AN: Enjoy the second chapter! Oh and Aizen is not the man in the top hat from the Prologue. Aizen will appear later but surprisingly, he's not going to be the main antagonist in the story.
Enjoy! and leave a review ppls!
One
Ichigo loosened his tie and changed his heavy briefcase to his left hand as he stood on the slowly moving train. The twenty-four year old man tried to keep the dark scowl from creeping back onto his face as he stared off into the distance. Through the grim covered windows he could see fields of wheat. The train was basically empty except for a couple of farmers and a mother holding her young daughter's hand. Ichigo felt pain flare in his chest when the woman gently brushed a few strands of black hair off her daughter's face and the girl giggled. His right hand crept to his neck unconsciously and Ichigo flinched when the old scar there tingled.
The last stop rolled by slowly and Ichigo stepped off the creaking train with a relieved sigh. There was a small supermarket in the station where he got off everyday and the carrot top smiled at the woman at the cash register before making his way to the familiar items.
"Your parents really like meat, don't they?" the girl smiled at him, her head cocked to the side. Ichigo's eyes flickered to her orange locks and friendly features before forcing a smile onto his face.
"Yeah, thanks Orihime." He nodded curtly to her and winced at the weight of the beef packages. From the train station, Ichigo had to take a separate taxi deeper into the trees. As he sat in the back seat of the taxi, he thought about his life. It had been sixteen years since he had seen his parents. The strange thing about the fire that burnt out the carnival was that it left no traces of destruction. The grass was unharmed and the trees still standing. From above, the helicopters took a picture and the strange thing about it was that the scorch marks were burnt into a perfect circle with a six point star and bodies scattered around in various shapes that looked like numbers. He hadn't heard from any of his relatives from that day on. Some part of Ichigo preferred it that way. There was no way he would be able to go back to his normal mundane life without any memories. His hand crept back to his neck again and the man took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"You live around here?" the words startled Ichigo and he turned to the taxi driver. Ichigo nodded and offered a small smile.
"Must be hard to live so far away from the city, don't you think? I heard they say this part of the forest is haunted. Locals keep reporting about weird noises and deaths. You're kind of brave for living so close to the woods."
"I haven't heard anything yet." Ichigo shrugged and turned to the window again. He knew there was nothing to worry about. Even if something was out there, he wouldn't be afraid.
"Well, you take care." The man smiled at him as Ichigo offered him the money for the fare. The young man nodded and turned to the small trail. He walked about a few minutes before the sight of the large house came into view. Bright amber eyes scanned over the porch for any signs of white. There was none and the man ran a hand through his hair as he walked up the porch and pushed open the door without a key. It had been from his great-great-grand aunt's will. Since he was the only Kurosaki left, the house had been sent to him.
"Shiro, I know you're out there. I got you food----" he didn't get to finish the words as a white blur pelted down from the second floor and slammed into him. Ichigo felt the air leave his lungs as he flew into the couch. Bright yellow eyes framed by dark black irises shown with joy as Ichigo groaned under the over-grown thing and weakly tried to shove the figure off him. The stench of blood washed over him and the smile disappeared from his face.
"What did you kill?!" Ichigo shoved the white figure off him and sat up with a dark scowl. Long white bangs covered the pale face as Shiro ducked his head with a small whimper. Ichigo sighed and picked himself off the couch, trying to ignore the blood smeared on his white shirt. He followed the albino to the back of the house and into the yard. The half eaten carcass of a brown bear was strewn across the lawn. Glassy black eyes stared back at Ichigo and the man felt his stomach churn as he covered his mouth. Shiro's shirt was a mess of bloodstains and dirt.
"Was the bear in our yard in the first place?" he demanded. The albino crouched on the ground nodded vigorously. Ichigo crouched down and stared into the hypnotic golden eyes as he repeated his question. This time, under the intense scrutiny, the albino shook his head and ducked his head.
"I thought I told you not to kill any more animals. People out there already know about you. If you keep it up, the police are going to come and take you away. I got fresh beef from the supermarket."
The albino didn't move from his spot, eyes fixed on the ground. Ichigo sighed and reached out to ruffle the white locks. "I forgive you this time. Go upstairs and turn on the bath. You're a mess."
Ichigo watched the albino bound up the stairs and took a deep breath. He was already starting to dread the evening. Leaving the bear carcass to attract flies outside, the man slid the glass doors to the backyard close. Ichigo didn't notice the pair of slit red eyes watching from the trees.
"Hold still! See, I told you the suds would get in your eyes if you kept them open. Keep still, Shiro!" Ichigo growled as he sprayed the writhing figure with the shower head and watched in satisfaction as the albino let out a shriek of panic. After wrestling a few more minutes, the man finally pushed him out of the showers and into his bedroom. White locks dripped water slowly as Ichigo gently toweled off the long pale limbs.
Long crisscross pearly scars scattered over the broad back and slightly muscled limbs. There was a small sixty-six on his right shoulder. Ichigo felt his heart seize in pain and gently cradled the white head of hair. Shiro sat still as Ichigo ran the fluffy towel though his short locks. It had taken years to convince the albino to let Ichigo cut off his long hair. The man snorted when Shiro sneezed.
"Go downstairs if you want your dinner." Ichigo smacked the albino on the ass as he bolted for the stairs, still only clad in a pair of boxers. The man smiled slightly and fell back onto the bed with a tired sigh. It was like watching over an overgrown child.
He hadn't remembered much about the night of the fire after he had come face to face with Shiro. When he woke up, the albino had been licking at a large bite on his neck. The creature had dragged Ichigo from the fire and set him against a tree a few miles off. He knew Shiro wasn't entirely human but there was no one else with him so naturally Ichigo stayed with him. They lived in the woods for a few months until the boy found his way back to the apartment. From then on, he had kept Shiro in the basement and often bought frozen meat to satisfy the creature. He had slowly learned to trust Shiro over the years. It had taken years for him to completely trust him. Often the albino's golden eyes would haunt his nightmares. Years passed and Ichigo often wondered if the large mass of scars on his neck had been from Shiro. He hadn't remembered much after the creature had pounced on him. Perhaps it was connected somehow because every time Shiro was in danger of being discovered, the scar would tingle like crazy.
Ichigo somehow managed to struggle his way though college and got a decent job at a company downtown. Sixteen years passed and the boy from before had matured into a man but Shiro hadn't changed one bit except for the shorter hair and friendlier attitude. Ichigo had named him Shiro when he found out the albino couldn't speak. There had been a dark symbol tattooed on his tongue and every time Ichigo demanded why he wouldn't speak, he would poke his tongue out as if in reminder.
The carrot top cracked open his eyes and groaned at the sight of the raw beef dangling in his face. "I'm going to kick your ass if you keep waving that thing in my face."
He trudged downstairs and made a cup of instant noodles. Ichigo felt too tired to do anything else as he sat down from Shiro and tried to ignore the long stare he was receiving. The yellow eyes didn't blink as they continued to stare at him from across the table. Jagged locks of white framed his pale face. A slow smile spread over the albino's face and Ichigo tried to suppress the shiver of fear. He still couldn't stop the fear from surfacing when he saw those gleaming teeth.
"Stop trying to creep me out. I need food and rest." Ichigo threw a napkin at the albino and finished his noodles in peace. After he prepared the bed, he found Shiro outside in the yard, making soft growling hisses at something in the dark. Ichigo yawned and whistled at him. Glowing yellow eyes turned to face him and Ichigo frowned.
"Did you get rid of the bear? Come in when you want to sleep and don't get your clothes dirty anymore." Ichigo left the door open for him and went back upstairs. His eyelids slid close as soon as his head touched the pillow and Ichigo was out like a light.
Shiro growled as he scanned the dark trees. The scent was no mistake. There were two of them. He was contemplating going after the two retreating figures when his master poked his head outside and called for him to go back in.
Shiro slinked up the stairs on all fours and sniffed curiously. Ichigo was probably already asleep. He turned to his own room when the scent came back stronger. Shiro growled in anger as he bounded into his master's room. The figure crouched on the thick branch outside the window was illuminated by the moonlight. Gleaming sliver hair and fox-like eyes of crimson red studied Ichigo and Shiro hissed. The creature hissed back and jumped off the branch.
For a few moments, the albino sat there, his eyes on the huddled sleeping figure before he moved forward and slid into the bed next to Ichigo. A long pink tongue gently caressed the mark on Ichigo's neck and the carrot top shuddered unconsciously.
"Nghh…" the soft whimpering moan escaped Ichigo's lips as white teeth sank into the skin just hard enough to break the skin. He needed to renew his claim over Ichigo. He lapped at the wound and heard the man's breath hitch as it became more shallow and quick. Shiro buried his head against the warm skin and wrapped his arms around the man.
Ichigo was safe for the night.
Review! and tell me how it is! and if you want another chapter. =)