Disclaimer: I own everything that doesn't already belong to somebody else.
Warnings: "Street Rat" Dialect, Foul Language
Notes: I've taken some liberties with the actual functions dealing with food, water, and Hollows
Chi Chikai
Rats Have Morals, Too
The boy kept close to the sides of the buildings, trying his best to avoid people. He'd already been kicked several times and his side was hurting. Not to mention the constant hunger pains, the headache, and his sore feet. But he wasn't complaining. He had nobody to complain to, and complaining didn't help anything. It only made him thirsty.
"Outta tha way, brat!" somebody growled before kicking the boy to the ground. Unfortunately, he was also kicked into the main stream of people, and had been kicked and stepped on several times before he was able to cling to the side of a building again. His left eye was slowly swelling shut and he could feel blood trickling from his head, soaking his orange hair.
And he was shoved again. This time by a boy not much older than himself. "Watch where yer goin', pipsqueak!" the boy snapped before kicking him again. The assailant's friends joined in, and there were three boys kicking him.
Renji watched this all happening from an alleyway. Cursing Rukia and her morals, he darted across the road, narrowly avoiding people, and ended with a solid kick to the leader's rear end. He made short work of the three, who ran off fairly quickly. He looked back at the boy, who was now unconscious and bleeding and bruised in several places.
"Dammit…"
Renji looked up when he heard the kid stir awake.
"You awake, spike-head?"
"Ichigo," the boy said. "My name's Ichigo."
"Huh. Well, you awake?"
Ichigo sat up. "No, I'm sleepwalking," he said sarcastically. "Shit… what happened?" he asked, seeing the bandages around his bare torso.
"You got your ass kicked by some idiots. They gave ya some pretty nasty scrapes and bruises."
"Tch… They're lucky I wasn't feelin' good… Bastards woulda thought twice b'fore messin' with me."
"Why ain't ya feelin' good? 'Sides the black eye."
"Hungry," Ichigo replied before flopping back down to his back. His stomach growled loudly in agreement. "Haven't eat'n a thing in two days."
"Che… Boke – you can't steal on yer own?"
"Nope. My friends did the stealin', I did the ass-kickin'. But now they're dead, so I ain't got no stealer, so I ain't got no food, so I ain't got no energy to kick no asses." He looked at Renji. "Can you steal?"
Renji smirked. "'Course I can steal! I'm the best thief in this district!"
"Somehow I doubt that."
"Huh?"
"You look like an idiot with that red hair stickin' up all over the place – ya look like a pineapple, if ya ask me. I don't think you could get away with stealin' more'n a few times. People'd start recognizin' ya. Chase ya off."
"That's why I got friends," Renji said. "And I ain't no damn pineapple!"
Ichigo snickered. "I kinda like that. Pineapple-head."
"Che… fine then, strawberry," Renji shot.
"Yeah, like I ain't heard that before," Ichigo said before yawning. "C'mon, come up with somethin' original," he added as he sat back up.
"After you eat somethin' – I'm tempted t'call ya a zombie with yer ribs stickin' out like that," he said, getting up. "An' my name's Renji."
"Renji, huh? I like Pineapple-head better."
Renji snorted in irritation before grabbing some of the stolen bread out of their stash. "Yer lucky I feel sorry for ya, else I'd kick you back out on the streets," he said, handing a piece to Ichigo.
"Tch – I don't need yer pity," Ichigo replied, though he took the bread anyway.
"Boke – you got a death wish? You ain't gonna survive without food."
"I ain't gonna survive with it, either. Damned Hollows keep comin' after me. 'S why my friends got killed – damn Hollow ate 'em tryin' to get t'me."
"What's so special 'bout you?"
"Somethin' 'bout my reiatsu – it said I'd prob'ly be tastier than a Shinigami."
"Tastier than a Shinigami, huh? You gotta be pretty strong, then."
"Eh, I think the Hollow's messed up – if I was stronger than a Shinigami, I'd kick their asses."
"So how'd ya get away?"
"I ran. I ain't dumb 'nuff ta take on a Hollow on my own."
"So yer friends died and ya ran?"
Ichigo glared. "No point in me dyin', too, just tryin' ta be a hero. I ain't no match for a Hollow. I will be, tho'. I'mma become a Shinigami and I'll kick all those damned Hollow's asses."
"You can't ev'n survive two days without food – how you gonna become a Shinigami?"
"I'll do it," Ichigo said firmly.
"Well if you can do it, I can do it, too."
"You? A Shinigami?"
"I'm tougher than you are, dandelion-head, and I'll prove it."
Ichigo blinked. "Dandelion-head?" He thought about it. Then smirked. Then chuckled. "I like it!"
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Vocabulary...
Boke: idiot, retard (slang)
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