Ikakku knew nothing.
He hadn't become the mans prey just now.
No.
Ichigo was his prey since the time they first met.
Though the white death seemed to not recognize him, he couldn't blame him for it.
The first time they met was when they got send to negotiate a peaceful solution with the opposing army.
It was in the middle of the battlefield, just before the fights may start.
Ichigo still had a childish face back than and his hair was dyed, because it made his life easier, even if the monk had told him to stop dying his hair.
The young boy had heard that the lord of the west didn't care who fought for him, as long as they killed many of his enemies.
So Ichigo also heard of a boy about his age who already inherited the name as the cruelest murderer in the lords rows.
When he stood in front of a boy who matched the descriptions he caught, he shook a bit in fear.
They told each other the demands of their army, refusing the others demands at the same time.
When Ichigo heard the boys voice, his heart skipped a beat.
It was watery, death promising and it didn't sound like a child's voice at all.
The pale boy seemed to have noticed his fear and gave Ichigo his trademark smirk.
"What's wrong? Afraid o' the big bad wolf, are we?"
He chirped next to Ichigos ear, making him jolt back and yell.
"Don't come near me or I send the signal to get you killed!"
The pale smirked even wider.
"I don' bite. How 'bout ya come a lil' closer? Wanna tell ya somethin', no one else needs ta know."
Ichigo didn't trust the boy, still he closed in to him.
The pale boy leaned in so his lips were a Ichigos ear again and he whispered.
"I won' die here. I won' die until I gotcha, honey."
The pale cackled as Ichigo stumbled back in fear.
"Sick bastard!"
When Ichigo remembered now, his stomach still twisted.
But, a feeling crept up inside him, that there had to be a reason why the man had acted this way.
After the statement the albino had turned around, still laughing insanely while he walked back to his lord.
Ichigo did the same, with shaking legs.
Than the fights began.
When Ichigo saw how the pale boy fought, for the first time, the blood in his veins froze and if even possible his fear grew even more.
He was aggressive, merciless and blood thirsting.
The albino fought his way over to Ichigo.
When they crossed swords he smirked.
"Wanna play a game o' tag, honey?"
"Just die already!"
"Aw, not now, An' I'll meet with ya 'gain, sooner or later an' then yer mine."
Yeah, after this Ichigo really was the white death's prey.
He wondered what what the man had done to get a death sentence from his feudal lord, and when.
He himself stayed in the army for another year after their encounter.
He was sure to meet him again in a fight, since neither side won the battle in the end.
This fact pulled on his nerves.
In every fight, from there on, he saw a flash of white in the corner of his eyes.
Than it happened.
The thing that changed his life once more.
He had fought against a battalion of northern soldiers, his comrades kept a safe distance to him.
They had learned not to get into his sword range while and some time after a fight, if they wanted to stay alive, that is.
But there was a newbie who didn't know that.
The kid came over to Ichigo from behind, to get and clean his sword after the battle.
He stepped into a puddle of blood.
The noise made Ichigo spin around, swinging his sword at the enemy he suspected to attack him.
Ichigo cut the boys head of, seeing his mistake mere seconds later.
He lost it, tried to kill himself, but his comrades kept him from doing so, trying to calm him.
In the end they managed to bring him to his tent, where he stayed until late in the night.
Ichigo sneaked out of his tent and to the boys corpse, carrying his sword and a white bandage with him.
At the corpse, he asked for forgiveness, cut the dead boys wrist to get some left over blood and steep the bandage with it, than he did the same with his own blood.
When he was finished he bound the bandage around his sword, sealing it.
In the same night he left the army.
Ichigo went to a temple, asking Buddha also for forgiveness and cut his dyed hair off as an offering.
Than his life as a wanderer began.
While he went through Japan he heard stories of the white death.
He knew the man was after him, mostly thinking he still was in the army.
Still Ichigo made up the plan to stay in a town or village only for short periods of time.
But what he didn't think about, let him get caught.
One shouldn't go to one place, more than two times.
Actually it had been the fourth time he'd stayed in Kagamino and now the white death got on his tracks.
"I need to leave, fast."
Ichigo traveled to the west countries, deeming it a safe place since the albino was a searched man there.
He reached a small town, coming by a guest house.
He decided to rest there.
Ichigo noticed a person lean against the wall, in the shadows of the guest house.
When he attempted to enter, he heard this watery voice.
"Wanna play a game o' tag, honey?"
Ichigo froze on his place.
How had he found him?
This couldn't be possible.
He stared at the shadows to his left, eyes widened in shock.
"Why?"
The figure emerged from the dark, stepping into the little light the lanterns of the guest house spend.
"Why am I here? Easy, ya suck at hidin' yer tracks."
The pale man smirked and his eyes seemed to glow in the light.
"Now I gotta question. Why did ya run from yer army?"
"You...You know who I am?"
The pale snickered.
"Aren't many like ya out there. Wanna answer my question, or what?"
"It's none of your concern."
"Oh really?"
The pale came closer, as close as possible, to Ichigo making the orange head take a defensive stance.
"So, ya shoul' decide now. Ya wanna fight? Or ya wanna die right here?"
Ichigo looked a little bit longer at the albinos eyes, then spun around and run.
The pale cackled and followed shortly after.
"Ya can't run forever."
Chapter
End
I am such a lazy ass.
I'm really really sorry for the late update, but I hope you still like the story.
So I am currently writing another story and I am thinking about another that was requested.
So Geistchen, if you read this chapter, I got an idea.
I just need to bring it to paper.
Ok that was all.
See ya
Shiro Yue