'd gotten in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong, aged three when they were picked up by Kariya to be trained. They nearly lived up to the soldier-like image that the leader had in mind when together, but they were practically useless when apart, putting them at the bottom of the food chain. A blonde man named Mabashi Ritz, tall, pale, and lightly muscled. Kind of an idiot and not a huge threat, but a low level danger. Ryo Utagawa, a tall, thin brunette with a goatee and semi long hair, not even close to being a threat, and again, low level danger. Last, and yes, least; Ugaki Gesell. A raven haired, bespectacled man that wasn't much of a fighter, more of a strategy sort of guy. Kariya kept him around because he fended off the weaklings, but still had a sharp enough mind to keep himself from doing grunt work, like the thugs that fought for the Bounts: dolls, Jin liked to call them.
It had taken a while for Ichigo to infiltrate this exclusive group successfully, but he'd done it. He'd become a Bount- a Bount that was close enough to the top to gather more information, no less. The brown haired (at least until he had to re-dye it for another job) 27-year-old had to pat himself on the back for this one, because it was a feat. Took damn near three years too. His plan was to skirt around in the middle of the pack to avoid being noticed and to gather information easily, but if he wanted to, he could take Jin Kariya himself down. That wasn't the order he was given though, and he wasn't stupid enough to think that bringing down the leaders would get rid of the Yakuza; Kariya had connections everywhere. No, he was just sent to spy, sniff around a little bit, and maybe pick up a few assassination jobs along the way- whatever Byakuya had in mind for him.
"I will need your attention now- all of your attention, including you- Ritz, Piasu." Ichigo snapped his head up at the use of his alias (Sanji Piasu), noting that he'd been staring off into space. Maybe he really was bored. No one had said anything worth relaying since Koga left, so he could either pretend to give a shit about small talk like Ugaki did, or space out like Mabashi had done as soon as the action was over. He'd chosen the latter, obviously.
"Thank you. As you very well know, we're moving ahead in our plans, slowly, but steadily. Seireitei's been entertaining our diversions just as we predicted, and we need to move onto the next phase. The only bad news I have for today – besides the departure of our dear friend, Koga-san, of course – is the slight setback we may experience in the future. Word has escaped that Seireitei sent an assassin over to our sector, and we suspect that he or she may be targeting us." Blood red eyes narrowed a he inspected the room, almost as he expected the assassin to pop out and press a gun to his forehead right then and there. "We're on high alert- as we should always be, but I have dolls guarding the building, posted around us as snipers. You'll need your key card at all times now as well, no exceptions. You will have your weapon on you at all times- and you will not hesitate to sacrifice your life for the Bounts. Understood?"
He received the nods and affirmative noises he'd wanted from everybody present, and Ichigo filed the information he was just given away for future use. He'd have to do some investigating on the snipers and send the information to Kuchiki, just in case this was a ploy to weed out spies. After all, as far as he knew, he was the only assassin sent out, and he wasn't here to waste Kariya or any of the other Bounts. Unless some idiot was trying to stir up more shit between the Bounts and the Shinigami, there was no assassin, so he'd have to look into that as well. Seireitei didn't send morons that get themselves caught.
"Good, dismissed." And with that, the not-so-merry band of Bounts disbanded to do something else, none of them having any ties to one another. Ichigo thought it was rather sad at first, that a group that'd been together for so long couldn't tolerate each other outside of fighting and meetings. While good for any other opposing force, it was unfortunate for them.
Ichigo sighed and stood, slipping through the double doors in the middle of the pack, not leaving first nor last. If not for appearance sake, he'd have been the first out of the depressing room. He really needed to get a move on his report; Byakuya really hated when he was late, and he'd been late for the past few days. He was only making sure he had all of his information correct, but it really pissed his strict captain off when he was late for anything, most of all, his reports. That only meant that what he was about to do had to go down fast and efficiently.
He walked through the supposedly abandoned building, eyeing the crisp beige walls that surrounded him, and counting the identical doors carefully. A long while back, the building had been home to a few record labels that shared the property- but when most of them had to shut down due to financial issues, they'd left. Any company that remained deserted, choosing to go somewhere less out of the way. In their wake, they'd left the relatively large building for dead in the middle of a small cluster of other abandoned places. It was actually set to be demolished, but if you paid off and threatened the right people, you could get away with anything.
The reason he had to count the doors was this though: Kariya was a careful man. That's all there was to it. He had several forms of security set up, and while some were pretty fucking stupid, like the one he was avoiding now—some were pretty damned smart. When Kariya designed the Bount HQ after nearly gutting the old place, he made sure that everything incriminating was portable, and only a Bount would be able to enter and leave with ease- in other words, without dying. For example, if you had the misfortune to open the wrong door, the floor under you would give, and you would plummet eleven stories to the concrete basement ground. If you didn't die upon impact, someone, most likely a doll, would kill you later. It was rarely ever used unless Kariya was feeling especially sadistic, but that was the plan.
Ichigo snorted softly at the idea, still counting and walking. When it'd first been explained, he thought it was some kind of sick joke. It sounded like something from fucking Road-Runner, for god's sake. He was soon shown that it wasn't a joke though, as Kariya had brought out a petty thief and had him open a door. That'd been the last of the discussion, and the last of the petty thief.
Of course, the leader was entitled to his stupid ideas every once in a while, as Ichigo seriously doubted that you'd get past the first level if you didn't know how it worked. The building was made up of eleven floors, plus the basement. The basement was just the ground floor for the chutes though, so it didn't really serve a purpose. From floors one to four, the entire thing looked like it was actually abandoned, aside from the high ranking dolls that were disguised as homeless people milling about. If you didn't know any better, you'd fall for the homeless act, and if you suspected any wrong doing or didn't immediately leave, you'd be killed.
The first four levels weeded out the civilians, bad spies, vigilante types, bad thieves, and bad assassins. If you were good enough to get past the dolls, you'd have to go through actual guards- even higher ranking (and paid) dolls. No one had ever gotten past them while Ichigo was working for the Bounts (aside from himself, of course) and he doubted anyone ever would, not without his inside information and or, general expertise. Anyway, the fifth floor was made up of guards that protected a keycard operated door, that when opened, led to a gym of sorts. It was filled to the brim with equipment, the white walls even adorned with TV's. Various black doors led to sparring rooms for hand to hand as well, all filled with masters; stationed there just to keep the Bounts sharp. In the middle of the massive gym though, stood a tall, winding set of clear glass steps that lead to other floors.
The sixth one was a massive shooting range that was set up, again, to keep the Bounts sharp. The seventh was full of weaponry; any weapon you could possibly imagine was probably somewhere in there. The eighth was the lab, where less than legal substances were created to be pedaled out at a later date. The eighth was Ugaki's strategy floor, where his own personal set of dolls (or as he liked to call them, Shadows) planned everything from takeovers, to punishments, to allegiances with other less than legal syndicates, and cops on the payroll. The ninth was the tech room, where tons of hackers were stationed around tapping phones, hacking accounts and emails, creating fake people, and erasing real ones. They even pumped out fake ID's for kids that wanted to drink and smoke, as it was another easy source of revenue. The tenth floor was all surveillance: security feeds from various places, the alarm system, the odd, automatically locking door.
The floor he was just leaving was the eleventh. It was mostly made up of the stupid trap doors that Kariya used to deal with people that bothered him, or 'security' so he could justify it, but there were a few actual rooms. One for each of the Bounts, and and two conference rooms. The layout was pretty fucking inconvenient though. If you wanted to get anywhere at all, you needed to count the doors so you didn't fall to your death. None of the Bounts were immune to that outcome either; Kariya-sama made it clear that he didn't give a shit, didn't need subordinates that were stupid enough to die in their own HQ.
The false brunette sneered at the door that lead to the stairwell, identical to the others of course, pushing open the double doors and hopping down the glass stairs three at a time. He had to move fast if he wanted to do everything he needed to. Right now, he needed to head to his car and file a full report, and right after, he'd have to hunt Koga down and help him out. Then, he had to scope out the sniper positions and extra security. Then, he had to re-file his report.
Pushing open the old, rotting door with his shoulder, Ichigo slipped out once he was sure no one was looking. The HQ was in a very deserted area and there weren't many people milling about, but it was always good to be cautious. He didn't need people looking into the abandoned building out of curiosity only to be killed by a doll in disguise. He knew the others were just as cautious, even if they had different reasons. Kariya had made it clear that if one of them got caught by a clean cop, they weren't going to be saved unless he felt like they were worth the trouble. Most of the time, they weren't.
Jogging away from the few outwardly decomposing buildings, the lean man's lips twitched into a tiny smile when he saw his ride. Since it fit the persona he'd been assigned to take on, he'd been allowed to keep his car with him this time, or at least get it back later on. While he had to change the sexy, custom, electric blue paint job to a temporary silver, he still loved his 458 Italia Ferrari like it was his own kid. Spies allied with the government got paid more than you'd think, especially when they took a few odd jobs on the side.
Swinging the shiny door open, the temporary brunette slipped into the flashy vehicle and settled into the black leather. Unfortunately, he still had a job to do, and it wasn't like he could just forget about it. With a sigh, Ichigo twisted the key in the ignition, reveling in the growling purr of the engine before pulling out from behind the old, actually abandoned factory where he kept his car when Kariya forced him to turn up for work. If he was just poking around, he would take his bike, leave it a little while away, then continue on foot.
Pulling away from the building, he knew he needed to get as far away from the HQ as possible before he made the call he needed to make to his boss. Kariya and Byakuya were two people that were almost unnecessarily cautious at some points, so it was necessary to distance himself properly. In other words, he had to make sure Kariya couldn't spy, and Byakuya couldn't accuse him of being careless enough to give Kariya the opportunity to do so. Once he got on one of the near deserted roads leading back to the city and was confident that no one was around to watch, he switched the little Bluetooth on his ear with an identical one. Kariya knew he wore a Bluetooth, but the one Ichigo wore around his fake boss was only linked to his fake phone.
Tapping the glowing blue button on the side, he dialed his actual boss with a sigh. When Ichigo first joined the Shinigami's ranks as a low level spy, all he was doing was protecting the two people that meant the most to him in his world- his sisters, Karin and Yuzu. Over 8 years of being with the Shinigami of course, he'd earned the grudging respect and faith of the uptight asshole, but he knew Byakuya'd never really like him.
"Kurosaki. On time, no less. What's your report?" Ichigo's eye twitched. Not that you'd ever notice that respect. Sighing, Ichigo started to relay his report anyway. Some things could never be helped.
"Kariya said that he got a tip about us sending an assassin to this sector, first off. I know he doesn't suspect me at all – he didn't exactly attempt to hide anything from me. He said he was laying on the security a little thicker, posting some snipers as well. So if you send a guy down here, make sure he's not stupid enough to act suspicious, lest he get himself gunned down. I'll check everything out later. Everyone's going to be armed from now on at all times too. Good news though; they lost a guy. Go Koga. Kariya, being the sick son of a bitch that he is, wanted him to kill a 19-year-old kid by the name of Cain. He was a grunt, or "doll" for the Bounts. He pedaled baby drugs like weed and acid. Long story short, he started pocketing some of the cash he earned once he got comfortable with his position. Kariya killed him when Koga wouldn't, and I'm betting that he'll try to kill Koga as soon as the sun goes down." Ichigo sighed, conveniently leaving out his plan to save Koga. "Get all of that, bossman?"
"Yes, thank you Kurosaki. I'll be expecting another report on the snipers, this "assassin," and Go Koga within twenty-four hours. Keep me abreast." Then the line went dead, per usual. The strict man wasn't much for goodbyes.
The brunette was speeding down the city streets at this point, as there was no time to follow traffic laws. It was never a huge problem; all he had to do was flash either his Bount keycard or his federal government ID if he got pulled over for pretty much any reason. Which was awesome. The tricky part was determining whether or not that cop was on the payroll or not. Flashing the wrong piece of plastic could blow his cover or land him in an interrogation room. Not good. He'd have to make small talk, and usually the cops on the payroll would say something along the lines of "Have you seen anything suspicious lately? I don't mean to alarm you, but there's been a bit of Yakuza activity going on in this area. We can use all of the information we can get." That would tip him off, and that was that. Still, it was a lot of trouble to go through, and while it never resulted in anything serious, it wasted his time.
Luckily, he didn't run into any trouble this time around and he was able to get to his apartment in record time. Grabbing his fake Bluetooth, he flung open the door and jumped up the stairs two at a time. He'd used government money on the place, listing it as a necessary expense – which it absolutely was. He'd sell it later (and profit), but for now, it was his home away from home.
As soon as he got into the modern apartment, he went straight to his closet. The sun was going down soon, and his first priority was to save Go Koga. Flinging open the huge double doors, he pulled a black turtleneck and black cargo pants out. He'd already kicked his feet out of his bland, all black vans at the door, so he took off his grey shirt, and finally, pulled off his dark jeans. When he went to work at HQ, or had to do anything else as Sanji Piasu, it was usually an outfit like that. Middle of the pack. Rarely any bright colors. Bland. With a shake of his head, he donned his stereotypical spy outfit complete with (you guessed it) black combat boots and leather gloves. It was evening, so nightfall would come soon, and he didn't need to stand out. His gun was strapped to his calf for his day job, but he clipped a silencer onto the muzzle so he wouldn't be heard if he actually needed to use it. Ichigo pocketed a few other things and gave himself a nod.
He knew it'd be a doll or two. Shadows, for that matter- a few of Ugaki's. He'd be smart, but not too smart- and no one would bat an eye if he died at "Koga's" hand. The plan was to guard Koga until the shadow came, and then give him the means to escape. He wouldn't blow his cover; he'd just show the former Bount that he wasn't fully allied with Kariya. Grabbing his two phones and fake Bluetooth headset, he snatched up his keys and left. He didn't have much time, and he wasn't exactly sure where Go Koga would be. Ichigo's best guess was the man would be at his house, and luckily, he'd had to find out where everyone lived for one of his earlier assignments.
Running down the steps, he tightened the – manly – ponytail he wore his short hair in when he was Sanji. Ichigo noted that it was growing dark outside as he dropped into the parking lot in record time. He jogged over to his matte black Kawasaki Ninja 300, hopped on, dropped the helmet on his head, started her up, and screeched out of the complex. He knew he could be attracting attention, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. What he was doing was risky enough without the added variable of him being late.
Koga lived a short while away from HQ, which was both inconvenient and convenient. Inconvenient because HQ was kind of far from his apartment complex, and convenient because he had to go there straight after he saw Koga, on foot no less. He figured he'd be okay if he raced through the dark streets and weaved through any traffic he came across. He was pretty damn good with his bike, which was handy in situations like this.
Once he was on the main streets, he started to think about this assassin that Kariya was babbling on about. If it was actually a Shinigami, they must be stirring up the dust on purpose. He knew the organization well, and he didn't know of any spies stupid enough to get caught like that. But what worried the brunette was, there was a spy he knew of that didn't give a shit, and he was reckless enough to get himself caught. Especially if he could justify being that reckless to himself. Ichigo had a sinking feeling about who it could be, and he would beat the shit out of the man if he came around and blew his cover right out of the water. Unfortunately, he'd probably be too glad to see him to be as angry as he wanted to be. But still, that would be three years wasted.
He focused all of his attention on the road once he left the main part of the city and pulled into a dark alley. He had a mentor/friend of sorts that owned the shop in front of it and would hold his bike for him. He, along with the people that worked in his shop, were the only ones around that actually knew his identity. Plus, he was a former captain of the Shinigami himself, same rank as his own captain, Kuchiki, and he'd also taught Ichigo everything he knew. He put down the kickstand and slid his helmet off, hopping off of the thing. Ichigo banged on the dull grey door in front of him and waited for someone who worked at the shop to open up, heaving a sigh and hoping that they'd hurry for Koga's sake.
Suddenly, the door cracked open an inch, and a nasally, high-pitched voice came floating from inside. "What's the password, mister?"
Ichigo kicked open the door (and consequently the boy behind it), relieved to be able to fully drop his work persona for even a second. "Damn it, I'm in a rush, Jinta. I need you guys to keep my bike in your storeroom for a few hours. I have a few errands to run, and I don't want to be conspicuous. Where's Ururu?" He rushed out in his haste to get moving, pulling his bike in beside him without asking. This wasn't the first time he'd needed to do this, and it wouldn't be the last.
"She's in the front with Urahara and Tessai. You can't just pull your dirty motorcycle into the store! I should beat some damn sense into you, Ichigo!" The little redheaded boy got up from his newfound place on the floor, scowling at Ichigo's already retreating figure.
"At least you haven't managed to kill her yet. Bye!" He called out over his shoulder and slammed the door, referring to the way Jinta pushed around his older sister. It would be horrible to watch if Ururu couldn't beat the shit out of Jinta when she wanted to. She was just too kind spirited to do so most of the time. Urahara and Tessai never did anything to stop them either. They were a weird bunch, weird as fuck, but he loved them – even if he wouldn't admit it at gunpoint.
He started jogging through fairly unused streets and back alleys to the city's edge, where Koga lived. The man wasn't one for big flashy things (with the exception of his high tech headphones, of course) so he lived in a little apartment on the edge of Tokyo. It was run down, and it was ridiculously cheap for the amount of money that he made as a Bount, but it was awfully convenient for Ichigo. Residents wouldn't care if he made any noise, security was lax enough that there weren't any cameras, and he didn't have to do anything hard to get in. He might have to break the automatic lock, and even if he did that, people would look the other way and assume he was a pissed off boyfriend or a thief.
His lips twitched when he reached the building in record time, and the rusty door was already propped open with a tattered phonebook, despite the rain that had started up seemingly as soon as he reached the building. He groaned when he though of having to go out for another few hours in that rain. If he had any semblance of luck though, Koga might've fled already, saving Ichigo a potential world of trouble. Being nice wasn't easy, especially being in the field of work that he was in. Not to mention, the weather would probably only get worse with time. Less of an issue, but still an issue.
The brunette shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head, temporarily grey eyes discreetly surveying the near empty lobby for anything remotely suspicious. He didn't need the added stress of accidentally intercepting the shadow on his way to the apartment, because it would only mean that he'd have to drag the man or woman somewhere. Which would create a scene, because the person, whoever it may be, would probably be stupid enough pull out a gun. Then, Ichigo would have to pull out his gun. It'd probably look some kind of dumb, western stand off. Then, Byakuya would find out and have his head. Luckily, all he saw was a man at a P.O box, a woman that was half-assing her attempt to blow smoke out of the open door, and a teenage kid who was alternating his gaze from his phone to the lobby every five seconds.
They weren't shadows, so he quickened his pace, bypassing the elevator and bounding up the stairs two at a time until he reached the fifth floor. Ichigo tugged at his disheveled ponytail, starting towards apartment 5A. If he wasn't in tip top shape, he'd be hunched over and groaning, seeing as he only took a little under a minute to reach the fifth floor of the building. Granted, the apartments were small and subsequently, the distances between floors were too. Still, he metaphorically patted himself on the back for not feeling winded.
Ichigo finally reached the tan door with black, metal writing spelling out the apartment number drilled onto the front. The brunette gave three loud, urgent knocks. They were just out of courtesy, because he was on a mission– two in fact. He didn't have time to wait around with his thumb up his ass until the man decided to open up. So when he didn't get an immediate response, he broke out a few tools and made quick work of the lock, turning the brass plated handle with a gloved hand and praying that the doll hadn't beat him there.
He stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind him. His lips pulled into a frown at the quiet, sparsely furnished living room. The lights were off and there was no movement from anywhere. This was no proof that no one was home or even in the room though, so he reached down to his calf slowly, grabbing the gun and stalking around the space, noting a light on in the closed bedroom but nothing more. The other doorways were all wide open aside from that one: the bathroom, and a closet. Ichigo's footsteps were quiet as he approached the door that was radiating an incredibly soft yellow light from the bottom. Most likely, the man was pretending to be asleep and waiting to shoot the next fucker to come in. Which created a problem for him, so he decided to make his presence known.
He tapped the narrow white door with his silencer to get the man's attention, stepping out of the doorway when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking. He didn't need to be shot. "It's Sanji. I'm not here to hurt you or kill you. I'm here to help you escape." With that, the door was flung open, revealing Go Koga clad in pretty much the same thing he had on, with the exception of the turtleneck. Instead, he wore a black tank top. In addition to the similar outfit, the man also carried a Sig, though his was silver and without a silencer. Which was kind of fucking careless, but the brunette kept his mouth shut.
Ichigo slid inside of the tiny bedroom, pacing back and forth once he saw the questioning look on Koga's face. "Look," He abruptly stopped. Now or never. "I know you're wondering why I'm here. I didn't exactly agree with Kariya's choices either. I figured he was gonna try to kill you, so I'm helping you out. You're a cool guy Koga, so I'm giving you a little back up." With a second of thought, he decided to tack on a warning. "If you rat me out like an asshole and prove me wrong about your character though, I'll kill you faster than you can finish your next and final sentence." Koga observed him quietly, noticing the extra care he took in putting a silencer on his pistol, and you could see cogs turning in his head when he realized he never gave Ichigo his address. The brunette waited patiently for the man to come to a conclusion, praying that it wouldn't take too long or be the wrong one.
"I believe you, Sanji." The taller man said to him hesitantly, relaxing his grip on the gun he held, even though his body language was still tense and alert. Good. He needed the man to be on edge and ready, but he didn't want Koga jumpy enough to accidentally shoot him. "Thanks. Here's what I think. Gesell's gonna send a couple dolls. One's going to come through this window, most likely," Ichigo gestured at the small, picture window behind a pristinely made twin sized bed, his motions illuminated by a miniature, elegant lamp sitting on a wooden bedside table.
"That's the one coming to kill you, I bet. The other's probably coming through the front to cover the first's back. No one knows I'm here, which is good. Whatever you do, don't announce my presence, and put a damn silencer on your gun. It's also only for worst case scenarios, but if you have to shoot, and I recommend that you don't, we don't need the extra attention that a loud gunshot would bring. Don't say a word to me. Act like I'm a fly on the wall, because they'll probably be wearing communication devices." Ichigo strapped his gun back into the holster on his leg, pulling out a large switchblade and looking up at the shocked man before him.
"Get a knife and some gloves, and get them fast. Questions?" Ichigo pressed a button on his closed blade, nodding to himself when it flipped out silently and quickly. They probably didn't have much time. Koga looked him up and down, sighing to himself and turning to a latched security box on his dresser, grabbing what he was told to grab. "It seems very unlikely that you are who you say you are, boy. I haven't had any suspicions before this, but you're incredibly good at this kind of thing to actually be the person you appear to be. Since I'll be leaving very soon, I need you to take a few things that involve the organization with you. They're very important, but I can't leave them behind nor take them with me. All of it is stored in a warehouse on 7th and 21st, and the key's in the drawer in my nightstand. It's not much, don't worry- just a few documents that I couldn't keep here. I was planning to destroy it, but that would take too long."
Ichigo nodded solemnly, internally beaming with joy. If whatever was there was unknown information, Kuchiki would leave him alone for a long while. He adopted Sanji's personality again, pretending to be laid back, but eager for violence and blood all the same. "Thanks, Koga. Means a lot, you entrusting me with that. Got what you need to get out of the country?" The older man nodded with a small smirk as he stuffed the gun, complete with silencer (thank god) down the back of his pants. 'Sanji' smirked back, showing a top row of gleaming white teeth off. "Awesome. Now we gotta wait for these fuckers to try to come for you."
Checking his knife once more and making sure the safety was off his gun, he slid into a small closet, shutting the portal behind him and watching the room through small slits in the doors. Koga immediately started to act like he was alone, donning a pair of black rubber gloves and hiding his hunting knife. The large man laid down on his bed after closing the security box, convincingly playing the part of being asleep. Good.
Ichigo let a small smile grace his features. The man didn't have to trust him or give him any information. Hell, Go Koga could probably turn him in and save his own ass in the process. The brunette crouched down at the back of the closet, wondering how a man like this got involved in the Bounts in the first place. Of course, he knew everything that was on record; Kariya needed help with a job and was paying a vulgar amount of money to get it done, when Koga stepped up and finished it. Then, the bigger man had declined the money he would've received for the job, claiming that he only wanted to help the head of the Bounts. He'd done job after job following that event, and eventually became a member. What he wanted to know was the thought process behind the actions. Was the older man really that gracious?
He eyed said man through a crack, watching him 'sleep.' Yeah, he was. Really gracious, or a complete dumbass. With a sigh, the 27-year-old spy settled in to wait.
It wasn't long before there was a crash, the sound indicating that a window had just been broken to shards. Ichigo looked through a crack in the door, seeing a tall, broad man about Koga's size wrestling and arguing with the man himself, a revolver pistol just out of reach of the doll. The brunette sighed. He forgot to tell the man to hurry up and avoid taking too much damage, lest he not be able to escape. He was already taking punches and cuts left and right, but at least they weren't lethal.
The temporary brunette pushed open the closet doors, running into the living room quietly just as the door was kicked in, revealing a woman clad in all black, a .22 caliber in hand. Ichigo sighed. He didn't want to have to kill a lady, but she'd seen his face. The dark haired girl raised her gun, the shot only grazing Ichigo's right shoulder as he rushed her and slapped the firearm from her hand, holding her from behind. "Sorry about this, miss." He muttered into her ear after covering the mic that he knew she would be wearing. Not giving her time to respond, he popped the latch on his blade and slit her throat as painlessly as he could. She fell forward with a thump, slouching to the floor. She twitched and reached for a weapon until she was too weak, dying with a gurgling sound.
He would feel bad if he left her with her face down and her ass in the air, so he nudged the girl over to the side with his foot. He'd have to clean the place before he left, making sure there wasn't a trace of his presence there afterwards. He was lucky that Ugaki would most likely come through with more Bounts the next day and clean up the bodies, but he needed to erase the fact that he'd come here, on the off chance that someone decided to thoroughly check. Ichigo scowled and ripped the communication device off of the woman's chest and ear, crushing it beneath his boot. At least that part was taken care of.
He closed and locked the front door, walking into the bedroom and seeing the black haired doll struggling and pinned to the bed beneath a bloody Koga. Ichigo pushed his right sleeve up to compress and staunch the blood from his minor wound, mostly to prevent it from dripping everywhere. He kicked the revolver farther out of reach, taking out his own Sig and shooting the man underneath his ally clean in the temple from across the room. The man settled down, dead instantly. He was lucky he had pretty good aim, even injured. He just hoped the other gunshot that managed to ring out didn't attract any attention, because that would be the last thing they needed. Koga got off the man he had pinned, bowing to the and muttering an apology.
Ichigo walked over broke the man's communication device, making sure he didn't miss anything before he spoke. "What happened? How did…" He trailed off, motioning to Koga's bloody form. "I was trying to…I was trying to knock him out. I knew him. He was an eager young man, trying to prove himself to Ugaki… He wouldn't have stopped trying to kill me though, and I realized this." The brunette sighed. It was noble, but it was fucking stupid. Again, he wondered why this man was a former member of the Bounts. "It doesn't matter. I need you to help me get rid of any traces of my being here. I can't have Kariya find out, or I'll have to go into hiding or some shit. We only have an hour before they send someone else out." The hiding part was a blatant lie. He'd blow his cover and lose any chance for new information, then he wouldn't be able to go on any new missions. He'd still have to get his shit together and clean up though.
"I'll take care if it, my young friend. I owe you a great debt for saving my life. Just tell me what I need to do, let me bandage you up, and then go rest. You've done enough today." Hah. Ichigo really, really wished he could just "go rest," but that wasn't part of his job description. Koga started to take out medical supplies from the same security box that the silencer, gloves, and knife came from, motioning for 'Sanji' to sit. The brunette did so and started to give the bigger man a quick rundown on erasing evidence, thinking about how lucky they were that Koga had hardwood floors and no one would have to steam clean a bloody carpet. "My fingerprints won't be on anything and this gun isn't registered, so you don't need to do anything but mop with some bleach. Make sure my footprints and blood won't be anywhere if anyone checks. I'm sure you know that Gesell will take care of the bodies and blood." The younger man finished, looking down at his newly bandaged arm and smirking. "Thanks for this."
Koga got up, ignoring his own injuries and opening his nightstand. "You need not thank me. Here." Ichigo deftly caught the set of keys that was suddenly thrown towards him. There were four keys on the ring, along with a car clicker and a small key card for a storage unit. "House, P.O Box, truck, storage unit. I won't need any of them anymore. I'll get started on cleaning after you leave, Sanji. I wish you the best." The brunette looked up at Koga, grey eyes meeting black for the last time. "I'll miss ya, man." He said, patting the older man on the shoulder and making sure he had everything on his person, shoving the keys in a pocket. He then made for the window, chuckling at the bewildered look the older man gave him and jumping. The young man swung from the slick bars of the fire escape to slow his fall instead of walking down it. To save time of course. Definitely not to show off.
Once he got to the ground floor, he shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled out of the back gate of the building, surveying the scene for cop cars. If someone had called it in, he'd look incredibly suspicious walking out of the back with a torn sleeve dripping in blood. He just hoped that there weren't going to be any major road blocks, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to kill anyone else tonight.
He wasn't a killer. He didn't like to kill, but he was one of the relatively few people in this world that could tolerate that burden without being a psychopath, or mentally unstable at the very least. He'd seen people go completely mad because of death, and he wasn't about to push his limits and fuck up his own head like that.
There was only one person milling about; a black haired man that was leaning against a black jeep at the curb and impatiently swinging his key ring around an index finger, glaring at the back gate in annoyance. Most likely because he was sopping wet and waiting for some girl to sneak out, as he looked pretty young and normal. Ichigo was in an even bigger hurry than he was before, seeing as it was around midnight and pouring rain. He also needed to get to the HQ and check out the security before it was light out, and he wouldn't have the ability to walk around in all black and blend into the scenery. Which meant that he didn't have time to investigate every asshole that he ran into that night.
He turned on the sidewalk, taking his gloves off in his pockets to avoid suspicion and letting his boots scratch against the pavement, moving as quickly as he could without looking weird. The sidewalk was practically deserted and the downpour hindered vision, but there was always a slim chance that someone would call him out and create a problem for him. If they did, they would probably find two dead bodies and another man trying to cover his tracks in his wake. Ichigo tugged at his hair, groaning at that possible outcome. He could slip away fairly easily, but Koga could not. They'd both come up on the streets, but he'd had enough training to fuck with the system a little.
Halfway down the deserted sidewalk the brunette froze under a street light, internally cursing himself and his own thought process. He'd gotten a little too fucking cocky again, and his senses didn't alert him to the fact that he was being followed. Not even at a huge distance- just a few meters. He should have known that doing something this risky wouldn't be as easy as it seemed to be.
He flipped through options in his head in milliseconds, deciding on acting afraid and helpless. It could just be the odd mugger, and if he went and did something reckless, he could end up making things worse. So he turned slowly, transforming his face into a mask of fear. He had to suppress his mild shock when he realized it was the kid from before, but he pushed on. If he hesitated or betrayed his real emotions, he'd be in a deeper pile of shit than he was before. "I- I don't know what you want…" He put his hands up at his sides, stumbling back a step. "I don't really have anything on me…"
Unfortunately, the man looked wary of his act. "I don't want money or nothin'. I just wanted to ask ya what happened to ya arm there, Sanji." Things kept getting worse and worse. He'd run into a doll. A doll that was probably waiting on the others to come back. Plus, that doll had just seen him come out of the back exit; maybe he was even seen jumping down the fire escape. The only upside of the situation was the fact that the doll wasn't wearing a communication device, so he could talk freely without fear of being heard. This guy was probably here to collect a detailed report and drive back if the others got too hurt to take care of themselves. Nondescript, young, perfect. He didn't need to wear a communicator because he didn't have that big of a job. The catch was, the doll had seen his face and known his name. Meaning, if he couldn't scare the guy into silence, he'd have to kill him. The time for messing around was over.
"Fuck man. You probably should've kept your mouth shut about that. I would've let you run off if you did." Ichigo slipped his gloves back on faux casually, hiding his grimace with a huge smirk. He'd have to kill the guy, on second thought. If Kariya was looking for an assassin, scaring the doll shitless would only raise questions. The damn boy would probably be tortured. He pulled out his blade discreetly and walked up to the now fearful man, throwing his arm around the shorter guy's drenched shoulders and guiding him into a narrow alley between two buildings- away from prying eyes. He'd done himself a favor this time and checked for witnesses, cameras, sounds- the whole nine yards. There was nothing and no one around them, aside from the odd building or two. He was lucky that Koga didn't live in a heavily populated area.
"I hope you know that I'm not gonna let ya kill me like some kind of weak jackass." The man pulled out a butterfly knife as soon as they were concealed, prompting Ichigo to raise his switchblade and jump back. He really, really had no time for this. If more dolls showed up, he'd be dead in the water. He'd be lucky if Kuchiki would even let him wash dishes if he fucked up that bad. So the brunette tackled the doll, crunching the man's knife wielding hand under a heavy black boot. "Fu-!" The man below him started to curse loudly before his mouth was covered and his throat was cut in a flash.
Without another word, Ichigo got up and started jogging away, distancing himself immediately and trying not to think about how he could've been friends with that guy. He couldn't now, because that guy was lying dead on the ground.
As soon as he reached the end of the alley though, his senses picked up something worrying. He scowled, turning around just in time to see the flash of a gun go off, the bullet that ripped from it piercing clean through his thigh. He moaned in pain but managed to keep standing, ripping the sleeve of his shirt off where it was already torn and tying it around his new wound. The doll stilled, the gun dropping from his good hand and his empty, pitch black eyes trained on Ichigo. The man was smirking even in death, as if saying "got you, fucker."
Ichigo knew he only had a few minutes before someone decided to investigate, so he got out of there as fast as he could, not sparing the dead man another glance. His leg killed; he knew he wouldn't make it far before it gave out. So he had to take another risk and get Koga's car. It wasn't far, and he'd seen the huge black truck on his way in. It wasn't a perfect plan in any way. He might not even make it, but he needed to. So with all the strength he could muster, he jogged to the apartment building he'd just left, pain shooting through his entire body with every step he took. At least the bullet didn't hit bone.
The fact that he looked completely insane was worrying enough, but he was probably leaving tons of evidence behind. The only consolation he had was the rain and the fact that it'd wash any blood away by the time anyone showed up.
His thigh was burning and screaming by the time that he got to the dark Chevy Silverado. The massive machine was parked at a curb a little while away from the apartment, and he'd never been so grateful to see a huge, clunky, American style truck in his life. He clumsily unlocked the door with slippery hands, trying to ignore his throbbing wound. He had to lift his body into the car with his arms alone, but he nearly groaned in relief when his weight was taken off of his wound. Ichigo cringed when he realized he'd have to drive with his left foot and left hand, because he was shot in his right leg. He was fairly ambidextrous, but he didn't like being fairly anything; especially when it came to life or death situations. He pressed his dominant hand over his wound to stop the blood flow, started her up, and sped out of the area.
Checking the time, he could've jumped in joy. The new set of dolls would be nowhere near the area yet. The brunette knew the procedure well, even though he'd missed one small detail. If no one came back within three hours of arrival, they'd send someone else out. He'd shaved off two hours when he told Koga how much time he would have, because he needed the man to rush so he'd have time to actually run away. He didn't think he himself would need the extra time, but he did, apparently. Fuck the other things he had to do tonight. He'd never get anywhere like this.
He was headed to Urahara's, which wasn't even a while away on foot, but there were a couple problems. He was starting to get lightheaded, not to mention the hand that was clamped over his thigh was soaked in blood and shaking violently. The other problem was- the same headlights had been following him for a little while. He made an experimental turn, cursing to himself when the little silver car behind him turned with him.
At that point, Ichigo realized that he had two options. The first was to lead whoever was following right to Kisuke and their merry band of idiots and let them take care of it. The second was to lose the trail. He didn't even think twice before he made a sharp hairpin turn, nearly knocking his bumper off. The silver car skidded and screeched, just righting itself when the brunette made another, winding through the streets recklessly.
Ichigo debated it for a while, considering it was pouring rain outside and nearly pitch black, but decided it was best if he shut off his headlights. It was insane, but it would help him blend in. He drove wildly, and as soon as he was about at his limit, he was sure he lost the trail. Unfortunately, he was in a suburban area with to earthly idea where he was. He hadn't paid attention to anything but the car, and he'd managed to get himself lost in a city that he knew as well as he knew his own dick. This wasn't good at all. He parked the huge truck by a curb in front of a small house, just praying that the person inside of it wasn't afraid of blood and could follow simple instructions. He'd only picked the house because there was a light on and a black dodge challenger in the driveway. Meaning it was most likely just one guy living there with no kids. If he'd chosen a house with a sedan that boasted a ton of safety features, he would've no doubt scarred the minds of a family that was just trying to sleep.
He shut the car off and hopped out, keys in hand. He had to grit his teeth to stop from yelling when he shifted his weight to his other foot. This had to be the stickiest situation he'd been in in a really long time, he thought as he limped to the house in front of him. Ichigo was sure he was a sorry sight to behold: dripping wet, limping, gritting his teeth, clutching his leg. He really hoped that whoever lived there didn't call the police.
As soon as he reached the maroon door, he banged on it so hard that he might've bruised his knuckles. He couldn't break in here. He needed help, not a fist to the face or an escort to a jail cell. This looked like a good neighborhood anyway; there was no shot in hell that he'd be able to get away with acting incredibly suspicious here.
After the thirtieth knock, the door swung open, revealing a young man. There was no denying that he was incredibly handsome: around the same height and age as himself, angular features and body- the latter clad only in white boxers. This man also had messy blue hair that reminded Ichigo of the sky, and of his usual paint job. His catlike eyes were a sharp, deep oceanic blue, and they looked annoyed as all hell as they took his pitiful form in. "What the fuck do you want?" And all of that fluffy bullshit about handsomeness flew out of the window, and the brunette was reminded that he was bleeding out on someone's porch. "I need some help, asshole."He growled, gesturing at his thigh. Blood was starting to pool on the ground and his vision was starting to ebb in and out, so he had no time to be nice.
"Why the hell aren't you at a hospital?" The stranger barked out, still standing in the entranceway half naked. Ichigo scowled and bit his lip, clutching the doorframe to steady himself. He wasn't at a hospital because he didn't want anyone knowing about this mess. Urahara was option number one, but this asshole was option number two. "I just can't go, okay? Look, are you gonna watch me die on your doorstep or are you gonna let me in so I can treat this? All I need is a first aid kit and a bathtub, and I'm gone." He was planning on asking for help, but this guy probably wouldn't bother. Plus, he had no time to waste, because he was starting to feel a little…
With a heavy sigh, the guy stepped aside to let Ichigo in. As soon as the brunette let go of the doorframe though, his vision went black and he fell forward, vaguely registering a loud "Fuck!" coming from the stranger above him.
Why would you write a new story when you haven't even finished one yet? I don't know. I actually started this one before I started Stranger Blues or Seven Devils. Sooo. Yeah.
Ahem.
I hope you like this one! Updates are gonna be coming in cycles every week or so from now on, so let's look forward for that. I also have a new GrimmIchi one-shot in the works called Dumb Luck, so please keep your eye out for that.
With much love and cherries on top,
TheSextaEspada