"Shinji, why am I here?" Ichigo grumbled in the most childish voice he could muster.
"Is that rhetorical?" He said, unfazed by the whining. Ichigo and Shinji had met each other in their first year of secondary school. The first thing Ichigo recalls Shinji saying was "DUDE, Fuckin' awesome hair!"
Everyone at the time was scared to talk to him because he was in a lot of fights and had less than ordinary hair. Shinji was one of his first friends.
"Forget I said anything." Ichigo responded, a little sad that attempt number twenty seven to get under Shinji's skin had failed. Shinji was a shopper, and when he got into his head that someone needed a makeover, he browsed department store after department store for hours on end until he found exactly what he wanted. Shinji was rummaging through the clothes of the small thrift store, picking out all the tight shirts and wifebeaters he could get his hands on. Ichigo was reasonably sure that it wasn't his intention, but anyone would have noticed that 80% of the stuff Shinji was pulling out for him were pretty much only stuff he would wear.
"How about this one?" Shinji asked, holding up an ice blue t-shirt with short sleeves. Just glancing at the color of the shirt made Ichigo's mind wander to that damn bastard's face. It had been less than a week since the incident, and the foreign guy had been harassing Ichigo every chance he got. Poking him in the halls, kicking his seat during class, following him into the bathroom. Ichigo should have already put an end to this.
"Earth to Ichi!" Shinji said, waving the offending t-shirt in his friend's face. "What the hell, man? You want my help with your shopping or not?" Shinji said, an eyebrow rose, daring me to say anything other than yes.
"Yes of course Shin, but -"
"Then shut up and buckle down, because I refuse to let my best friend wear shit clothes if I have a say in it." Shin said with his back turned pointedly, rustling through hangers and shelves.
"My clothes are fine Shin."
"You're right, they're fine, but you should look fantastic!"
"Shin, we talked about this a thousand times."
"Ichi, I know you think you're some kind of ugly duckling, but I'm telling you. If you would dress nicer, I'd be beating off the ladies with a stick. And the guys!" Ichigo rolled his eyes. He didn't need that sort of attention anyway. Ichigo made a beeline to the back of the store, only to see Starrk smoking a cigarette out the back door.
"Hey Starrk, how've you been?" Starrk looked up at me from his cigarette, eyes glazed over. He spared a friendly smile.
"Hey boy, I've been alright. What about you?" He smiled, taking a drag and letting it blow out the door.
"Yeah, been pretty good I guess." Ichigo politely smiled back.
"You sure? 'Cause you look like you could use a fag more than I do." Starrk said, offering him a stick from his box, which Ichigo accepted with a nod. Ichigo brought the cigarette to his lips, and was flooded with a sense memory. The smell was oaky and velvety, the same smell that the Foreign guy smelled like when he…
"Damn it! I'm so angry. I can't even have a smoke without seeing his stupid face!" Ichigo huffed exasperatedly. He averted his gaze to the doorway, when his eyes caught electric blue hair. Speak of the Devil, and he will appear.
It was him.
To his surprise, foreign guy was bent over a cardboard box at the edge of the lot between Starrk's Thrift Shop, and Harribel's Diner.
"There something wrong Ichi? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Ichigo wanted to respond, but nothing would come out of his mouth when he tried. His eyes were glued to foreign guy's figure in the distance, whose arms were elbow deep in the cardboard box.
A kitten.
He pulled out a baby kitten. How is it that a man so infuriating and lecherous could be capable of pulling small kittens from boxes? Foreign guy took his index finger and gently rubbed under the kitten's neck and behind its ears. A soft scowl bloomed over his features, and Ichigo couldn't help but feel that universe was out to get him.
"Oh. You know that kid, Ichigo?" Starrk inquired hazily.
Ichigo looked down at him, managing words this time.
"Y-yeah… he goes to my school. He's new."
Starrk looked at me and back at foreign guy.
"Huh. Well, he comes around that spot, always picking up that kitten. I think he wants to take it home, but I never seen him leave with it."
As if on cue, foreign guy, (whose name Ichigo could not remember to save his life) turned and looked directly at Ichigo, his face turning from a soft scowl to a murderous grin.
One look was enough for Ichigo to panic. He curtly told Starrk goodbye, and rushed his way the front doors of the shop.
"Ichi, where are ya headed?" Shinji yelled. When Ichigo turned to respond, he had expected to see foreign guy on his trail somewhere in the store, but there was just Shinji. Ichigo visibly relaxed, feeling stupid for thinking that foreign guy might pursue him. He leaned back to rest against the door, but instead, found something much softer and warmer. He slowly looked up and to his horror saw a sea of blue.
"Didja miss me, gorgeous?"
Foreign guy wrapped his arms around Ichigo, and leaned in to nuzzle his hair.
"Get the fuck off me."
"Come on, I haven't seen you in a while."
"It's been two days. I'm serious get off me." Ichigo growled tugging at his arms.
"You don't seem to mind it all that much." Foreign guy said, but released him despite himself. Shinji made his way over to the pair, looking at Foreign guy with a scrutinous eye.
"Ichi who the fuck is this." He said with arms crossed over his chest.
"Yeah Red, tell him who I am." Foreign guy drowled. In that moment, Ichigo greatly resembled a deer caught in the headlights.
"Um." Ichi mumbled intelligently.
"You don't remember my name? I'm hurt Red!" Grimm said feigning insult, then mimed tipping his hat. "Grímr Jaegerjaquez at your service. My friends call me Grimmjow," he announced pointedly to Shinji, then softer to Ichigo. "my good friends call me Grimm."
"Right, okay. This is enough shopping for one day. Shinji I have somewhere to be, we can pick up where we left off another time." Ichigo stated, then quickly made a break for it out the entrance. He walked along the side walked and made it past Harribell's before being caught by the arm.
"What the hell do you want Grimmjow."
"Aww, are we friends now? I'm honored." Grimm exclaimed. Ichigo shucked his hand off his arm and turned away.
"Look I have somewhere to be right now, go find someone else to stalk." he asserted before being turned around by two strong hands on either shoulder.
"You're lying through your teeth, you have nowhere to be right now. So just say yes."
"Say yes to what?"
"To a date with me."
Ichigo meant to get home early that night and get some well needed sleep, but things rarely ever happen that way.