CHAPTER 2

The next few days were hard for Ichigo. He didn't know why,but he had abruptly developed insomnia. He also had started to notice the scents of all those around him more,and it had come to his attention that,the moment he entered a room,the arousal of every girl and almost all the boys suddenly spiked and stayed spiked until he left. He didn't understand it. What Ichigo was unaware of was that mating season,for both panther and cheetah males,had just begun. This was the time of year females would typically go into heat,and males prepared by sending out more hormones,mixed with pheromones, to attract potential mates. They also began to look more naturally attractive to potential mates,and this the orange-haired teen was also unaware of. He had no idea that he had gained a predatory look,his movements graceful and lithe and powerful,or that he exuded absolute dominance and confidence. After school,Ichigo usually wandered over to a park,climbed into a tree,and napped. As a cat hyrbid,he needed more sleep these days and the insomnia was taking a heavy and terrible toll. He was in the middle of this nap when heavy spiritual pressure suddenly rolled over him,and he made an angry cat noise different from a hiss or growl at being woken up. His eyes glowing golden with fury,he slammed the badge to his chest and raced towards it,leaving his body in the tree as ears and tail popped into existence,too angry to keep them in. He was,in fact,so totally infuriated he couldn't keep human form; without thinking he let go of his human body and never broke his stride,powerful legs propelling him in great leaps across the rooftops as he roared his displeasure to the sky.

When Ulquiorra had been ordered into the human realm with Luppi for a survelliance mission,the last thing he had thought would occur was what did- Luppi was pounced on and mauled by a massive streak of orange,dead within seconds and torn to pieces,a blood-drenched maw of hollowlike teeth ripping what was left apart with a few more second's time. Having taken the time to tear Luppi's throat out and chew thoroughly on the bones and flesh before it dissolved,the beast was still long enough for Ulquiorra to get a decent look at it. It was definitely a cat of some sort,what breed or variety he did not know,but blue-black splotches decorated it's fur and tail,the tip of which was solid blue-black color and for some reason slightly wider than the rest of the tail. The strangest part was probably that it had definitive Hollow traits,but had distinctly shinigami reiatsu. The abnormally large,sharp teeth,the plate armour,and reddish-black markings on it's face that wrapped around beneath it's eyes from the forehead as well as it's upper chest,were all things one might see on an Adjucas or Vasto Lorde hollow,and yet......that resiatsu,it was incredibly strong and reeked of shinigami,almost a palpable wave of it. Then it turned on Ulquiorra,mouth open and ready,eyes sharp and strangely intellegent. Ulquiorra tensed a miniscule amount,ready to defend himself,but after looking him over and sniffing a bit curiously,the large cat seemed to decide he wasn't worth the time and abruptly plopped down on the roof they stood on,belly down,and curled up peacefully. It appeared to simply fall asleep.

Ulquiorra withdrew,not because he was afraid of the thing,mind you,just to....give Aizen-sama his mission report,this new development might be interesting. Yeah,he had to make that report....Back on the rooftop,the Cat part of Ichigo had discovered that the source of the reiatsu blast that woke him up was coming from the feminine weakling and had dealt with it accordingly. The Pale One was keeping his reiatsu tightly leashed and stood quiet,so it had also decided that the Pale One was no bother and might even be decent mating matieral if he knew his place as a submissive to Cat. Then it had laid down to return to it's nap and done so right near the Pale One as an invitation to join him. The Pale One had fled,so he assumed he did not like Cat as a potential mate. Ichigo woke a few hours later,retrieved his body,and headed home,reviewing the memories of what he had done and coming to the conclusion that it would be best not to lose control of his instincts in the near future again. Honestly,what the fuck had he been thinking,considering the enemy,one of whom tried to kill him almost weekly,a potential mate? Why the fuck was he looking for a mate anyway? Shit,he remembered what Kenpatchi said about heat....but he was male,even in animal form- did males even go into heat? The teen didn't think so,but perhaps it would be better to do some research once he got home..... Two hours later,the orange-head leaned back in his computer chair,sighing tiredly as he removed the red-framed reading glasses he was forced to use by his paranoid doctor father and rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

Males didn't go into heat,but they did prepare for mating season by.....well, behaving in a more appealing way,sharpening their senses (particularly smell) to locate a female that was in heat,and considering their chances with certain females or even other males that may decide they were worthy as a mate. These behaviors could also be triggered by scenting the heat of a female,as some females would go into heat out of season and males always automatically sprang into action once that reached their noses. So,as far as he could figure,smelling Kenpatchi's heat sent him into mating-season mode,and now he was incredibly sexy to anyone who might possibly consider him for a "mate",aka a boyfriend or roll in the sheets. Juuuuust great. Could things get any worse? CRASH!! Apparently,they could. With a low groan,Ichigo set his glasses on the computer desk and rose to his feet,slamming the badge to his chest and then putting his body on the bed before setting off for the blue-haired Arrancar's reiatsu. When he got there the battle was immediately on,but it was over far quicker than either would have liked. Only twenty seconds and they had ripped each other apart,Ichigo even using his hollow mask for eleven seconds,and their incredible speed had decided a victor already. Surprisingly,it had been a tie. Sitting on opposite ends of a deserted back lot,Grimmjow sitting with his back to a concrete wall and Ichigo backed into a brick one,the two leaned their heads against the surface behind them and gave each other tired,disgruntled expressions. "I think...." Grimmjow panted slightly,"I think we oughta slow down." "Yeah," Ichigo agreed breathlessly,"probably. This was fun...." "But entirely too short," Grimmjow finished.

Beginning to catch his breath,Ichigo looked around them,a depression appearing between his brows as they furrowed in concentration. "Hey....I know this place....it's my lot! My First Kill site!" Grimmjow looked around,examined the bloodstains and what used to be massive piles of gore that were now just black stains,and made an appreciative sound deep in his throat. "Nice,Berryboy. I can see where yer prey used ta be." Hearing the appreciative sound,Ichigo suddenly tilted his head,a curious look on his face. "Hmmm....hey Grimmjow, you're a cat-based Arrancar,yeah? Panther,right?" The blunet's brows rose as his attention came back to his opponent. He hadn't thought the Death Berry paid enough attention to know that or remember it. "Yea. What of it?" Thinking back to his own odd new behaviors,the hybrid crossed his legs with a wince. "I was wondering,you purr,right? Does other weird shit happen to you at odd times,usually bad ones?" Almost instantly the older wildcat became tense; purring was a distinctly domestic quality,and he did not want his prey getting the idea that he was a harmless housecat(he conveniently forgot that Ichigo had always regarded him as a powerful enemy and had collected quite a few scars from him over the last month,some of which he was still sporting the wounds of). "No,what the fuck gave ya such a goddamned whacked idea like that?"

Ichigo sighed,feeling the place inside him where his cat and ears and tail were stashed wilt sadly. "I've had to do some research on big cats lately and I found some interesting stuff,I was just wondering if it applied to dead ones like the live ones. Panthers are technically just Lepoards without spots,did you know? They're incredible animals,but I guess dead ones are different. Or maybe that just applies to you,I don't know. Either way," he grunted as he rose to his feet,"that means ya can't help me so just forget it." Ooooh,the berry needed help? NOW Grimmjow was interested. "Help? Help with what,cub?" Ichigo just huffed. "I told you,forget it. Yoruichi might be able to do it- hmmm,I wonder if Shuuhei might be a better choice to do that with...." he was mostly muttering to himself now as he walked,ignoring that Grimmjow was painfully hauling himself to his feet in a bid to follow the teen. "Yoruichi would probably just flash me,strip me, molest me,or all three,that perv.....but Shuuhei is stuck in our situation too,and he's far less likely to offer his help in exchange for a few gropes.....then again,he's just as shameless as Yoruichi,and if he's drunk then I'm screwed,especially now with all the hormone issues....Good Goddamn,it's starting to look like I'm going to be mated to that horny wolf after all!" At this point Grimmjow wasn't just curious- he was damn near panicking. HIS Ichigo? MATED? To a WOLF?! The kid was waaaay too young to be thinking about mating already and wolf mated pairs were usually violent,dysfunctional, and abusive. Briefly,the panther questioned when Ichigo had become 'his',then,true to his nature,dismissed it as unimportant and followed the berry.

The teen in particular was blatantly and deliberately ignoring that Grimmjow's reiatsu was tailing him close enough to mesh and rub with his own (a strangely pleasant sensation) and was making for Urahara's to ask a favor. He was probably going to lose his mind to the season soon,or at least get really whacked in the head,and he wanted to get some advice before then. But wait....his steps slowed as he considered that the other hybrids had probably already lost their minds. His steps renewed then- he'd still be asking ol' Hat 'N Clogs for a favor,but a different one than he first thought. Knocking on Urahara's door,he waited patiently for the man to come and slightly twitched when he felt Grimmjow's spike of unease through their meshing reiatsus. Other than that,he showed no sign of knowing the man was there. When the man did open the door,Benehime primed,Ichigo gave him a crooked smile. "Hey perverted shopkeep, can I borrow one of your spare rooms for like a month? Sexual harassment is on it's way and I've already got a stalker or two." The blonds' eyes widened for a moment,then he grinned that pervy grin of his and opened the door further,gesturing him inside. "Ahhh,I see that it has been affecting you too,then. Yoruichi is locked in my room already; there's one free in the underground facility that should keep you fairly safe,at least until it's passed. As for the stalkers,you'll just have to get used to them I'm afraid. After all,now that they've begun they will always remember why they're stalking you. It sure does show you people's true colors though, doesn't it?" As Ichigo stepped inside,he answered animatedly,"Oh you have no idea. Sure tells you who's gay or straight!"

Poor Grimmjow,from his place on the rooftop,heard all that and couldn't help the flash of angry,jealous possession that overtook him. He also had a mild flash of unease when the Shopkeeper grinned at the Death Berry. "Oh,I think I have some knowledge of the draw. Besides,half the men after you now had no idea they were gay or bi until they saw your powerful,predatory self walking by with that tight,cute ass and those oh-so-strong-and-defined hips and legs." The door shut then,blocking the rest of the conversation,and the arrancar felt something cold and prickly go down his spine. Fear? No....it was some sort of warning instinct,and somehow he just knew that Ichigo wasn't safe in that shopkeep's care. Plus,that Yoruchi chick was in that building,right? Hadn't Ichi said something about molestation and getting stripped by her? Damn it all....Grimmjow didn't like this,didn't like it at all. Why was Ichi going where the molester was? Didn't the definition of molestation involve non-consent somehow? For that matter,what in the fucking hell was this 'it' they kept referencing? Again,the man didn't question when the teen,his favorite prey,stopped being just prey and became his Ichi. How didn't matter,only what was,and Ichi was his Ichi now. Growling,he waited outside the shop on a rooftop,completely still and patient. He'd stay the entire month if he had to,but he was going to be there when Ichigo left that shoten and he was going to find out what the hell it was.

He was rather surprised when,a day and a half later,he felt a spike of Ichigo's unmistakable reiatsu reach him even outside the shop,which had barriers of sekiseki stone. Whatever just happened fucked with Ichigo a LOT,for such a strong jolt to escape the reiatsu-stifling walls. It was after the third such spike that he figured out what was happening. Ooooohhhh.....jackin' off,eh cub? Wonder what's got you so hot and bothered.... Licking his lips,the blunet let the next spikes wash over him,the pleasure and burning desire that was twined so tightly with it permeating him. Grimmjow mused,not for the first time,that Ichigo was indeed a passionate man. He threw everything into whatever he was doing- fighting, training,even something as mundane as masturbation. As the spikes began to get closer together,then became one powerful wave,the Arrancar couldn't help but to emulate the Berry. His reiatsu meshed with the other,rising and falling in unison as the pleasure mounted and skyrocketing once release was reached. Collapsing bonelessly on the roof,the blunet absently licked his hand clean as Ichigo's reiatsu drew further in,yet stayed somehow twined with his own. He'd never had such a powerful orgasm in his life. Something to do with the combination of reiatsu.....no matter. He'd figure it out later, right now he needed a nap.

This pattern of activity continued for several days. Their spirit energies were so harmonized now that Grimmjow knew the fluctuations that came with almost anything Ichigo was doing. He knew when he ate,showered,trained,dressed,worked,and even when he was talking to someone. He only masturbated twice more,but both were more of those mind-shattering, earth-shaking,bone-liquifying climaxes that left even Grimmjow so exausted he had to rest for a while before he could move. Grimmjow was now even more adamant about staying until Ichi left,eating any hollow that came into his territory rather than going after the human souls- after all,Karakura was Ichigo's jurisdiction,and with Ichi unable someone needed to take care of the hollows that migrated towards the high reiatsu. Maybe he could trade this favor for some time with the berry when he finally came out? He'd kill a million Menos if the teen would let him be present in the room,totally engulfed in that amazing reiatsu,when the kid was jacking himself off. He was startled from this train of thought when there was a spike of a different kind in his prey's spirit energy. This was.....bad. Not exactly sure what it was,Grimmjow migrated over to the roof of the shoten to examine the reiatsu meshed with his better. He could feel unease...tension... anger?....no,fury...and a twinge of resignation. It was radiating from the kid like "I'm Gay" vibes off Szayel's pink hair.

He felt the berry fight and win,and then that wonderful arousal started to seep through the anger and the unease,just a little,but it was there. Ichigo seemed to be fighting it for some reason,supressing it. Grimmjow,not knowing what was going on but certain he didn't want anyone else to know of the pleasure that could be gained during his Ichi's peak arousal moment,helped him tamp it down with his own reiatsu and sent,for lack of a better explanation,a warm feeling over to Ichigo. If he felt the kid needed or wanted some backup,he'd tear the place apart and provide backup,and he made sure Ichi knew that. He got a sense of confusion back from the teen,then almost immediate acceptance. Apparently,Ichigo was like Grimmjow; the how and why don't matter,figure it out later. The now and what's happening is what matters. Ichigo talked for a while,anger coming to the fore,and then after went and got into a shower. The lust suddenly became overwhelming,to the point where Grimmjow was so hard it hurt. The orange-head had been keeping arousal like this in check ever since the fight? How the fuck did he do it?! He sensed Ichigo's amusement rolling through his energy at Grimmjow's stunned disbelief The pleasure spikes started abruptly then,and it took less time than ever for both to reach that earth-shattering release that was so damn addictive. Grimmjow's new post was on the roof right over Ichi's room where he could feel him better. About two and a half weeks after the routine began,the large man was lounging lazily when a garganta ripped open next to him and Ulquiorra stepped out.

Ichigo was woken from a dead sleep by the anger and wild desire to murder that shot through the blue-green reiatsu that wove so tightly with his own dark blue. Leaping from bed,he grabbed Zangetsu off his back and made for the door of the shop,not even thinking about the instinctual reaction until he was directly in front of the door. Instead of opening it,like his instincts screamed at him to do,he sent back that feeling Grimmjow sent him almost two weeks ago- If you need backup I'll come. He knew that just as Grimmjow hadn't interrupted his fight,he could not interfere with Grimmjow's unless asked. He sent a wave of soothing emotion along with the warmth,and could feel Grimmjow relax as a result.

Grimmjow abruptly untensing made Ulquiorra suspicious. The sexta not being ready to attack at a second's provocation was unusual; perhaps someone with illusionary abilities was using some sort of trick to capture him or extract information? Nevertheless, he delivered his message in his customary deadpan monotone. "Aizen-sama sent me to find out why you are here yet when all there is in this pathetic place is trash." Grimmjow grunted,hands picking restlessly at the roof tiles. Ahhh,so he wasn't completely relaxed after all,just showing his intentions not to attack for once. "There's something damned odd going on in this town. I can feel it,smell it. I just can't put my finger on what it is. It's like the whole city is....is...." he struggled for the right term a moment,"is permeated- is that the word even? -in some weird-ass aura. It's everywhere,on everything! It feels almost like there's....something wrong here. And it's really strong in some places. That one building with all the fledgling humans,a couple three dens scattered around....I don't get it and it's driving me nuts. I'm still here because I'm trying to figure it out and I haven't found any answers yet. All I've found out so far is something big is up,and those who know about the something refer to it as just it. And it has something to do with happiness or straightness....." The panther Espada shook his head,fingers smoothing over the tiles he'd displaced. "I'm so damn confused."

Ulquiorra assimilated this information,then nodded. "I see. I shall report back to Aizen-sama." A flick of his wrist and he was gone,the rip closing up behind him and Grimmjow relaxed then,sending the feeling that all was well down to Ichigo. He felt the relief of the teen,then sleepiness as the boy returned to his bed. The blunet chuckled, returning to his own resting spot,and both slept until Ichi was suddenly and unceremoniously woken up. His angry aura spike woke Grimmjow as well,and Grimmjow was somehow able to feel what had happened- someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on Ichi. Grimmjow could feel the water and the cold like it was on his own skin,the uncomfortable sticking of his clothes to his body even though he was completely dry. Shaking off the strange sensation,Grimmjow went back to sleep. He was woken again, late at night,but this time it was something far worse. Burning,all over the teen's body, the pain rolling along their strange connection and sending Grimmjow into a near panic. He did begin to panic when Ichi drew away from their bond, somehow unwinding their meshed reiatsus and blocking more and more of what he was feeling from the Arrancar. Dammit Ichi don't do this to me! A brief moment where the connection strengthened a bit,the Berry sending a single message through- Trust me,this should not be shared -and then he lost him completely as the dark blue reiatsu withdrew behind the sekiseki stone barriers.

The panther didn't know what was going on or what to do. His Ichi was hurting, burning and yet refusing help. They were both prideful animals and they knew it; he could not rush to his side when his help was not wanted. At a loss,he did the only thing he could think of to help- he spread his reiatsu around the entire building like a blanket,letting it seep into the cracks and crevices in the sekiseki stone until it wrapped around everyone in the building, whoever he could find. He knew he'd ensnared at least four or five people,but couldn't tell which one was Ichi and sent soothing coolness over all of them,praying the cold would find the Berry and ease his burning flesh. He could feel the lessening of tension inside,and assumed (correctly) that Ichi had gotten his wave. Still wary,he kept his reiatsu that way for the night,it gently ebbing and flowing,always cool or cold,like waves of the sea. By the time the next night had rolled around,Grimmjow was even more worried than before. Ichigo was staying withdrawn,and if it weren't for the occasional uncontrollable spike of pain Grimmjow wouldn't have been sure he was even still touching the boy. He did what he could,soothing and cooling and stroking the reiatsu he knew as well as his own and sending his worry across the connection that almost wasn't there anymore. He knew he could feel it there,but it was so faint! He could barley tell when the boy was hurting!

Ichigo writhed on his bed,gritting his teeth until he heard them creak from the force to keep himself silent. This was what he had feared,this was the reason he needed one of Urahara's untraceable rooms with reiatsu-containing barriers. He could feel the other hybrids in heat even in the spirit world,and by all things unholy it hurt! His body,his instinct,his everything screamed to find and mate and CLAIM,but his iron control denied it and it punished him with this agony,this need. Again,his soul screamed to find a mate and claim them,to dominate and procreate,and again his control said no,that they needed to choose a mate carefully and for life and they couldn't do it in this state. Again,his body was punished with a wave of unyielding want and need and burning all over. One more night,just one damn more night and this would be over. The three nights of the full moon were the hardest to endure; something about the complete roundness of the moon and it's beautiful,silvery light drove hybrids insane as their hormones spiraled out of control. It wasn't quite as bad during the day- still terrible and so so strong,but not as terrible at the nights. Grimmjow's reiatsu suddenly flowed strongly over him,cooling the burning fire and making him nearly purr in pleasure. The ebb and rise of these waves were mostly what kept him sane. Without it he would be yowling like the cat that was now part of him as he mounted someone he didn't particularly care for and took a mate he couldn't be true, good,or faithful to.

While below him Ichigo was sinking his claws into already tattered sheets, Grimmjow was pacing agitatedly and growling,his unease at it's highest since the month began. He could vaguely feel the pull of the moon on his instincts,but it was nothing he couldn't handle. The waves of his cool reiatsu continued to undulate as he controlled it almost unconsiously with it wrapped around the Soul Reaper he was suddenly so concerned for. He had decided,as long as he could no longer occupy his mind with observing Ichi,that it was 'later' and it was time to examine some things. When Ichigo stopped being just prey? Didn't matter. When the enemy had become his Ichi? Also didn't matter. Okay,that was two issues dismissed from his mind for good. As for the third,it would require some actual thought- WHY was Ichigo suddenly important enough to be trusted implicitly and what would this mean for Grimmjow? The panther frowned as he deciphered his own emotions. Contrary to popular belief,though Hollows had no emotions,Arrancar and Espada did. It was just how things were- an Arrancar was a hollow that was part Soul Reaper. Since Soul Reapers have emotions,so do Arrancar. He trusted the cub because he cared about him. Cared about him quite a lot. In a more-than-friendly way. Shit. Grimmjow was infatuated. He wasn't stupid and he wasn't a coward; he wasn't gonna lie to himself. He didn't know if this was the kind of thing that led to love like in those trashy romances some espada liked to read(Szayel),but he knew it was something serious nonetheless.

This meant he was attached. Him being attached meant he couldn't kill the boy. He also probably couldn't beat him in battle. Well shit. Now what was that old human saying....? Hmm,he'd remember it in a little while. GAHH! Alarmed at the sudden cry that Ichigo's reiatsu had made,the blunet wrapped his own more tightly around him and made it cold,ice cold,a surging wave to releive the pain. It calmed the boy some,but not nearly as much as it had been before. He was now catching bits and pieces of what he suspected was the boy's thoughts- the meanings were too clear to be just feelings. Hot,so hot- Burning,pain! -angry,worthless -Cold.....helps -stop myself......mate it was jumbled and rushed,and broken up. He couldn't discern what the kid was thinking from those little bits. It was the next thoughts that were clearest. MATE! FIND!! No,no,can't find,not ready, not right- MUST MATE! NOW MATE! No shut up no mate for us NEED MATE BURNING HURTING MOONSONG Ignoring,shutup shutup shutup!! We have no mate! no mate it hurts it hurts why we not have mate need mate Don't need mate, Grimmjow helping enough! Not enough still burns why you not choose mate need mate please Master We have no mate,no mate would take us. Calm calm,sunup soon burning less then. We take lifemate only and no mate willing,can't WON'T take unwilling mate. Never unwilling Master,never. Grimmjow....help. Not mate but help. Yes,Grimmjow helps. Can't join others,nono they have mates. Can feel. Can't join them,beat them. Well now,THAT was pretty unexpected. Who the hell was Ichi arguing with,and what did they want a mate for?

Yet another reason he was going to stay until the cub came out of this shoten. He now not only wanted that favor,he wanted answers. And by fuck he would get them. The boy soon calmed as the sun rose above the horizon,dropping into an exausted sleep once it was fully in the sky. Grimmjow was more restless than ever now and decided to go hunt down the two low level hollows that evaded him while he had been insulating the berry with cooling reiatsu. Ichigo had said the burning lessened when the sun was up so it would be okay,right?

Ichigo,having felt Grimmjow leave,was quickly heating further. It was admittedly lessened in the daytime,but after denying himself and his soul for two days the buildup was excruciating. Unable to help it anymore,he curled up in a ball on his bed,stark naked to try and relieve the heat -not that it was working- and made painful,confused little rumbling whines and whimpers as it only continued to increase. At one point he was no longer able to stand it and crawled into the shower,turning it on as cold as it could get and laying fully out on the tile as it pounded his boiling skin. The water eventually ran out and when it did he was stuck laying on the floor,wet and literally steaming as the water evaporated from the heat of his skin. In so much agony was he that he never noticed Grimmjow returning nor the waves of cold reiatsu that tried desperately to soothe him. The tile soon became too hot for him to lay on and he weakly hauled himself back to bed,crying and whimpering from the pain. It took all he had not to scream,to yowl,to beg for mercy and help. He knew that it was to late for help; any living being touching his skin would hurt so bad he would scream loud enough for Hueco Mundo to hear him. He had waited too long,even if he had a mate chosen it was impossible to soothe him now. There was nothing left to do but dig his claws into the wood,bite anything he could get between his teeth,and wait for it to worsen and then pass.

And so he did. He passed into a haze of nothing but pain,pure agony and if he'd been able he would have screamed,but the pain was too great even to scream. His body curled,his throat closed,and it took all he had to keep breathing. His jagged,sharp teeth bit through at least five things he could lay teeth into before he lost count,his claws shredded the wood of the bedframe,and his tail lashed frantically. Every time he thought it couldn't hurt more,it abruptly escalated and again he had to focus consciously on breathing,tears streaming unendingly from his eyes as he tried and failed to block it out. The ten hours the moon shone felt like centuries,the pain even reaching a point where he no longer had the option of passing out. The hurt was too much to escape. When morning came and the pain at last began to gradually fade,the poor hybrid,muscles locked in place from the pain and his grip,passed out cold. He woke not completely pain free,but as far as he was concerned it was nothing compared to what he had just endured. His every muscle ached, and he was so stiff he could barely move,but it didn't matter. The pain of the moonsong was gone. Slowly,tiredly,painfully,he carefully stretched each muscle and loosened them one by one,using his knowledge as a doctor's son to keep himself from damaging his muscles further. Slowly,using control he had learned from Grimmjow's constant manipulation of their entwined reiatsus,he unfurled the energy he'd kept locked so deep inside himself with a sigh.

At the spreading of the Death Berry's aura,Grimmjow quickly enmeshed his with the dark blue that had evaded him for three days. Three terrifying days. Too long to be separated from the one he worried for so much. Ichi was still hurting,quite badly,but not burning up. In fact,he wasn't even noticing the pain that would have any other human,no matter how conditioned to pain,on their knees. The panther had returned from hunting to find the cub unresponsive, aura drawn in to his skin eerily close,and apparently blanked to the world. He didn't know what had happened to the orange-head,but whatever it was must've been bad. He prowled agitatedly across the roof,sending what was effectively a rough scolding down the connection to the kid. He got only amusement in return,along with a vague sense of relief that was almost like background static. Confused,he sent curiosity and irritation to the other,and this time got a sense of distance,effectively an I'll tell you later. The adolescent took a shower,then went and talked to a few people,did something that made him ache in strange ways,and went back to sleep. The next afternoon when he finally woke up,he sent a peculiar prickle up to Grimmjow. If it had to be translated,it would roughly come out as wait a little longer,I'll see you soon. There seemed to be something off about the kit somehow though. He exited the shoten about and hour later and gave Grimmjow a pointed look before heading towards his home across town.

When Ichigo climbed in through his bedroom window,still feeling the effects of his strenuous mating peak,the blue-haired panther dived into the room directly after him,landing in the center of his back. Ichigo hissed. "Shit Grimmjow,get off! That fucking hurts dammit!" Rather surprised,Grimmjow clambered off and leapt on the bed instead,looking at the berry with a puzzled expression. "You can handle me slicing my sword through you in a thousand cuts,a few gut stabs,and even the occasional bite without flinching,and suddenly a pounce has you unable to get up? Fuck Ichi,what happened to you?" Still incredibly stiff from the agony two nights ago,the carrot top rolled to lay on his back without bothering to get up and groaned. "Like I said a month ago Grimm.....ya can't help me so what's the fuckin' point of tellin' ya?" Grimmjow growled,peering down at the kid. Had to say,he rather liked the view. "If ya don't tell me o' course I can't do shit ta help. What do ya expect me ta do,read yer-" He blinked, that's right! The night before the boy blanked,the older male had heard his thoughts,clear as if they'd been screamed in his ear. "Shinigami......did whatever made ya so stiff an' sore have somethin' ta do with what made ya draw 'way from me?" From the tensing of already stiff muscles,he'd hit it spot on. "It does,don't it?! And when I got back two nights ago and ya were zoned out an' stuff,that's connected to it too ain't it?!" The boy snarled at him,rolling and rising to all fours. "Ya don't got the same symptoms dammit,so ya don't got the same problem and it's none o' yer buisness!"

The blunet latched on to one word. "'Symptoms'? Ya had some kinda sickness then?" The teen dug frustrated fingers into his hair. "No,Grimmjow,it's more like a....lifetime condition. Not a sickness....more like a disease. Like an STD more than anything. Grimmjow,this is private! You don't get it,this isn't the kind of thing you share with anyone; nobody else can understand what you mean unless they've been through it themselves. Although...." his eyes closed,"I...I know I got it worst. I could.....feel.....that nobody had to go through what I did. Lucky sons of bitches." Getting onto the bed himself,he laid down on his stomach and noticed,breifly,that his claws were digging into the cotton. Odd,he thought he'd 'put away' all his hybrid bits. He dismissed it however and shifted a little to get comfortable. Grimmjow was not satisfied with that,however,and prodded the smaller's side with a knuckle. "Ya can't just say I won't understand and try t'let yerself off the hook,cub. I'm smarter than you think. Just try me on for size." Ichigo snorted. "But you won't. I could tell you're different. You didn't have to endure it," fanged teeth gnashed as the boy fought not to snarl again,"and the urges it inspires. It's beyond imagining." The Death Berry laughed bitterly. "You're lucky,you've probably never had to even think about it. Pain to much to even scream,too much to breath almost. Too painful to even escape into the dark sweetness of unconsciousness. To hurt too bad even to die."

The sexta bared his own teeth and moved,positioning himself over his Ichi on all fours,pressing body to body in an unconscious display of dominance. "I know that kind of fucking pain,Ichigo. Now goddamit tell me why! From the moment I was born as a hollow I've fought and killed and been hurt to survive. But you...you're ALIVE,a living,breathing human being! It only makes sense for me to have known that sort of hurt but how does a mere child like you come by it?!" Flipping them,Ichigo roared. "BECAUSE I'M NOT A HUMAN BEING ANYMORE,GRIMMJOW! I'M JUST SOME MORON'S GODDAMN LAB CAT, A FUCKING EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG!!" Holding the bigger man down by his shoulders,brown eyes were dark with fury. "I was human a few months ago Grimmjow,but I'm not anymore and I never will be again." Quietly,calmly,the aqua-eyed arrancar reached up.... and stroked the orange-furred ears that lay flat in anger half-buried in equally orange hair. "Shhhh,Ichi,calm down....then tell me what happened." The berry was shaking hard,a few beads of sweat matting the light fur near his temples,and his tail thrashing angrily. He opened his mouth to rant further,but Grimmjow covered it with one large hand. "No no,calm down first. Only after you're calm explain things. You're pissed and you're ranting but I'm not the one you should be screaming at." Using his other hand,he left the ears alone and stroked along a bristling spine instead.

After a moment or two of soft murmurs and gentle stroking,Ichi slowly began to relax. When he was sprawled comfortably on Grimmjow's broad chest,his mouth was uncovered. Giving a sleepy yawn,he explained. "I'm a hybrid now. The itching was my fur trapped beneath my human body. I'm about a third panther and a third cheetah,which means I'm only a third human. This month,I'm sure you know,is mating season. I went into heat basically,but the three days of the full moon are worst. Since the other hybrids have more human in them than I do it's not as bad for them....not nearly....especially since I had no mate and they did. The only mate I choose will be for life. Nobody I know would take me for that long. Um,Grimmjow......is it just me or is it kinda warm in here....?" Folding his hands behind his head,Grimmjow smirked. "That's just yer fur,ya ain't used ta it in yer human body yet. So ya went through absolute hell an' then some jus' cuz ya mate fer life? Seesh cub,yer stupid." Rather than taking offense,which was his usual response,all Ichigo did was sigh. "I know. But humans are....different,Grimmjow. When you take a mate you don't always know them. You can't be sure they won't suddenly change. And you don't know if they're lying to you and have a sickness that can kill you or if they're out to steal everything you own. Humans can't trust other humans,which is why they go through mates like a hollow goes through souls. I'm not gonna be like that. Not as a human,not as a hybrid." The boy's nose wrinkled. "I was taught differently."

Grimmjow mulled over this new information. "Humans are really that stupid? They take mates that are out to kill or hurt them or steal from them?" Ichigo,eyes closed, propped his chin on his hands,which rested on the arrancar's collarbone. "Yes. Sometimes they do it more than once. A large percentage of humans are....actors,very good actors,and hide evil intentions behind masks so they never get caught." Peeking one eye open and seeing Grimmjow's confused expression,Ichigo rephrased. "A whole lot of humans are like a less powerful version of Aizen- illusionists that pretend to be benevolent and kind while really they're waiting for the first chance to royally fuck you over. There aren't real many humans that think like you and me; that are straightforward." Stretching his arms out over the espada's shoulders,Ichigo settled into the vee of the other man's legs unconsiously as he relaxed,cheek against a bare chest. "What about hollows and arrancar? How do they handle mates?" Almost absently,the blunet stroked Ichigo from head to tail several times. "It's a pretty uncomplicated thing- what you get is what you see. You see someone that looks or acts in a way you find appealing,you present yourself,and are either rejected or accepted. If rejected,you can continue to attempt to convince the other or simply move on to try and find another mate. Once you have found your mate and been accepted you are bound for life,and so is your mate,soul to soul. Hollows are particularly protective of mates and offspring as well,from the most powerful and intellegent to the weak and stupid."

Ichigo yawned,despite his roused curiosity. "Can someone take more than one mate?" Grimmjow snorted. "What kinda fuckin' question is that? Of course we can! When I was still an adjucas I had five mates at once- they all got killed by other hollows when I was out hunting though. Never had any cubs. I didn't particularly like them anyway,but they had asked me and I was young and had no real idea what being a mate entailed so I accepted. I don't even remember their fuckin' names anymore." Yawning again,Ichigo settled down further into the bigger male's body as he started to drift off. Half asleep,he teased,"You'd make a very poor choice of mate,then....." Looking down at the teen sleeping on his chest,stunned,he was surprised to find that the comment hurt him somewhere inside; right about the place where his worry and possessiveness of the berry came from. He would make a bad mate? Ichigo had been considering him for a mate and he'd blown his chance completely?! Son of goddamn Aizen. Grimmjow knew he wasn't exceptionally good at the nice thing,but the one chance he gets to claim something- no,someone,Ichi was NOT an object -and he'd already fucked it up and destroyed it. And, as Grimmjow knew better than most,in things like this you just don't get second chances. Not with people like Ichigo. Ichigo wasn't maybe the smartest book-wise,but street-wise, battle-wise,and emotion-wise the kid was one of those fucking geniuses. The kid knew better than to give you more than one chance to disappoint him- if you had let him down once odds were you'd do it again.

If he'd been in his panther form his ears would be flat,his tail would be tucked,and he'd be literally tearing the shit out of himself for being such a goddamn idiot. Because he was stuck as a humanoid thanks to the hyogoku,he couldn't do that and if he tried he'd wake the cub,so he settled for letting his thoughts seethe as he berated and mentally punished himself throughout the night and into the small hours of the morning. It was shortly before the time Ichigo would rise from bed that he at last dropped into a restless, nightmare-filled sleep where he was constantly trying to catch a beautiful orange panther that always danced out of his reach,glared,rejected, or downright attacked him when he got too close.

A/N: Okay,here's chapter two as promised,scince I'd already written it and all. Honestly, enjoy!! You'll never fuckin' guess wht I got planned for chapter 3 darlings. *evil laughter*