Chapter One
Cats and Dogs
Something as minor as being transformed into a small dog was not going to stop Renji Abarai from fighting this weird ass hollow. Of course, as a small red furred Pomeranian, Renji wasn't very effective. He looked beside him and to his annoyance, not only had he be transformed into a small, yappy dog, beside him, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, who had ended up being pulled into the World of the Living by this same weird ass hollow, had been transformed into a small Russian Blue cat.
There was a pause as the hollow seemed to look around it. It was big, almost two stories in height, and had the ability to open garganta. Grimmjow's presence had alerted him and Rukia to a major problem, and both had come to find the once-Sexta Espada fighting this enormous hollow creature. It looked somewhat like a fox, and it had the ability to transform things it touched with two tendrils that extended from the jaws. Those were what it had smacked both Grimmjow and Renji with moments ago. Just as Renji was sure that the thing was just going to step on them, there was a flash and Rukia landed before them, having split the thing open from behind. Unfortunately, she had no idea that Renji and Grimmjow had both been transformed into small animals.
"Renji!" she called, looking around as she stepped over the yapping dog under her feet. She stopped, kneeling and scuffled Renji's head. He was very loudly telling her that he was right here and she needed to understand that it was him. He looked over to Grimmjow who had sat down and started cleaning his paws. How could he clean at a time like this?
Rukia pulled out her communication device and sighed. "I seem to have lost both the Arrancar and Abarai-fukutaichou," she said and looked around, stepping over the yapping Renji.
Renji snorted and ran to where Grimmjow sat and watched. He growled. "She can't understand me!" he yapped out. It was weird, he could understand himself, but his voice was entirely that of a barking dog.
"I noticed," Grimmjow mewed. Again, Renji heard him speaking but it was the sound of a cat meowing. He made a strange facial expression. "At least I used to be a cat. You're one annoying little shit of a dog," he murmured and stood, stretching and yawning. "We should find somewhere to wait for whatever this is to wear off."
"Wear off?" Renji yapped. "You've seen something like this happen before? You've been turned into an animal?"
Grimmjow growled. "Not exactly like this, but I've seen hollows that can transform things. I guess when it hits something like a Shinigami or an Arrancar that it makes a different thing happen than just minor changes. I've seen hollows grow extra limbs, eyes, things like that. Then it just wears off after a while. I'm gonna hope this is like that, y'know?"
Renji yapped in frustration and followed Grimmjow for a while. He seemed to be heading toward shelter that they could both see in the distance. Renji worried, though, because these bodies felt like real animal bodies; they were completely transformed. Renji couldn't access his power at all, and he knew the feeling of having a physical body from wearing a Gigai so much. They would need food and water, and considering how small they were, there were dangers all around them.
"Look, I don't know what you think you're doing, but we can't just wander around Karakura Town-"
Grimmjow suddenly just dropped off the walkway and Renji, too late, realized why. There was a hole in the sidewalk. He too tumbled down into it with a splash. He glared across the space to see a wet Grimmjow who looked very displeased, clinging to a piece of driftwood that had landed in the hole. Renji was paddling because he couldn't reach the bottom with his small legs. There wasn't enough room on the wood for them both, and he had no choice but to doggy paddle for all he was worth.
"Fuck!" Grimmjow yowled and soon, Renji joined him and started yelling, or rather barking, for someone to help them.
Renji was almost worn out when he heard someone's voice.
"What's this?" spoke a voice that sounded familiar as Renji felt himself scooped up into arms and he saw that Grimmjow was similarly picked up. "You two are soaked, I'll take you to clean you up," the familiar voice said. Renji was so tired he just let himself be carried and before long he was sitting in a bathtub across from Grimmjow who looked exhausted as well. Renji looked up and realized to his surprise who had picked them up.
"Ichigo?" he yapped, getting Grimmjow to turn his face toward the person they both hadn't seen in almost four years now. It had been that long since Ichigo had sacrificed his power to save Soul Society. But the Ichigo they were looking at now looked nothing like the one they remembered.
His hair was long and stringy around his face, completely unkempt. His face was drawn and there were dark circles under his eyes as if he were exhausted. If Renji wasn't mistaken, it looked like he had a black eye too. He rolled up his sleeves and when he did, both Renji and Grimmjow could see the bruises on his arms. He took the showerhead and sprayed the mud and muck off both of them, and neither resisted.
"Aren't you two good?" he said, and both Renji and Grimmjow noted how quiet his voice was. Renji knew that this wasn't his home, at least, not the one he had shared with his family. This place was much smaller. "I hope you don't get sick, I don't have money to take you to a vet. Actually, if he gets home and sees you, I'm gonna be in trouble," he nearly whispered as he took a towel and began to dry Renji off first inside the tub. "But how could I leave you there? Especially since it is supposed to rain again."
There was a thump outside and Renji saw Ichigo's eyes widen. "Oh no," he said, looking around him frantically. "I can't let him see you. Oh, um, please, please, don't make any noise," he begged the two animals as he opened the cabinet for the linens and put both inside. "Please, don't move. Just please. I'll get you food, I promise, once he leaves," he whispered.
Just as Ichigo shut the door on the closet there was another sound.
"The hell are you doing down there?" a man's voice said.
"Putting up a towel," Ichigo said as he stood up, turning away from the two animals he'd just hidden in the closet. He felt his heart beating hard. If he found out, he was in so much trouble. He hated animals.
"Why did you have a towel?"
"I rescued a dog and cat that were stuck in a hole, and my hands got dirty," he said rushing through it. He held out his hands that while clean, it was obvious there was still some dirt under his nails. "I have to use the nailbrush in the kitchen still."
Tadasu Hashira stood almost six feet six in height, which wasn't much taller than Ichigo at his five foot eleven inches, but when he was angry, Ichigo thought he was taller than any of the Arrancar he'd fought. He stepped forward and grabbed Ichigo's shoulder and shoved him back into the linen closet door. "Really."
"Yeah, Tadasu, I got the groceries, just like you asked, okay? I got them from the list you sent me. I was on the way home when I saved that dog and cat."
"You didn't save anything, useless twat, you just probably prolonged their suffering, baka," he commented, and Ichigo searched his face for his mood.
Tadasu was also somewhat punk in his look, as his dyed green hair was done in an undercut and he had pierced eyebrows and lip. Peeking from the neckline of his t-shirt, tattoos were scrolling up his neck on the left side. In the last four years, these things had changed a lot as Tadasu become closer to the new friends they had acquired, and as Ichigo separated further from the life he used to lead. Tadasu was becoming the person he'd always been, instead of the person that Ichigo had met.
Ichigo Kurosaki used to be a strong person, a Shinigami, even fighting strong hollows beside his equally powerful friends. Then, it was all taken away. Well, Ichigo made the choice to give it away to save others. He had, for a while, been proud of himself, but then things had changed. He remembered it vividly, that moment when he realized how weak and useless he was.
"You aren't a Shinigami anymore, Kurosaki! Stop this nonsense! You are only going to get yourself killed, and then what would everyone do? You have to stop!" Uryū screamed at him as he sat panting on the rain soaked ground. His hand was covered in blood, and nearby an unconscious woman was lying waiting medical care.
"I had to try to help! That guy was going to kill her!" he yelled back as he heard the wailing of sirens in the distance. "I couldn't walk away!"
He had been walking home and run onto a guy trying to beat some young woman to death, something about owing money to someone important. He'd intervened, and now he was sitting on the concrete, cradling a bleeding stab wound in his gut. The guy had attacked him and took off into the rain. Uryū had shown up, having been nearby fighting an attacking hollow. He'd called the cops and an ambulance since Ichigo had lost his phone in the scuffle.
"I don't care! You aren't powerful! You're human! Stop acting like you can still be who you were before! You aren't a Shinigami, you're just a weak human!"
And that day, Ichigo had stopped acting like he had before. He spent nearly three months in the hospital between the wound, a staph infection, and a near miss with a case of pneumonia. If Ichigo doubted his powerlessness, he had no doubts after that. He was a weak human. He wasn't the person he used to be. He couldn't even see ghosts and spirits like he had as a child. No, he was nothing like he had been before. He was a worthless, weak, and fragile human now. And after nearly dying three times in as many months, he was exhausted from fighting.
He'd met Tadasu at the hospital. He had been an orderly volunteer while he was going to school to become a nurse. At first, Tadasu asked him out for drinks when he was released. Then, while drunk, Ichigo told the other man everything; he'd told him about the Shinigami, the secret war going on around them, and how he'd given up his power. More than that, Tadasu believed him about it all. Three months later, they were dating, and despite his father's surprise that Ichigo was with another guy, he had accepted the young Tadasu. He wanted to be a nurse back then, and he had been the perfect boyfriend when he met his father and sisters. In fact, at first, Ichigo had been jealous that his family seemed to like Tadasu more than him. Tadasu had showered him with affection, gifts, and had done everything a good partner was supposed to do. Then, slowly, without Ichigo noticing it, things began to change, and the affection and the gifts would be withheld unless Ichigo was a good boyfriend in return. It didn't seem strange, not really. He was supposed to be a good boyfriend.
Now as Ichigo felt that rush of fear again, he wondered where that Tadasu had gone. The Tadasu that had listened and told him he was still worthy of someone's affection and kissed him for the first time. Ichigo guessed they were both drunk that night, and if he'd been clear headed he probably wouldn't have agreed to sleep with him, but it wasn't like Tadasu had been any clearer than Ichigo had been. Ichigo hadn't liked it, not the act itself or the after effects and soreness. For a while, Tadasu accepted that. Then things changed and Tadasu began insisting if they were dating, if they were boyfriends, then there were certain things that Ichigo was going to have to do for him. It was just how things were. And Ichigo wanted to be a good boyfriend. It wasn't like he'd ever had a relationship at all, let alone with another guy. He listened, and when Tadasu told him good boyfriends answered their partner's needs, even if they didn't like it, he did so. He was going to do something right, and being a good boyfriend was what he could do. Still, a part of him said it was wrong and that he needed to say something and stop it.
Ichigo didn't know when he became so weak, but he had. He gave in, and he let him take whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Another month, and they'd moved in together in this small apartment on the second floor. It had one big bedroom, a living/dining area, a bathroom, and an attic. Ichigo didn't like the attic from the start, but Tadasu put a cot in the attic and told Ichigo that would be his private space, because everyone needed some privacy. Ichigo didn't think he'd use it; why would he? Then he found out that the attic was a private space for a reason. That was where Ichigo had to stay when their "friends" came over, unless Tadasu needed Ichigo to do something while they were there.
"I want dinner ready when I get back in four hours. You have two hours to use the computer for your classwork. Don't waste it this time," Tadasu growled, letting go and turning to leave. "And if you burn dinner, I swear, you will be in so much trouble."
Ichigo couldn't help the slight whimper that escaped his lips and Tadasu turned and glared at him. "Did you say something?"
"N-no. I-I-I'll have dinner ready, and I'll do my work."
Tadasu turned and left. Ichigo stood frozen until he heard the main door open and close, then he breathed out a sigh of relief. Four hours was plenty time. He could hide the dog and cat upstairs in his room. Tadasu wouldn't go in there. He turned and opened the door to find both the Russian Blue cat and the Pomeranian dog staring at him with big eyes. He smiled. He'd give them his food for tonight.
"Up we go," he said as he scooped them both up in his arms. He quickly navigated the stairs to the attic and deposited both of them on his small cot. He had a small desk with a laptop. He looked at it, then the animals. "Okay, first, um, I'm going to name you. Ah, for some reason, you remind me of someone else, so you're going to be Ren," he said and scratched the dog's head. "Huh, that's someone I bet has moved on to better things these days. And you. For some reason you too remind me of someone. I'll call you Grimm."
Ichigo sat down at the small desk and opened the laptop and saw the timer on it. "Okay, you two be good. I have two hours to do my work before it turns off again," he muttered as he pulled up all his online classes. Two hours a day wasn't a lot since he took almost four hours of classes. He had to be careful though, or Tadasu would take that away from him. He had to be useful after all. He finished just before the laptop warned him he had five minutes. He sighed out in relief and turned to see that Ren and Grimm were both watching him.
"You guys are weird, just sitting there. I hope you aren't injured," he said as he knelt in front of the cot and rubbed the small dog's belly. He seemed to be happy for the attention and Ichigo smiled. "I bet you belong to someone, and I shouldn't keep you here. But you guys saved my life today, even if you don't know it."
Grimm made a purring sound and Ichigo wondered if the silly cat understood him. He scratched the top of his head and sighed. "I was going to the river, where my mom died, you see. I was going to walk down into the water and just take a deep breath of it, just so I could go on and be with people I want to be with again. There was this place, called Soul Society, that I used to be able to visit. I really liked it there. There were people I was friends with, who liked me, and who would help me when I needed it. I would rather go there again. That's where souls go when they die, you see. And if I kill myself, someone will come do a konso on my spirit, and I'll go there. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll have power again and instead of being reincarnated, I'll get to go to the Shinigami academy. Then wouldn't it be funny if I learned all about kido!" He sighed deeply and looked wistful, as though he was talking about a trip and not killing himself. "I wanted to leave this place, you know. Wanted to go find some way to be useful again." He tucked his long hair behind his ears. "Tadasu says I'm useful to him, but I don't want to be the kind of useful he says. Especially not when his friends come over or we go away for the weekend to those tattooed men with the black suits. I don't like it, but what can I do? Tadasu needs me."
Ichigo sighed. "You two stay up here, I'm going to make dinner. I'll bring you mine, but tomorrow, maybe I can go outside again. I don't know, though. I went today, and that was hard enough. If something happened, and I was outside without Tadasu knowing, I'd be in trouble. I'll do anything to not be in trouble with Tadasu," he murmured and rubbed his shoulder where he'd slammed him back into the linen closet.
Ichigo got up and left, closing the door behind him, leaving Grimm and Ren alone in the attic room.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Grimmjow said, trying to keep his voice down. Since it came out in meows, he didn't want to be heard.
"That guy, he talks about him like he's his boyfriend, but he's horrible to him. You saw how bruised his arms are, and he's got a black eye. Is that guy beating him?" Renji grumbled, trying to keep the sounds to a growling low sound.
There was a long pause. "He was going to drown himself. Does that even work on humans? Can they do that?" Grimmjow asked Renji as he stood and moved to another section of the bed.
"I guess, I mean, humans can do a lot to kill themselves. Where are the others? Why are they letting this happen?" Renji asked. He paced around the cot and looked out the small window over it. "Ishida, Inoue, Chad? Where are they? And his father? I can't imagine his father allowing someone to hurt Ichigo." In frustration, they both fell asleep on the cot.
They both heard stomping and Ichigo's voice a while later. "There's nothing, Tadasu! I did my schoolwork, it was within the time limit, and that's it! I'm just not feeling well, that's all, I'm not hiding anything…"
Grimmjow and Renji had both hid under the bed as soon as they heard someone coming and watched as the door popped open. They got a good look at the guy now and Grimmjow wanted to throttle him already. He was large and imposing, but more than that, he had the air of someone who was intent on hurting others. He growled and grabbed Ichigo by the upper arm, pushing him down.
"Whatever, stay in here. The guys are coming over tonight, and I don't want to see your worthless, useless face, understand me?"
"I do," Ichigo said from where he'd fallen on the floor. "I'm sorry, I'll do better, I'll…"
Neither Renji or Grimmjow expected this guy to pull back and backhand him. Both resisted the urge to run out and bite the shit out of this guy. Instead of fighting back, Ichigo just nodded, staring at the floor. "Shut up. I didn't ask for anything other than if you understood me. Are we going back to the days when I had to remind you daily that you weren't to talk unless you were spoken to?"
Ichigo shook his head, swallowing hard. "No."
"Good. If I decide I need someone to suck my dick, I'll be back but don't count on it. They're bringing over some good shit tonight to smoke, so I won't be able to get it up anyway. Stay fucking quiet. I hear anything, you are going to be in real trouble."
He turned, slamming the door behind him and Ichigo sat there for a few minutes before he looked around the room for them. Both came out and crawled up on his lap where he sat on the floor. There was blood dripping from his lip but he just licked at it with his tongue.
"Pwew," he exhaled. "That was better than I thought," he muttered and picked up Grimmjow to hold against his chest. "I can't do much right, but maybe I can take care of you two? I know I'm being selfish, but I'm kind of lonely, and I feel like maybe you can help me not be lonely. I just hope you'll stay quiet. I don't want to go down there with them. That's more trouble than I want to deal with."
He pulled a small container form his pocket and put it on the floor. It was cooked meat from the dinner Ichigo had made they guessed. He gave some to both of them, then put the container by his laptop. He looked tired, and had circles under his eyes.
Ichigo ended up crawling under the thin covers and both Renji and Grimmjow snuggled under them too. They noted how thin he was. Not only that, after some investigation, they realized he was riddled with bruising all over his body. They had no idea what had happened to Ichigo in the last four years, but they knew that this wasn't good.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
"You… You lost Abarai-fukutaichou?" Byakuya Kuchiki said with an exasperated look on his face.
Rukia sighed. "Yes, that's what I said. He was fighting the same hollow I was, this huge beastly thing with tendrils. One slapped me away and I came back to split the mask. It dissipated, but he was gone, and so was Grimmjow."
"How was Grimmjow there?" her brother asked with another sigh from behind his desk.
"That I don't know. All I know is that we answered the alert, and he was fighting the hollow. He too was gone when I returned to kill the hollow."
Byakuya sighed again and shook his head. "We need to find them. I'll inform the sou-taichou." He stood and left as Rukia left his office to report in to Ukitake-taichou.
As she headed through the Serietei she smiled to see that Uryū and Orihime were there with Shinji today. She ran toward them, waving at them. They waved back as she approached.
"Hey, what are you two doing here?" she asked with a smile.
"I was doing some research on reishi rich enviornments and Inoue wanted to come along to see everyone. What are you doing here? I thought you were on Karakura Town detail lately," Uryū asked. Shinji looked bored out of his mind as he waited for them.
"Yeah, well, I lost Renji," she muttered and looked away.
"Lost him?" Orhime said with a frown. "How did you lose him?"
"We were fighting a hollow and it knocked me away. By the time I got back, he was gone, and the weird part was Grimmjow had been pulled with the hollow through a garganta to the World of the Living," she explained. "And he was gone too. No idea what is happening."
"I'm sure they'll figure it out, oh, hey, did Kisuke get hold of you yet about the power infusion?" Shinji wondered as if he just thought about it.
"Power infusion?" Rukia looked at him with a frown.
"Yeah, for Ichigo. Kurotsuchi-taichou and Kisuke have an idea of how to give Ichigo his Shinigami power back," Shinji said with a smirk.
"Good luck with that, he doesn't have anything to do with anyone these days." Uryū's voice was bitter.
Shinji arched a brow. "What's that mean?"
"Kurosaki-kun doesn't see anyone anymore," Orihime sighed. "He-he always turns anyone down when we call him, and the few times I've seen him, he's acted like he doesn't know me."
"That seems odd for Ichigo," Rukia noted, looking between her and Uryū. "Why would he abandon his friends even if he's powerless?"
Uryū shrugged. "Go ask him yourself," he mumbled and walked away. Rukia was curious now, and she intended to find out something.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Rukia stared at the house number that Isshin had given her and hoped she had the right place. She knocked on the door and a few seconds later, a man with a green colored undercut hairstyle answered the door and glared down at her. "Who the fuck are you?"
She crossed her arms and glared back up at him. "I came to talk to Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Why?"
The question caught Rukia off guard but she didn't let it affect her. "Because I'm his friend and I've been out of town for the last four years. I'd like to see him again. Unless that's a problem."
The man's eye twitched. "No. Just a minute."
She was left standing at the door and a few minutes later the door opened and she almost didn't recognize Ichigo. He blinked at her and then looked back into the house before he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
"R-Rukia?" he said and crossed his arms over his chest. Despite it being hot, he was in long sleeves and pants. "W-What do you want?"
"Who's that guy?" she demanded.
"Tadasu. What do you want? I've got thigns to d-do."
"Who is Tadasu?" she continued, not moving her arms from crossed over her body.
"My b-boyfriend, who do you think?" he sighed, reaching up and running a hand through his long, stringy hair. "I've got dinner to make yet tonight, and y-you're interrupting my routine, Rukia," he grumbled. She noted that there was a dark hand shaped bruise around his arm when he picked up his arm. She reached out and snatched his arm, shoving his sleeve up.
"What's this, Ichigo?"
Ichigo snatched his arm back and pushed down his sleeve immediately. "N-none of your concern. Now did you come here for something?"
"I came to see you because I'm your friend, now what's going on? Uryū and Orihime said you didn't talk to them anymore, and that you didn't have much to do with your family. Is this guy why?" she glared at the door behind Ichigo and wondered if he was standing on the other side listening to their conversation. Things were beginning to take shape in her mind.
"L-look, Ishida made it clear that I was useless since I lost my power. So, I'm doing what I can. I'm going to school to be a nurse online, and I-I-I keep our house for us. We've been together nearly three years now, after the incident th-that made me realize Ishida was right, s-s-so, that's all there is."
"Where did that bruise come from?" she continued, eyes narrowed at the way he kept looking away from her face.
"I'm clumsy now that I don't have all the fancy Shinigami powers. I'm a used-up freak now, nothing left," he reminded her and turned around. "Don't c-come back." He paused and looked over his shoulder and in a near whisper, spoke again. "Please."
