Story Title: Paradigm Shift
Chapter Title: Dreaming
Authors: AliceKing and Higure-kun
Pairing: eventual ShiroIchi
Rating/Warning: T for this chapter (swearing)
Words: 13,636
A/N: Higure again. Sorry about the delay. It's final's week and all. This chapter has been done for quite a while. However, due to the length of this… It took a while for me to give it time to edit it out a while. Either way… There really are no comments for this one, so please enjoy it. We should be back with another chapter whenever we are able to get it done. Cheers!
It was the annoying wail of the alarm clock that woke Shiro up. He immediately covered his head with the white pillow in a sad attempt to ignore the thing. When the screaming failed to cease, the teenager growled and slammed his hand on the device, completely not getting the button. Finally awake and coherent, Shiro sat up and turned the thing off, groaning and brushing his fingers through white stands of hair. He was never really a morning guy; Shiro was more of a night owl.
With another groan, he made his way over to the closet. Taking a few moments to decide what he wanted to wear, Shiro snagged a midnight slim-fit t-shirt and a black pair of jeans along with socks, boxers, and a towel. Trying to be as quiet as possible, though Yuzu was already up and cooking, he went up stairs and took a shower. It was about ten minutes later that he finished, waltzing down the stairs. His hair was still damp and the towel was around his shoulders. Shiro took no time in just throwing the wet towel into his room without hanging it up and returning to the table with a yawn. There was something that needed to be done today, and he wasn't sure if his younger half brother would want to do it after their sisters left for school.
Ichigo hadn't really slept all that well in the first place. His eyes WOULD have looked tired without makeup, and he would have looked upset if he wasn't so colorful. When the orange haired teen had gone through every last piece of clothing he owned, but sadly they were all tight and feminine.
A last resort, the 'manliest' thing Ichigo found was a pair of tight jeans, a black studded belt, and a very form fitting t-shirt with a band name across his chest. Over that was a plain black hoodie with cupcakes covering it, and a heart in the center when zipped up. His eyeliner was the usual, but with a splash of sparkles that he'd accidentally gotten into and practically got the damn substance all over his room, but managed to only get it around his eyes.
With a look over of himself, Ichigo pranced his way downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast.
Yuzu was smiling, as per usual and set lunches for her and Karin aside. She busily got everything at the dinner table set. Her breakfast was pancakes with some various toppings. She set them in the center of the table while Shiro once again started to set the table. Along with the nice stack, she placed strawberries, whipped cream, cinnamon, syrup, and powdered sugar for the various toppers. The girl cheerily got milk and poured five glasses, as Isshin had already left for work an hour ago. Shiro, at this time, was making coffee; it was something the eldest of the siblings really needed of a morning. With a smile at her brother, she sat down.
Shiro, on the other hand, still looked gloomy. The guy really hated getting up. He pulled out his chocolate creamer from the fridge, always having a thing for sweets. The teen pulled out his cell from his back pocked and flipped it open. Shiro smirked at the text that he got from one of his only friends growing up.
As he poured his coffee and put the creamer in, his mind was already at work trying to time everything for today just right. He sat down, mug in one hand and his cell in the other, texting the guy back. Today was looking better already.
Ichigo had quietly just grabbed himself an apple and gave a little wave, explaining that he wanted to get out early so he could take a longer route to school. Part of the reason was so that he could clear his mind. Ichigo had found the only backpack in his room to be a rainbow striped messenger bag, it was ripped and sewn and mix-matched. The bag was slung over the orange haired teens shoulder as he shoved his feet into his shoes, heading out the door.
Golden eyes glanced over at his brother. "Sit yer ass down, 'lil King."
"But..." Ichigo blinked in confusion, but sat down anyway.
"Ya really think that ya are goin' t'go t'school without wearin' yer uniform and when ya haven't been there in over six months?" Shiro said skeptically, taking a drink of his coffee.
Yuzu was pouting anyway. "And you haven't really eaten anything, onii-chan. I made breakfast!"
Ichigo blinked. "Well...I looked through all my clothes last night but my uniforms are all pretty much… gone..." he replied, glancing over at Yuzu.
"Oh uh, I'm not really hungry Yuzu..."
"Oh..." Yuzu stated while placing one on her plate, a little sad.
Shiro, on the other hand, wasted no time in getting something to eat. He placed two of the pancakes on his plate, giving Ichigo a dark look. The eldest then took his favorite toppings, strawberries and whipped cream, and covered his food in them. He really did have a sweet tooth, and strawberry just so happened to be his favorite flavor. Though as he cut into his meal, his golden eyes intensified as he continued to glower at Ichigo. "Ya were gone, Ichigo. That means ya missed crucial lessons, tests, and more. Do ya honestly think that ya can go in today, when there are only a few weeks left in the semester, and pass?"
The younger brother thought quietly, and gave a little sigh. "I suppose not...but...what am I going to do besides school onii? I've never really had a knack for anything else..." he leaned his face into his hand, giving a confused look.
"You're really good at dying hair and doing makeup." Karin piped up, smiling cheekily. "Maybe you could get a job for under the table cash!"
Shiro glared in Karin's direction as he took a big bite. "Why don't ya be the one that does that shit...?"
"Shiro-nii!" Yuzu frowned. "Don't swear and don't talk with your mouthful. And sit down and eat Karin!"
Karin shook her head. "Places to be, places to be..." she said in a voice that made it as if she was dazed off, and turned, making her way out of the kitchen and out the door.
Ichigo thought for a minute. He was looking at Shiro again, but not for very long. The teen was going to try to not get in his brother's way or make himself appear to be annoying. After all, he wanted Shiro to like him, and not think he was an extreme brat.
The eldest reached over the table and patted his little sister's head. Even though his plate was empty already, he didn't eat much more than this. He knew Yuzu tried hard to make everyone happy and keep them healthy. "Don't worry. Just store them. Ya know how much Grimm likes yer cooking."
"Grimm-chan's coming over today?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she ate. "Since when?"
"He got done with 'is exams yesterday an' is in Karakura as of two hours 'go fer summer break. Consider all the leftovers in the fridge gone..."
Chocolate orbs looked up and blinked in confusion. Grimmjow? There? Oh god, he was going to have to bite himself hard enough that he drew blood in order to make sure he behaved and didn't try to rip of Grimmjow's face at sight.
The younger male Kurosaki couldn't exactly help the way he acted, after everything that he had 'been through' per say.
Yuzu smiled, perfectly happy in that thought. She finished her meal and grabbed her backpack. Once she got her lunch inside and slung it over her shoulder, she gave both of her brothers a kiss on the cheek. The girl waved at them both and took off. Shiro, on the other hand, yawned and dismissed it all. He had his coffee so he was fine. After he had finished, he gathered up everything and started to put it all back in place, leaving the dirty dishes in the sink for later.
"Ya don't wanna go out lookin' like that where we're goin' today, 'lil King, so I'd change if I were ya," Shiro stated simply.
"Um...onii..." Ichigo didn't want to protest, but he had something to say! "I don't have anything besides these...ugh...girly clothes to wear... so... yeah... Where are we going??"
Lips quirked into a smirk as the mug reached them. This mug was promptly set back down after another drink was taken from it. "We can change th' clothin' thin' if ya really don't wanna dress like that. But fer now... C'mon."
The eldest placed the now empty mug in the sink and headed to his room. He motioned for Ichigo to follow. Even though he probably had an inch or two on the kid, he figured that such a height difference wouldn't matter. Either way, he wasn't about to answer where they were going. Ichigo would figure it out soon enough, the eldest figured, and by then who knows...
Ichigo followed after his older half brother like a little puppy, right on his tail. Eyes scanned over the eldest Kurosaki, a few times more then he wanted them to as he lost himself in thoughts of his old life, his new life, everything basically.
Shiro huffed at this hovering, but didn't say a word. He opened the door to his room, shooting a scathing glare at his brother, basically saying that if he touches anything then the teen will wish for death. The eldest immediately went to his closet, side stepping over all the articles of clothing scattering the floor. Gold eyes scanned the different items that hung on the hangers. It would definitely have to be something that was a bit too small on him, Shiro figured.
"Loose the hood and shirt," he commanded without turning around.
The teen jumped a bit at the sudden command, but complied with his brother's demands. The jacket was discarded and dropped, as well as the shirt. Ichigo felt a bit...well to the very least awkward being half
naked in front of his brother, half brother he reminded himself, and in his room of all places. Ichigo blinked in confusion, mentally pushing the odd feelings and thoughts away. He ended up shoving his hands in his pockets as he waited patiently.
"I'd say pants too, cause those thin's look like they kill, but I don't think I 'ave 'nythin' fer that," Shiro commented.
His eyes fell upon a white shirt, one that he hadn't worn in years. Shiro snagged the thing and tossed it at Ichigo over his shoulder. It wouldn't be too tight on the teen, but it would probably be more appropriate for what they were going to do and more comfortable. The only design was the black dragon on the back, but it didn't matter. It was still better than some band name in the front. He did wonder, though, how the hell Ichigo could wear those pants...
The strawberry blonde pulled the shirt over his head, smoothing it out around his torso.
"Thanks..." he mumbled about the shirt, hands shoving back into his pockets. Ichigo figured he would try to ask the question again. "Um... onii... will you tell me where we're going?"
"Ya will see," Shiro bit out, probably a bit harsher than what he wanted.
Without saying another word, he wandered out of his room. Shiro shut the door as soon as Ichigo was out of it and walked to the door. He slipped on his boots and yawned again. Walking out the door and onto the street, he waited for Ichigo to tag along. After all, this was for the teenager's benefit.
Ichigo was a little bit dazed he'd gotten anything out of Shiro at all, and found he could actually keep up and walk at Shirosaki's side with ease. There were words that Ichigo wanted to say, questions that itched to be asked, but the orange haired boy somehow managed to keep himself quiet.
The eldest did appreciate the silence re received. Even more so, he found it curious that Ichigo decided to walk beside instead of behind him. The thought made him smirk a bit, thinking that maybe Ichigo had a pair in his little dream world. Either way, the walk was long and uneventful. The day within itself wasn't bad, it was actually pretty mild out; this meant it wasn't all that hot and there was a slight cool breeze. Inwardly, though, Shiro didn't know what to expect and that tripped him up a little as they got closer to their destination. He had no idea why he had decided on this. It was another thing entirely how Ichigo saw it. Something inside Shiro just wanted his younger half brother not to get upset at him over it. He frowned as his stomach twisted on him, bidding it away as the cemetery came into view.
Chocolate eyes had been watching his feet as they walked, looking up occasionally as to not run into anybody or lose sight of which way they were going. Something inside Ichigo ticked the wrong way when he saw the cemetery. The orange haired teen stopped dead in his tracks.
"W-what are we d-doing here...?" he asked, though he wasn't stupid enough to not realize his mother was dead. This was the cemetery she was buried in. Still, the last thing Ichigo really wanted to see was his mother right now. However, deep inside he knew he felt otherwise. Chocolate brown eyes scanned his brother, mixed emotions fluttering inside the orbs of color.
"Figured that since ya kinda 'ave been 'sleep all this time that ya might wanna pay a visit," Shiro said, sounding more confident than what he was, and that pissed him off. "Though if ya don't want to..."
Ichigo stared for a long quiet moment, but his brown eyes went sad and he looked down. "Oh...I-I see..." he murmured a bit quietly. "N-no I want to...I'll...s-see her..."
"So go on then. I'll be at th shrine waitin' fer ya," the older of the two said, waving a hand as he continued to walk.
The younger brother just simply nodded his head and quietly headed off, looking for his mother's grave. As 'Kurosaki Masaki' came to his eyes, Ichigo felt his chest tighten up. The skinny teen slowly came to his knees in front of the grave, leaning on the tombstone.
"Mom..." he murmured quietly, closing his eyes tightly to fight back tears. Quiet thoughts drifted from his mind, and Ichigo just quietly hoped she could hear him either way.
Shiro stopped in his tracks a moment, casing a look over in the direction of where he knew his half brother was to be. It wasn't that he honestly disliked Masaki, it's just he always felt a little odd for him to stand at her tombstone. It always had and it always would be but that didn't mean he didn't have feelings for her. The woman treated him just like she was one of his own and raised him as such until her passing. No way could he honestly dislike someone for taking in and adopting another woman's child out of pure love. Shiro would be thankful for that and he did admire the woman. It was just simply the fact that Ichigo probably needed the time. If Shiro's instincts were right, then the kid would probably be terribly missing his mother. Perhaps he would appreciate it more than what he had in the past...
Ichigo had fought the urge but as he clung to his mothers tombstone. He gently wept, head buried against hard concrete. His whispers passed his lips as he kissed the stone.
"I wish you could be here... "I love you mom..." was the last thing he choked out before standing, brushing himself off, and drying his eyes. With a final look at the grave, Ichigo headed towards the shrine to meet back up with Shiro.
The eldest had been at the shrine, not realizing when he had arrived. Deep thinking usually did that, distracting, that is. Thus is why Shiro hated it so much. Upon arriving, he had sat on the steps. Resting his head back against the giant pole at the entrance, he nodded off. He wasn't sure how long Ichigo would take anyway and the weather was rather nice.
Chocolate orbs had blinked at his brothers sleeping form as he walked up the stairs quietly. With a small smile he sat down across from the eldest Kurosaki sibling; he decided upon letting him sleep. The warm weather was enjoyable, and Ichigo didn't really think the eldest had anything important to do since he had been kind enough to bring Ichigo here in the first place. With a day dreaming expression, Ichigo watched birds fly by.
One golden eye cracked open a few minutes later. Shiro really didn't say a word, just feigned sleep a little longer. He instead glanced over his younger half brother. The teen hadn't noticed this before, as he didn't really care, but Ichigo's eyebrows where pinched in a permanent scowl. Even though Shiro could see the light-heartedness through the chocolate orbs, the eyebrows were still slightly drawn together. It was something Shiro definitely knew wasn't there before...
"Ya ready to go back?" he asked, opening both eyes and blink a bit to get the sleep out of them.
Ichigo flinched a bit at the sudden break from his day dreaming and looked over, nodding at his half brother. "Yeah..." he replied, finding his voice a bit strained from crying, but at least he hadn't sobbed and let the makeup make it apparent that he had cried. Ichigo looked at his brothers eyes, finding his own eyes concentrate a bit. The golden orbs were, to say the least, beautiful. The orange haired teen had enjoyed when his eyes were hollow-like and distorted also, but these eyes were just as nice.
Shiro took slight notice of the pink lining Ichigo's eyes, but said nothing. He also noted the tone in the boy's voice and was satisfied. It would seem his assumptions were correct this time. A wide grin broke his face. "So 'nythin' ya wanna do? We got a few hours t'kill before Grimm shows face."
The younger teen's mind thought for a moment; what would he want to do around here? He replied finally, brushing his fingers through soft orange locks of hair."Well...I need cash, cause I need new clothes...other then that, it's whatever you want."
Standing and brushing himself off, Shiro gave a nod of approval. "I got th' ol' man's debit. Money ain't 'xactly an issue now, Ichigo. We can catch a bus or somethin' on the way down."
"Can we walk instead onii? It's such a nice day..." Ichigo asked as he felt the breeze on his skin.
Shiro clacked his tongue and held out his hand for Ichigo to take. It was to help the other teen up, of course. "We can a bit once we get there. I don't think ya wanna walk a distance it takes a car 'bout twenty minutes t'get to, do ya?"
The orange haired teen took his hand for help. "Ah, thanks." he murmured, looking up at the other. "I didn't realize it was that far, or I wouldn'a suggested us walking."
"Che... We live on th' outskirts of town... Didn't think ya where so messed up when it came t'directions, Ichi," Shiro smirked.
Ichigo held onto his brother's hand still, but gave a grunt in reply. "It's been a while, okay? I don't really remember my way 'round here anymore..."
"Nothin' looks remotely familiar, eh?"
"A little bit...but mostly..." he sighed. "I'm trying to get around like I did in my dream world thing...or so they said that's what it was...I got used to everything that was happening there...Including how to get around… Usually walked everywhere I went… When I was around to go places, that is.."
"I see," Shiro said, taking back his hand and sticking it in his pocket. He turned and walked down the stairs in the direction of the bus stop, which was all the way down the hill. "What was it like?"
Ichigo followed, catching up so he could talk with his brother. "It definitely wasn't anything like this place..." he replied, laughing a bit to himself as he realized just how different it was. "I was fifteen there, and I met a soul reaper girl named Rukia... She kinda crawled into my room I suppose you'd say.
"Anyway, this hollow thing...evil spirit that eats other spirits...was trying to kill Dad, Karin, and Yuzu so basically I asked the girl to turn me into a shinigami and she did..." he blinked. "A substitute anyways…"
"Shinigami, eh?" Shiro grinned, still walking downhill. "Kuchiki was one too? Sounds really noble o' ya t'do somethin' like that. I'm guessin', from yer reaction at th' hospital, that I ain't 'round at all?"
"Actually..." Ichigo looked over, raising a brow. "You were MY personal hollow, ya basically lived in my head and all you wanted was to take over my body and kill everyone I ever loved right in front of me. You were part of my sword, Zangetsu, or so you always told me when we fought."
"How did that happen?" Shiro said, making a mental note about Zangetsu for later.
"What do you mean, how did it happen?" he asked.
"Well ya said that ya were a substitute... Ain't that supposed t'mean that it wasn't permanent?" Shiro asked.
"Well I basically was still alive in my own human body, but I had this substitute soul candy thing that I ate and it shoved my soul out of the body, and put a substitute soul into it to make it look like I wasn't dead when I was out fighting hollows. My substitutes name was Kon actually, and he lived in the lion that Yuzu carries around all the time. He could talk and move around like moving animals in little kid's shows."
Shiro stopped, giving Ichigo an incredulous look. "Ya are shittin' me... I'm startin' t'think maybe the ol' man put somethin' in yer IV's."
Ichigo laughed a bit, shaking his head. "There's so much fuckin more Shiro, if you think all that's a trip."
He came to the bus stop, giggling a little. "Might haveta make ya tell me 'bout it all sometime. Can't deny I'm somewhat interested."
"Saying it all out loud makes me feel like I was having a superhero dream or something..." Ichigo cracked a rare smile at his half brother as he spoke.
"Sounds like it," Shiro agreed and smirked back at Ichigo, "though I think all 'lil boys wanna be a superhero. Especially 'lil wussy ones."
"I ain't a wussy, you fag!" Ichigo snapped back in defense, glaring at his brother.
"Fag?" he cackled a bit. "I ain't th' one wearin' make up, 'lil King. Or should I say, 'lil Queen?"
The orange haired teen went quiet in defeat, his face bright red as he knew he'd lost the little spar.
Shiro chuckled a little. He wanted to taunt the other more. Something about it just made something inside him spark and flare. He didn't know what it was, only that it occurred during the few moments that Ichigo's temper would flare. Perhaps it was just the fact it was something new from Ichigo and he didn't know what to expect. Whatever it was, as much as he wanted to see more of it, there were questions drifting off in the back of his mind that he wanted answered. Unfortunately, the person that could answer them probably wouldn't This meant his only option was to wait and observe.
Golden eyes looked away and saw the bus coming up. "There it is..."
Ichigo huffed and looked in the direction his brother was looking. "Ah..." was all he mused in reply.
As the bus reached the stop, Shiro dug around in his back pocket once more. He took out the amount he would need as well as Ichigo. Shiro looked back at the irritated chocolate orbs with a big grin. The eldest Kurosaki held out his hand with the money in it.
Ichigo's face lightened a bit and he took the money. "Thank you Shiro..." he grumbled, finding himself too irritated to call his brother 'onii' in respect.
"Yeah yeah. Let's go," Shiro said, ruffling orange strands before darting into the bus.
Ichigo paid the money and followed, jabbing his brother a bit in the arm. He was not amused by the ruffling of his hair.
Shiro only giggled and took his usual place when he rode a bus, the back. Honestly, he had thought that having to spend hours with his younger half brother would be shitty. If he couldn't stand being around the
teen when he was unconscious, then it should have been worse. Yet, Shiro mused, if his brother was going to act like this, then he might have some fun yet.
The younger teen had sat next to him, trying to fix his hair. Of course the orange locks didn't want to play nice so he was stuck with pretty messed bed head. It looked okay, but Ichigo was still not pleased by it.
"Che. Ya ain't got nothin' t'worry 'bout. We both inherited th' ol' man's spiky hair. Nothin' ya try t'do with it will work."
A huff escaped the boy's lips and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his seat. "Dammit..." was all he grumbled.
A white pierced eyebrow rose at the teen's antics. It was all so very amusing, to say the least. A yawn escaped from his mouth and he didn't even bother stifling it. Instead Shiro also leaned back against the seat, eyelashes closing over gold. It would be a few minutes yet. This also meant that there would be a few minutes to catch another cat nap.
Ichigo's eyes quietly looked over as his brother slept, and the teen really did enjoy watching his elder brother sleep. There wasn't that cocky, shit eating grin on his albino face when he slept, and his face looked a bit innocent, just a bit though. Ichigo smiled a bit to himself, quietly looking out the window of the bus.
Shiro only opened his eyes again a few moments later, muttering right before drifting off completely. "Five stops, Ichi. Wake me up five stops from now."
Tanned cheeks blushed a little at being called 'Ichi' but nodded his head in response, mainly to himself. The orange haired boy turned sideways in his seat, sitting Indian style as he watched the other sleep, counting the stops off in his head.
Ichigo noted a few school girls giggling and speaking as they looked at the siblings, and it just made the strawberry blonde roll his eyes a bit. 'Girls..' he thought to himself with a flat mental sigh.
At the fifth stop Ichigo stood, gently shaking Shiro's shoulder. "Shiro...Shiro-onii, get up."
"Aight aight 'lready..." Shiro groaned, eyes opening. He really didn't want to get up, but whatever. The eldest yawned and stretched as he got up, still a bit disoriented and groggy. Naps were so good, but damn if he didn't hate the aftereffects of them...
The teen giggled a bit at Shiro's cat like actions, smiling to himself as he hopped off the bus, looking back for his older half brother to follow in suit. "We can go to a park or somethin' where you can sleep longer if you want.."
"Nah," the brother stated, shaking the last bit of it off. "Ya don't want others t'keep thinkin' ya are a girly boy, right?"
"Not really..." he frowned. "The clothes are kinda nice...but I'm not really girly..." he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Just something not as tight would be nice.."
Shiro smirked. "I was goin' t'say... The only thin' ya are wearin' is the pants, 'lil King. Shirt's mine."
Ichigo stuck out his tongue in response. "I know I'm wearin yer shirt." he looked it himself over. "Why do you call me King? Ya know it's weird, you threw me off because in the dream place you called me king too, but for more obvious reasons."
The eldest frowned at that. He turned and started walking off in the direction of the mall. "Maybe some thin's just stick..."
The other teen blinked and followed after him. "You didn't answer why you call me king here..." he frowned a bit.
"I don't think ya want me t'aswer that one."
"Well, now I really wanna know!" he insisted
Shiro growled in irritation. "Ya really 'lways got yer way. It didn't matter the reason, ya just did. Like a king. Some times I honestly think that ya believed the rest o' us just as yer damned subjects or somethin'. I got pissed off one night an' started callin' ya King. When I finally got a few inches on ya, it changed to 'lil King. That's all there fuckin' is to it. Happy?"
Ichigo quietly looked away. "O-oh, uh..." he felt dumbfounded by this. "Not happy really, naw. Kinda pissed I always got my way without reason, no one should be aloud to have that."
"I 'gree," Shiro replied. A dark look crept onto his features as he kept walking forward.
Ichigo was silent the rest of the walk, feeling that his elder brother was irritated, the last thing he had wanted him to be when they were together. " S'rry I didn't just let it be onii..." he apologized gently.
The voice shook Shiro from his thoughts. He stopped and turned around. Golden eyes locked onto chocolate in a cocky manner. A black finger nailed digit jabbed Ichigo's chest, eyes shining playfully as a smirk appeared on slightly paler lips. "What're ya 'plogizin' for? Seems like t'me that ya ain't thinkin' like that for right now. 'Parently supposed t'also be helpin' ya remember these thin's right? No reason t'say dumb shit like that if all ya really wanna do is know."
"If that makes any sense," he added in an afterthought.
"A-ah..." Ichigo rubbed his chest where he was poked, blinking at his older brother. "O-okay then...I have a lot of friggin questions then, just don't get all emo on me and stare off into space." he squawked. "Makes me think yer mad at me fer what I said."
"Emo, ya say?" Shiro giggled. "I think ya are closer to bein' that than I am, 'lil brother."
"Am not!" he piped in response, blushing. "I see nothing emo about myself!"
"Riiiiiiight," the older brother grinned, poking Ichigo's cheek as they came closer to the mall.
Ichigo squeaked and batted his finger away, glaring gently at him.
Shiro just continued on giggling, his shoulders rising and falling. He stopped walking and laughing as soon as they both got inside. The eldest Kurosaki shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Ichigo a crooked grin. "Lead th' way."
The strawberry blonde teen huffed and shoved hands in his pockets. He was finding himself a bit irritated by the forever cocky grin on his older half brothers face. A glint of slight evil caught in Ichigo's eyes as he got a little idea.
"Yes onii-chan!" he giggled gayly, wrapping his arm around Shiro's, pulling him off deeper into the building.
"Hey!" Shiro growled as he was clung to and pulled off.
Ichigo smirked coyly at Shiro, winking as he pulled him off into a random store, chocolate brown eyes scanning around at the clothes.
Shiro grumbled. This was not cool. Sure, he'd be somewhat civil to the kid, but physical contact? There was a bubble there that only Shiro himself could break. Golden eyes were glowering, seeming to almost to darken in the light of the current story that Ichigo yanked him into. He was too busy trying to pry the teen off of him than look at clothes.
"Hmph." was all Ichigo sounded, letting go of Shiro. "Every time you embarrass me, I'll cling to you." he warned, poking the lighter skinned boy's cheek. He smiled cheekily before actually picking up clothes, holding them against his torso to see how they would look. Ichigo could tell Shiro was not keen on physical contact, which was an easy target for the teen when he wanted to get back at his brother for something.
The other teen only seethed. His dark glare only intensified. Shiro's mind was already plotting several ways to get back at his younger half brother...
Ichigo didn't seem to notice as he grabbed clothes, most of them drastically less form fitting then his own clothing. A few pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts, and one hoodie hung from the boy's arms by the time he got done going through the entire store. With a slight smile Ichigo looked back at Shiro, eyes sparkling. "I'm done" he said in a sing song like voice, fully happy he had irritated Shiro so.
As it was amusing for Shiro when Ichigo got annoyed, the same rule was applying now for Ichigo. Though most of the time he would rather his older brother not be upset with him.
"C'mon then fairy-boy," the other teen muttered, sulking off to the counter.
The other teen bounced along happily behind him, slightly stifling a giggle.
Oh how Shiro wanted to turn around and belt Ichigo across the jaw. When they got out, he might still do that. For now though, the white-haired teen didn't want to be thrown out. Instead he handed the cashier the debit card, glaring at Ichigo to put the clothes on the counter.
Ichigo did so, smiling cutely at his onii as he did so. If this was how riled up his brother was going to get over him clinging to his arm, oh Ichigo couldn't even imagine what he'd do if Ichigo kissed him on the cheek or hugged him.
Scanning everything, the cashier told the boys the amount for the articles of clothing. Shiro just dismissed it and waved off at her to use the card, inputting the right number sequence as instructed. As the card went through, the woman bagged up everything and handed it to Ichigo. She handed Shiro the receipt. Wordlessly, the older brother spun around on his heel and took off for the store exit.
"Hey relax drama queen, all I did was hold your arm, not like I tried to fuck you." Ichigo squawked at his elder half brother as he caught up to the boy. The strawberry teen had seen people get a little ticked, but really sometimes there was over the edge, and Shiro really didn't need to be so pissed off.
"Like I'd let ya get 'way with that one, 'lil King," Shiro scoffed. "Ain't happenin', so sorry t'upset yer wet fantasies. Where else do ya need t'go?"
A blush crossed the teens face at the blunt words and he squeaked a bit. "No where else really, this is fine for now. It'll last me a while."
Shiro pulled out his cell phone. He checked the time and mentally swore. They had only wasted maybe three hours in total. Grimm wouldn't be there for another two hours. The guy had just sent a text message about an early birthday gift, so Shiro guessed it would be closer to two and a half hours. He ran his black fingernails through white strands with a slight growl.
"Still got a bit o' time t'kill..."
A finger went to the teens lips in thought. "Why don't we do something you wanna do? I mean, today's been all about me practically..." he frowned. "Makes me feel like I'm a spoiled little bitch."
"I ain't got 'nywhere t'be, Ichigo," Shiro said simply. "Ain't like I got a hoarde o' friends like ya do."
Friends...the word clicked in Ichigo's mind. "I...I really do have a lot of friends..." he mumbled to himself, thinking all of them over. His face quickly went into a frown, how was he supposed to know if all his friends in his dreams were his friends here? "Um...I kinda...don't know if all the people I think are my friends, ARE my friends..." he said, feeling very stupid by saying that.
"Ya 'lways hung out the most with Kuchiki, Abarai, Sado, Ishida, Arisawa, princess, an' them... I think the only one I got somewhat 'long with was that genius kid with the white hair. 'is cousin has nice tits, though," Shiro giggled at the thought.
Ichigo blinked and swatted Shiro lightly for the last comment. "Perv." he said simply, thinking all the friends over. "Rukia..and Renji are here...?" He guessed Shiro was giggling about Matsumoto's boobs though, since the chick did have a chest the size of two heads. Hitsugaya was most likely the white haired guy, it made sense that he would be anyways.
"Does Renji have a bunch of tattoos on his body?" he asked, looking at his brother curiously.
"How am I supposed t'know? I've never seen th' guy naked or 'nythin' like that," Shiro shrugged, rubbing his head. "They ain't in view though, or that one Kuchiki would probably hand his ass t'him or somethin'."
A snicker left the boys lips at that, and he hummed in response. Renji with no tribal tattoos… That was bound to be interesting. What next, Rukia a blonde? Ichigo twitched at the thought, shaking his head a bit. That would just look bad.
"Though..." Shiro said as if thinking. "He does have odd eyebrows."
Ichigo snapped his fingers. "yes! I'm not odd in the head!!" he paused for a moment, blinking. "Does Grimmjow have teal hair, by any chance? And... act like a cat?"
With that Shiro burst into a fit of giggles. He walked over and sat down next to the fountain. Seriously, he would need it to contain his laughter at that one.
"W-what!?" Ichigo squeaked, blushing. "I'm just asking!! That's how he was in the other place...and he always had this teal eye shadow to match his eyes...'r something. He was sixth espada..."
"He'd kill ya if he heard ya say that," Shiro smirked, finally calming a bit. "They're tattoos."
"Hm, I'm used to him wanting to kill me." the red head mumbled in reply, sitting with a sigh. "It's odd not having that stupid giggle and mocking voice in my head anymore..." it was almost lonely, even though Shiro was technically right next to him, he'd never have Shirosaki back.
Shiro clacked his tongue and flicked Ichigo in the forehead. "Ya can ask Grimm 'bout 'is hair when he comes over. It's a really funny story."
Ichigo rubbed his forehead, frowning a bit. "Hm, I'll remember ta ask him."
"As fer missin' that mockin' tone," he grin widely, "I can always do that fer ya whenever ya want and whenever ya don't want, Ichi."
"Oh gee, that's so..." he furrowed his brows. "Kind of you, really..." he smiled a bit. "But nah, I guess besides the small times where he actually tried to cheer me up, all Shirosaki did was tell me how weak and pathetic I was, and how I should have let him out to fight, cause then I woulda won..." Ichigo shrugged gently. "I miss him, but in a way I'm glad he's gone. Guess I jus' got used to him being around."
Shiro still grinned. He got up though, locating the closest Starbucks. Motioning for Ichigo to follow, he needed more caffeine apparently.
Ichigo blinked and followed after his brother, silently thinking to himself. There were times when Shirosaki had really gotten to him though, mockingly purring that he never hated Ichigo, but really loved him so much that he was bitter to the boy over it. That sounded ridiculous though, as Ichigo listened to it play over in his mind. The quote sounded so much kinder coming out of hollow lips in the dead of night.
The older brother noticed the far-off look in the chocolate gaze. He waved his hand in front of Ichigo's face as they waited in line to order. When no response was received, a smirk appeared on slightly paler lips. There had been something that always made Ichigo jump and squeal like a girl. Shiro didn't know what the effect would be now, but it couldn't hurt to try, now could it?
He slid beside Ichigo and leaned forward and hissed in a sing-song voice. "Ichi-chan..."
The younger boy's body jolted and he squealed, body giving a little shiver of surprise as he spun around to directly face his brother. The strawberry's face was as red as a strawberry cloud get, and he clung to himself with another little squeak. The boy hadn't expected the sudden noise, and it had scared him shitless. "Yo-you dick!!" he cried.
A face-splitting grin made it's way onto Shiro's face. "Never ceases to surprise me how brainless ya are, Ichigo."
A little shove was given to Shiro, and Ichigo glared away from his brother. He was trying to calm himself down from the random attack. It had surprised him, and for a split second he had thought it was Shirosaki, not Shiro.
"Yare yare... Ya want somethin' or not?"
Ichigo blinked and looked. "Uh...Caramel frappachino..." he replied finally.
"Funny," Shiro stated simply, ordering what Ichigo wanted as well as a caramel macchiato for himself.
Ichigo stared off into space again, finding he had a knack for doing that. Ichigo wondered silently if everyone from his little dream world was incorporated into this life, but mostly Ichigo was curious of Zangetsu. Would the man be around, or was he an entirely made up thing of Ichigo's imagination? If that was the case, the strawberry teen decided he would draw him a lot, since the sword spirit and himself had gotten a good amount closer.
With an exasperated sigh, and after paying, Shiro took a hold of Ichigo's arm. The kid was seriously spacing out a bit much for his likes. This place was crowded enough already and that always made Shiro a tad edgy. He never had been one for crowds, exception only during concerts. Yanking the orange-haired teen into the corner along with him, he kept an ear open for their order number. Shiro doubted that Ichigo would know...
The teen squeaked and obediently followed as he was pulled along, eyes blinking in confusion at his brother's hand, and then his brothers face. "E-eh...sorry...jus' got a lot on my mind..."
"I can tell," Shiro replied, giving the teen's arm a bit of a squeeze, "but careful in public, 'lil King. Don't want to haveta chase ya down."
A small blush crossed Ichigo's cheeks, mostly from embarrassment. "Mk...sorry..." he found himself annoyed with himself, why the hell was he apologizing so much!? A small ringing noise flooded Ichigo's ears, and he looked around for the source of the repetitive noise. "Uhm...Shiro your cellphone is ringing." he stated.
"Ah, so it is," Shiro said, digging it out and opening it. He also slammed the receipt in Ichigo's hand before leaving the store. "That's our number, Ichigo. Bring 'em out once it's called!"
"A-ack!" Ichigo barely had any free hand at all ,but nodded. "Kay!" The boy practically buried himself against the corner, fully freaked by the looks old perverts were giving him. When the number was called Ichigo hopped over and got the drinks, exiting the Starbucks, but of coarse not before someone decided to give his ass a firm squeeze. A loud yelp escaped Ichigo's lips and he spun around, finding no one there. 'Damn fuckin' perverts...' he thought to himself, face still a bright red as he found his brother.
Shiro was still chatting away, a look of irritation on his face. Whenever the foreigner Jaegerjaques actually bothered to call, it was always slightly irritating. Friends they might be, but that didn't mean there were times that Shiro wished that he could punch that French punk. This was only enhanced when the retarded started to speak in his native language, which Shiro only knew bits and pieces of. Spanish and English were his best... He caught sight of Ichigo and hung up, not caring if Grimm was still talking or not.
"Ya got 'em then?"
Ichigo nodded. "Got molested, but got the coffee." he hummed, handing over Shiro's. His face still held a light pink, but wasn't as bad as when he'd first been fondled. The orange haired boy blinked. "Um...you kinda just bluntly hung up on the person on the other line..."
"Molested, eh?" Shiro snickered, taking his drink also pulling Ichigo down to sit. "It was just Grimm. He wants to eat lunch at our home, so he'll be there in an hour."
A small squeak left the boys lips when he was pulled down, and he looked over. "A-ah...okay. Shouldn't we be going soon then?" he asked, subconsciously crossing one leg over the other as he sipped on his
drink. With a small hum Ichigo removed the lid, starting at the whipped cream, one of his favorite parts about the tasty coffee.
"Soon," the other teen nodded, taking a drink. "The bastard knows where the key is, so it ain't like he can't get in on 'is own."
"Ah." Was Ichigo's only reply; he licked whipped cream off his fingers, giving that sexy little stare off into space. When he daydreamed it was one of the very few times he actually didn't look like he was scowling at anything.
Golden eyes scanned his younger brother again. Shiro was mentally wondering if Ichigo used to daydream this much. Something about it irked Shiro off. He couldn't put his finger on it as he drank a bit more of his own sweet coffee. The eldest just wanted to smack the look off of Ichigo's face. With that thought surfacing, Shiro almost did, reaching forward, but catching himself mid-swing.
A small suckling noise left Ichigo's mouth as he sucked whipped cream off his index finger, the tanned digit staying in his mouth as his lips curved into a little smile, eyes softening at his thoughts. No more horrible pain, no more hollows or anything he had to fight or thought might kill him! Now he just had to deal with usual people, but that was okay! At least it meant nothing that would basically torture and eat his soul.
Shiro scowled, not liking that Ichigo hadn't even noticed. Was he invisible or something? With a growl, he retracted his hand. The white-haired teenager got to his feet and started walking back towards the entrance that they had both come from. He paused at a distance, vaguely wondering if Ichigo would notice this time...
Ichigo's eyes blinked into concentration and he jumped up, following after his brother. "Hey you jerk ,ya coulda said somethin!" he piped, flicking the elder Kurosaki in the arm.
Golden eyes held no trace of emotion or anything. Shiro hadn't even flinched at the flick. He merely took another sip of his coffee and turned. His footsteps were heavy and thunked as he continued to make his way out of the mall. Grimm had better have brought something good, like a new CD or something. Shiro wasn't sure anything less would do from the guy. The older teen was also fairly sure that Ichigo was starting to rub off on him or something... He was thinking too much for his liking and it hadn't really been a full twenty-four hours yet.
The teen made sure he was fully on guard now, quietly walking next to his brother without questioning. He seemed to have ticked the elder Kurosaki off, and that called for silence. Ichigo hadn't even done it, but he was smart enough to realize that nagging on about the subject of Shirosaki being pissed off was not the right thing to do at a time when he was slightly agitated.
It had been a silent trip back. Once back at the bus stop, the teens had to wait another twenty minutes before the bus finally made it to their stop. Apparently they had just missed the previous one. The ride had also been taken in silence, though Shiro's state had cooled down slightly. Instead he just didn't feel like initiating any conversation. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really care.
After another fifty minutes, half an hour bus hopping and then twenty walking, they reached home. Shiro had never been so relieved to see that yellow house in his life. At least, he couldn't recall the last time he felt something just ease him so much. Whatever the case, Shiro stuck the keys in the door, twisted them and then the knob. His golden eyes caught sight of a larger set of boots, far more worn out than his were. This could only have meant one thing: Grimm was waiting for them and probably had finished eating a
few minutes ago. Shiro kicked off his boots.
"Go on ahead, 'lil King," he yawned.
Ichigo tiredly kicked off his shoes, making his way towards the stairs, stopping mid-step as he glanced in the kitchen. "Grimm...?" he asked himself more then Grimmjow. It had been a while since he'd last seen the teal haired man in this world he imagined, since it had been six months since he'd seen anyone! "Grimmjow??"
Electric blue eyes lazily made contact with shocked chocolate ones. There were teal tattoos, as Shiro had stated earlier and Grimmjow would sucker punch prick that said otherwise, under his eyes. His expression was bored, but he ran a hand through part of his teal-blue hair. There was no style to it today; the stands fell just over those eyes. Grimmjow was wearing a pair of jeans with rips and tears all over them, an open white blouse barely covering his chest. There was a chain around his neck, but other than that, a jacket hung on the chair he had taken upon himself to sit at.
There was an empty plate on the table, smears of syrup making it clear he had eaten the rest. Grimmjow freaking loved how the youngest Kurosaki cooked. He'd eat her stuff any time. Underneath his chair was a box with holes in it. Grimmjow saluted at Ichigo in greeting, a smirk growing on his face. "Berry-kun. Heard you were out of the hospital."
Ichigo suppressed a blush as he looked Grimmjow over; he looked like a total badass. Grimmjow had always looked like a badass, even in the dream world too. It was odd seeing him without the broken arrancar mask on the side of his face though, but he looked good in any case without it.
"A-ah...yeah..." he smiled a bit, leaning against the frame of the opening in the kitchen. "H-how have you been Grimm? Haven't seen you in forever..."
"So the Berry-kun speaks, huh? Does that mean you finally accept my offers?" Grimm chuckled darkly.
"Offers...?" Ichigo asked in confusion.
"Grimm shut yer ass," Shiro said, finally walking into the room.
"Tch. Ruining my fun, White..." Grimmjow grinned, but still looked at Ichigo. "Big brothers are such a pain, right?"
Ichigo smirked evilly, glomping onto Shiro. "Not at all! I love Onii-sama" he squeaked cutely.
"Ichi..." Shiro growled in warning.
Grimmjow started laughing. He couldn't take his eyes off of that. The kid must have been on crack or something. Berry-kun hadn't ever tried to do that to his older brother before, though he had followed White around like a shadow. "Must've hit your orange-head hard!"
Ichigo slowly slunk off his brother, taking a seat near Grimmjow. "Sorry onii, I couldn't resist the urge to jump you." he grinned ear to ear at the older half sibling, before stretching with a bit of a yawn.
The teal-hair man snorted, perverted thoughts racing through his mind. His arm made its way across the back of Ichigo's chair. Grimm leaned towards Ichigo a bit, his smirk never faltering. "So Berry-kun wants to jump his brother... Sure you wouldn't rather I jump you, kid? I'd be helluva lot more fun."
A bright blush crept over Ichigo's face as his eyes went wide. "I-I u-uh..." Ichigo felt his eyes flutter a bit at the closeness of their faces, finding that the smirk suited Grimmjow the best out of anyone. The orange haired teen was completely tongue tied, having never been in this type of situation to his recollection.
The eldest Kurosaki punched Grimmjow in the back of the head. "Cut it out, ya bastard. Kid don't fuckin' remember ya right. So cut this shit out."
"Seriously ruining my fun. What the fuck is up your ass?" Grimmjow complained, rubbing his head.
"Che..." Shiro replied, taking a seat across from the other two.
Ichigo ran fingers through his hair, thankful of his personal space being given back to him. The teen went quiet, eyes scanning Grimmjow every few moments.
Grimmjow grumbled at his friend. White wasn't his first choice, but they'd been through so much shit together, now he was his only option. Of course, there had been Shuuhei as well, but the guy wouldn't be back for another week. White and Grimm tolerated each other and while there was trust, they still got on each other's nerves. Grimmjow vaguely recalled the event that caused this. Such wonderful a wonderful memory it was; even the suspension that he and his friend had gotten made all the dumbasses they'd been up worthwhile. Grimmjow couldn't remember a time when White didn't have his back and he didn't have the Kurosaki's.
"Bastard," the teal-haired gay hissed. "You're lucky that your birthday is in two days or else I'd kick your ass..."
"C'mon then," Shiro taunted. "I don't care. I'll beat ya like every single fuckin' time ya try! What're ya hear fer 'nyway?"
"Bitch... Remember I told you a few weeks ago Pantera had her litter finally, right?"
Ichigo's eyes lit up a bit at the mention of kittens. Ever since he was little, the orange haired teen had always wanted a kitten, but Masaki and Isshin always insisted he wasn't responsible enough to take care of a cat or a dog, very much less a kitten. Ichigo hadn't really been much part of the conversation, and he WAS really tired...The boy got up. "I'll be upstairs sleeping if anyone needs me" he called as he swayed out of the kitchen, grabbing all the bags of clothing that he'd bought that day.
Upon arriving in his room Ichigo dropped everything, along with himself onto his bed, a slight groan leaving his mouth as something poked at his back. Shoving the bags off his bed Ichigo curled up on his side, eyes fluttering a bit as he slipped into a nice day dream.
Grimmjow looked up and watched the teen leave. "Heh... I wasn't done. Impatient brat."
"Che. Yeah," Shiro yawned.
"It'll have to wait until he comes back, White."
"That's fine, I guess," the eldest said.
"If your brother is finally goddamn awake," Grimmjow inquired, "then your meeting with that woman went well?"
Shiro frowned. A dark look passed over his eyes. "No. I didn't."
"Then?"
"That ol' bat said she couldn't do it," Shiro went on to explain. "Th' bitch freakin' made me pay fer the answers too… Said somethin' 'bout how it cannot be done, but that I should be patient. Somethin' good would come out of it an' th' bat left it at that. Che... Bet she was a fraud."
Grimmjow leaned back in his chair. He knew very well what the eldest Kurosaki was getting at. After all, Jaegerjaques was the one that told him. The teal-haired man had heard about this weird place that would grant wishes for a price. He had travelled there to check it out, but saw nothing. Grimm had relayed the message, but really hadn't expected anything and told Shiro not to even bother. Lo and behold, White didn't listen to him at all. He had showed up at his flat and demanded that Grimm show him the way.
And the man had too. Once again, there wasn't anything at the address that he had been given. Shiro, saying that Grimmjow was an idiot if he couldn't see that building right there, went on ahead inside the empty lot. Grimmjow sneered at the teenager and told him to piss off and find his own way back. He snorted and left. However, when White had come back later that night... He didn't say a word, only that he would come back another day. Grimmjow had just left it at that.
"Probably," he agreed, still curious as to what really happened.
The orange haired teen hadn't taken long to fall asleep, slipping deep into a dream. Probably from being so startled by the change, making his body tired out. Something, just one little thing was poking at his brain though. It was as if the dream world was beckoning him back to it, into another deep sleep. But no, it wasn't a voice that he wanted to hear, just his hollow's wide grin, hands scraping closer and closer to his body. "C'mon king..." he purred, eyes spinning like turn tables. "C'mon back t' me..." his voice was like nails on a chalk board, in a sing song fashion. Ichigo tried and tried to pull away from albino hands gripping hard around him, practically crushing his ribcage, the cackling distorted laughter growing louder and louder in his ears, ringing on.
With a jolt the strawberry woke, sweat dripping down his forehead. Small pants left his lips, chocolate brown eyes wide as dinner plates. "W-wh..." he found his voice hoarse, and strangely enough his ribcage hurt. Just coincidence he decided quickly, and stood with a jolt of energy. The room just glowered with bad vibes, making the orange haired teen cautiously opening the door, stepping out, and closing it again with silence. He hadn't been keen on dreaming much at all, and what he did dream he could never really remember. But this dream stuck, and it stuck hard...The laughter still rung in his ears, loud and clear.
Grimmjow wasn't a patient guy and was done waiting on the kid to get back. Grumbling about prissy kids wanting to organize everything just right, he got up from the table; Shiro just waved him off, obviously mind elsewhere. Blue eyes rolled as he hiked up the stairs. He rounded the corner and saw Ichigo against his door.
"Hey kid, you all right?" he asked curtly.
A loud noise of surprise and a stumble came from the boy, who was still gently panting. "I-I..." his eyes were wide still, much like a deer in headlights. A small noise of amusement filled his mind, making the orange haired teen give a small tremble at the chilling chuckle. "I-I'm fine..." he choked out as calmly as he could, eyes averting teal.
"Oh really..." Grimmjow said with a skeptical tone. "Whatever. None of my business... Get your ass on downstairs. Can't start without you."
Ichigo gave himself a firm shake and blinked at Grimmjow. "Start...?" he asked curiously, walking closer to the teal haired man.
"Obviously I couldn't walk in here and have shit to welcome you back by," Grimm rolled his eyes, heading back downstairs.
"Isshin would have my head," he commented as if it would explain everything.
A small snicker left the boys lips at the comment and he smiled, giving Grimm a little hug from behind. "Thanks...y'know, for wanting to see me, and not being a total dick..." he blinked. "Seems like Shiro's only happy I'm awake cause he doesn't have to watch me lay in a bed anymore."
"Heh..." the man smirked, twisting around and pinning Ichigo to the wall. "Don't talk shit about White, Berry-kun. I'd put your mouth to better uses."
Ichigo's eyes widened a bit, his face getting a bright blush as he was pressed against the wall. "I um..." he shyly looked away. "R-right. I'm glad he's at least tolerating me being around though..." he murmured, mostly to himself more then Grimmjow.
"Surprises me to, brat," Grimmjow agreed, placing his hand on the back of Ichigo's neck. "Now let's go."
With that said, Grimmjow took Ichigo almost by force down the stairs and over back to the table. The box underneath his chair was starting to move on it's own when they got back. Shiro just sat there, his elbow resting on the table and chin in his palm. It was one of those rare moments that he wasn't really aware of what was going on.
Ichigo had pulled out of Grimmjow's grip easily, giving the man a little glare, his cheeks still a bit flushed. Chocolate brown eyes fluttered in confusion at the box moving around, and sat down, figuring it was better not to ask questions. The orange haired teen crossed one leg over the other, eyes scanning his brother for a slight moment before looking away.
"Hey White," Grimmjow grunted out.
"Eh?" Shiro said, blinking twice.
"Stop fucking daydreaming... Getting as bad as the kid. You want this gift or not? Both of you... Jesus... Feels like I'm dealing with halfwits."
"Yeah but together we make a whole wit, which is more then you can say for yourself." Ichigo piped in a slightly distracted tone, eyes still on the box. He didn't care about getting scolded for asking a question. "What's in the box?" he asked curiously, big brown eyes showing just how much he wanted to know.
Shiro giggled at the insult. "Touché, 'lil King."
Grimmjow gave a hard glare at them both. Swearing under his breath, he pulled the box from under his chair with extreme care. Setting it on the table delicately, he popped the top. Two fuzzy heads peered over the edge; one was pure black and the other gray.
"Pantera had her litter, remember?" Grimmjow scoffed. "Figured you'd need company, since you can finally move out, White and get your ass in the university with me, like you shoulda been. Then I figured the brat over there could have one too. I can't keep the damned things."
Ichigo's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, a small squeal of happiness leaving his lips. "O-oh my gosh thank you Grimmjow!!" he squeaked, jumping up and giving the taller man a big tight hug. He'd always wanted a kitten, and they were so cute!!
"Yeah yeah..." Grimmjow said, pushing the kid off him. "Don't get all girly on me, Berry-kun."
"Fuckin' kiddin' me..." Shiro said, glaring hard at the two kittens. He always knew that Grimmjow had a few screws loose, besides the fact that he wanted to teach history... Now this only proved it, as Shiro couldn't believe that his old man would agree to something like this. However, it didn't seem he really had a say, since that black one crawled out and made it's way over to the eldest. Shiro still glared hard at the thing.
The orange haired teen carefully picked up the grey kitten, cradling the small animal like it was his own child. "Aww, you're so cute..." he cooed to the little kitten, nuzzling it's little grey head with care. "I think I'll name you Hichi..." he decided, seeing as the hollow always had a grey-ish white tint to himself, and the kitten seemed to glow, like his hollow had.
"Poor girl, being called that," Grimm laughed, giving the grey kitten a scratch under her chin.
"Che..." Shiro muttered.
"It was my hollow's name." Ichigo said simply, knowing Shiro would understand if he had half a brain to remember their conversation about his dream world.
"Hollow?" the man asked, looking over at Shiro for an answer.
The eldest teen simply shrugged. "Whatever. I'm goin' ta m'room..."
Shiro pushed himself from the table to stand. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned on his heel and made his way to his room. His mind was heavy and personally he didn't feel like being around people. Luck wasn't really on his side though, as the black kitten hopped off the table to the chair, then onto the floor where it trailed off after him. She had apparently already taken a liking to the teenager. He stopped and looked down at the black ball of fur, glaring at it more. Grimmjow only laughed at this.
"Mm..." was Ichigo's only little mumble as he watched his older half brother walk off, eyes watching until he was out of sight. The small kitten in Ichigo's arms mewled and pawed at his chest, big eyes looking curiously up at the carrot top. "Hm...?" Ichigo looked down, and smiled gently at the small feline, nuzzling her head with his index finger softly.
"Tch. Your brother's an ass, Berry-kun," Grimmjow snorted. "Didn't even say thank you... What the hell is a hollow anyway?"
"Onii doesn't seem like the type to say thank you ever..." Ichigo replied dryly, holding the kitten up with a giggle.
"I'd shut your mouth, brat. Guy hardly ever fucking left your side and went out to figure out if there was any fucking way of bringing your ass back to the land of the living. Tch... I wouldn't have done shit if I were him. I woulda left this shitty house the moment I graduated..."
"He really..." Ichigo paused, looking away. "He really never left...? Then why..." he put a finger to his lips as the small kitten nuzzled against his lips. Maybe he'd been looking at this hole thing all wrong. Everyone so far seemed to act the way they did in the dream world, and maybe that was why he had thought Shiro to be nothing more then an asshole. "He does care...a-alot..." all the small gestures, all the time they'd spent together already, it made sense. It was Shiro's way of showing he was happy that Ichigo was back, the orange haired boy got it! That WAS Shiro being kind!
"Only been watching your asses ever since your mother died," Grimm scoffed. "Maybe he cares. Maybe he doesn't. I don't know. I'm just saying watch your mouth. You've always been the ungrateful one. You don't think at all. Fuck... Bet you don't even know you're -half- brother at all, do you?"
"I might have...at one time but..." Ichigo looked away, feeling a bit frustrated as he tried to recall anything. "I-I have no recollection of my life...a-at all before the accident...And questions seem to just irritate him to no end...a-and when we are together he doesn't talk much...not about himself anyways..." A tanned index finger went to the teens lips as he thought, giving a small grunt of frustration.
"Whatever," the man grunted, standing and walking over to the fridge. He needed a drink. "Half... Berry-kun. Half. Does that tell you something, or are you really a halfwit?"
Ichigo furrowed his brows. "All it tells me is my mother or father had a lover previous to their marriage and had a kid..." he replied. "Is it...supposed to tell me more?"
"Think about it. You should be able to at least remember which parent you both share," Grimm said, taking out a soda and slamming the door.
Ichigo twitched a bit, and thought quietly. "My...uhm..." It really could have been either one. With a close of his eyes Ichigo thought hard, chewing his bottom lip. "Our dad...?"
"Grats."
Ichigo slouched a bit against the table, looking at Grimmjow. "So we share the same dad...what's that got to do with anything...? Wait..."Ichigo paused, thinking for a moment. "Is Shiro bitter over my dad leaving his mom or something...?"
Grimmjow popped the top and took a drink. "Wrong. It's the other way around. Not clear on the details, cause White usually gives me a bloody nose if I talk about it too damned much. Pretty much your dear brother got ditched on his mother's way out."
"So...he's bitter because his mom left him...when I had a mom growing up...and...he wanted his own mother to be there and love him...because he was her child..." Ichigo gave a small noise, petting the cat gently. "I had...no idea..."
"Might be part of it," Jaegerjaques shrugged. "The rest? Only he knows. What I do know is that the ass back there actually tried to do something when no one else would. I don't know his goddamn motive for it or why the hell he did, but apparently it didn't go well. Tch... Rumors are rumors after all..."
Ichigo slowly stood, looking at Grimmjow. "Thank you...Grimm..." he said gently before his feet padded him up the stairs. The orange haired teen dropped the kitten gently in his room, leaving the door open
incase the small cat wanted to roam around. With a deep breath of boldness, Ichigo slowly made his way over to his brother's room, gently knocking on the door.
Grimmjow smirked at the teen, deciding it was time to go anyway. He had more relatives to visit and he definitely needed more time to himself. He called over to the teen as he passed. "Tell your brother I'm out. I'll pick him up at ten for his birthday. Fucking taking him clubbing, so he'd better dress well."
"Okay!" Ichigo called down, turning back to the door. Shiro's birthday...Oh god Shiro's birthday! Ichigo shoved his panicking in the back of his head, deciding he'd just go out some time by himself and get Shiro something, and hopefully sneak it around so Shiro wouldn't notice he'd gone off and out of the house without telling him.
While the little chat had been going on, Shiro was in his room. He had immediately opened the curtains and took out a pad of paper and a pencil. Plopping on his bed, he gave an irritated growl to the kitten that kept insisting on following him. Once the thing settled itself to Shiro's left, it curled into a ball, satisfied. Golden eyes rolled with a huff escaping lips.
Shiro took his MP3 played and stuck the earphones in, blasting the music loud. The pencil seemed to move on its own as he started sketching, taking on the form of the unnamed kitten. This was the only thing he could do to take his mind off of things without completely trashing the house. He was so lost in this, in truth, that he never heard the gentle knock on his door.
Ichigo decided he had good reasoning for barging in, and as he checked the knob and found it unlocked, he didn't step in, but popped his head in. "Shiro-onii!" he called, waving his hand to get his older half brothers attention.
Truth be told his eyes had curiously noted the notebook, but he said nothing about it. That just gave him another idea about his brother. In truth he supposed figuring out the basics of his half brother wouldn't be that hard, if he just swerved questions around Shiro in an orderly fashion.
Both heads turned to Ichigo. "The hell? Fuckin' don't barge in here!"
"Well I knocked but you didn't hear!"
"Che... The hell do ya want, 'Lil King?" Shiro scowled, setting the book out of view.
"Um well...Grimmjow left to go see other people and stuff, but said he's taking you to a club and he'll be picking you up around ten..." he said, biting his tongue a bit. "And I dunno, I just wanted to see what you were up to." he added a bit cautiously.
"Che... 'Nnoyin' prick. I'll call him later," Shiro said, giving the little kitten a stroke absently.
The younger brother nodded gently, giving his brother a small smile. "Have fun then." he said, giving a little wave before closing Shiro's door again, humming a bit to himself as he spotted the grey kitten scampering towards him.
Shiro blinked, wondering what the hell that was about. He pulled out his notebook and took up sketching again. "What th' hell did he come in here for?"
Ichigo slumped onto his bed, sighing. "God I'm a puss..." he grumbled to himself, index finger nuzzling Hichi's head as the kitten crawled her way around him, as if his body were a huge mountain for her to explore.
The eldest of the family yawned. Within a few moments longer, the pencil dropped from his hand. His eyelids fluttered closed shortly and he drifted off.
Another half an hour passed and Ichigo came stumbling out of his room again, this time holding the kitten securely to his chest. Another wave of fear set over him when he fell asleep, that room was getting at him, he just knew it! In a childish way, Ichigo ran over to Shiro's door, knocking pretty loudly; just incase Shiro was listening to his mp3 player again.
Shiro jolted up, his headphones having turned off and the knock had stirred him. The sudden movement made the black kitten sit upright, yawning, but mostly undisturbed.
"Come in," he said in a hoarse voice, rubbing sleep from his eye.
Ichigo opened the door pretty fast, his body trembling a bit. "S-Shiro..." he called, his voice squeaky, eyes sickly. He looked as though he were about to pass out, like he'd been running miles for hours. The kitten in his arms was uneasy as well, and had been the one to wake Ichigo up in the first place. There was a red cut across his nose that was slightly dribbling blood. It felt pathetic, and childish but he said it anyways.
"I-I h-had a bad d-dream..."
An eyebrow rose and Shiro quickly stashed his notebook once again. His golden eyes took in Ichigo's form. A yawn passed by, unstifled. "Yeah? And?"
"I-I um..." the boy looked down, looking back at Shiro nervously. "Can I..um...stay with you until you leave with Grimm...?"
"He's comin' for m'birthday an' that ain't for 'nother two days..." Shiro groaned, pulling back his comforter, not even caring if he disturbed the kitten there. "Do whatever ya want, just don't bother me."
He nodded his orange haired head, sitting down on Shiro's bed quietly. It was odd to feel, but around his half brother he wasn't as worried about anything.
"Betcha wanna fuck 'im." the distorted voice in his head chanted, giving a little giggle
The teen was sure that just because he'd left that world didn't mean Hichigo was going anywhere at all. Or maybe he was so used to the hollow that he had become a voice in Ichigo's head, saying things that Ichigo was sure he would say.
"I'm goin' t'sleep... Don't bother me 'til Karin n' Yuzu get home," the eldest grunted, slipping under is blank blanket. The kitten hopped back up on the bed and slunk in under the covers as well.
A small nod came from Ichigo's head and that was all, before the silent boy seemed to grow even more quiet, letting Hichi slip from his arms, crawling over and laying with the other nameless kitten lovingly. A small smile crept on Ichigo's face as he watched the two cats curl up together, and he gave a silent yawn himself. With a small rub of his eyes Ichigo leaned against the wall nearest to Shiro's bed, closing his eyes to allow him some sleep. Maybe he'd sleep easier here, with his brother.
Golden eyes slipped open slightly. Shiro was curious as to what was going on through the other teenager's head. A bad dream? The older of the two didn't buy that, not completely. Ichigo had been a little off since the whole mall thing and it was starting to bug Shiro. Why it did, he didn't know, but all he wanted to do was smack the kid around and tell him to grow a pair. Shiro kept his sense alert, though, wondering what the teen was going to pull next.
Ichigo's body limped back gently across the bed, the form instantly curling up. White teeth bit into a tanned bottom lip, eyebrows arched as he slept. Sweat was apparent on his forehead, and his body slightly trembled as the dream intensified.
"Wha's wrong kingy? Ya lost yer balls when ya got back ta this place!" his hollow cackled, grabbing him by the throat, fingernails digging in harshly to the paling skin; he purred, face inches from Ichigo's. "Though I 'spose, ya never were very manly anyways, Ichi king."
The boy thrashed and struggled under his grip, calling for Zangetsu, anyone to come. He was defenseless without his sword here, and the hand around his throat wasn't making it any easier.
Shiro felt the movement and growled. Without a moment's hesitation, he pinned Ichigo down. This did NOT please him. He left the kid on his bed and now the kid was flailing around like a tuna? That wasn't going to fly.
"Ichigo," He hissed.
Ichigo jumped, literally knocking his older half brother off of himself, his entire body trembling with fear. "N-no!!" he cried hoarsley, gripping himself.
"Yer gonna scare 'im kingy, and then he'd never want ya!" the voice sang, cackling a bit through his mind. "But I'd still fuck ya kingy, ya fairy." with another little giggle the voice drifted off into darkness.
Oh that did it. Shiro was pissed now. The brat fucking pushed him off! With a yank on his comforter, he pulled Ichigo down to send him crashing down to the floor.
A loud yelp left the boys lips as he hit the ground, immediately shooting up. "O-oh m-my god Shiro!" he cried, without a second thought clinging to his older brother. The orange haired boys face buried against his chest. "I-I appreciate you onii! D-don't l-leave me a-alone!!I-I c-can't h-handle t-this alone!!" he leaked out all at once, all he felt to his brother, accept for 'I love you', because he wasn't sure his brother would really give a damn or even still talk to him afterwards.
Shiro looked down at the kid. There was mild disgust written on his face. He was very pissed off, almost to the point of beating Ichigo until he bled. Too bad that wouldn't go over too well with the rest of the family. Shiro snorted, wondering how lucky his half brother realized he was.
"What the fuck is goin' on?"
"I-I...my..." he kept his hold on his brother, wishing he could get comfort in this. "My h-hollow...s-still there...a-and there's...n-nothing I can do..." he whispered shakily, eyes shutting tightly. "A-and I c-can't sleep w-without him t-trying to kill me in my sleep!"
"Ichigo..." Shiro said, a serious tone in his voice as he spoke, though he wasn't so sure personally. "It's not real. It's yer imagination run wild here. Ya got t'control yerself. If it doesn't stop in a few more days, then I'll take ya t'someone, but fer now try t'get a grip."
Ichigo nodded his head stiffly, opening his eyes a bit. "T-thank you...for being here for me...e-even if it's a pain in the ass...I-I know you still really care about me..." he murmured.
"I love you Shiro..." he whispered as boldly as he could.
"Che... Wouldn't say that, yet, 'lil King," the brother said. "Now lemme go back t'sleep, will ya?"
"C-can I sleep with you...?" he asked, looking up at Shiro with big brown eyes.
"Next terror ya get I'm kickin' yer ass out."
Ichigo smiled widely, hugging Shiro tighter before standing, holding a hand out to help him up. "Thank you onii!"
A hand batted Ichigo's away. Shiro stood on his own, grabbing the blanket. he placed it back on the bed neatly, not caring he covered both kittens in it. They squirmed around a bit before finding their way out. "Stop with th' onii... Makes ya sound whiny. Now get in and shut yer ass."
"Yes Shiro." Ichigo nodded, darting under the covers, nuzzling his kitten gently with a little smile.
That's better," Shiro nodded, getting in himself. This kid was going to be the death of him...
Ichigo, Karin - AliceKing
Grimm, Shiro, Yuzu - Higure-kun