Chapter Four
"Is your life so worthless that you would throw it away for another like this?"
Ichigo woke up from his peaceful slumber and groaned. He rubbed his eyes and turned to his side, hoping to catch a bit more sleep before the artificial sun of Las Noches hits the sand. Half-awake, Ichigo gripped his sheets tighter around himself, realizing the inevitable. The voice, it wasn't gone. He hoped that a night's sleep would rid him of it, but he found that it only grewin volume and intensity.
"Is your life so worthless that you would throw it away for another like this?"
"Shut up,"Ichigo covered his ear with his pillow, hoping that the voice would eventually be blocked out.
The man standing beside his bed frowned. It seems like he had spoken too loud. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, scratching at the remaining hollow mask on his face. His impatient nature demanded him to shake the boy awake, but in all honesty the Espada wouldn't know what to say to him once Ichigo was awake.
The man knew Ichigo before he had his shinigami powers. He wondered into the real world as an Adjuchas, lured from Hueco Mundo by the intense spiritual scent. He didn't chase that scent for its power, oh no, there were plenty of stronger hollows that he could eat.
He followed the thin scent for its purity, a trait that no one in Hueco Mundo had. He wandered around the real world, half starved, feeding on the lesser hollows that crossed his path. He wanted to find the owner of that scent, and take her back to Hueco Mundo. He wanted to hold her hair against his face and breathe in a piece of heaven to his days in hell.
Much to his surprise, he didn't find a girl, but a boy. He never thought that a boy could smell so pure like this. He had a bright orange hair, a short lanky frame, and a permanent scowl on his face. That was the first time he met Ichigo Kurosaki. Others might use the word 'delinquent' to describe the boy, but to him, he was the incarnation of beauty. The boy was leaning his back against a wall, holding up a cat ghost, teasing it with his nose. 'The boy can see spirit,' he thought. 'I wonder if he can see hollows..."
He stepped closer to the boy, ready to grasp him in his paws and take him back to Hueco Mundo.
A feet away from Ichigo, he felt the presence of a powerful reiatsu blocking his way. 'Shinigami' he hissed and jumped back, careful to not touch the Kekkai that was protecting the boy. It seemed that the boy had powerful people protecting him. He gritted his teeth in frustration, resisting the urge to wreak havoc on the surrounding neighborhood
Instead, he sat a few feet away, rested his head on his hand, and watched.
Ichigo tickled the cat ghost, teasing the spirit chain on the cat's chest, tickling the cat. When the boy set it down and walked away, the kitty followed him with a jingle from his chains, meowing merrily. Ichigo stopped and knelt next to the cat. "I can't take you home. Mommy's allergic to kitties," he said sadly. The cat tilted his head to the side and meowed in confusion. "I know Mommy's not here anymore, but… but..." Ichigo face scrunched up and tears began to flow down his cheeks.
The boy was a crybaby. His cries were so loud that the Adjuchas's ears twitched at it. He was an unsullied soul brimming with power that would shed his tears for a dead cat. It made the boy all the more beautiful to him. The man watched as Ichigo's lanky arms hugged the cat for one last time, resisting the urge to push his way into the boy's arm. Ichigo mumbling of how much he will miss it once he's home, the cat meowed as if it understood, purring and butting his head against the boy.
"Bye-bye kitty!" the man watched as Ichigo ran, his cheeks were still streaked with tears which made him all the more beautiful. He wanted to chase after the boy, but the hunger in his stomach was too great. The fear of reverting back to a mindless Gillian kept him from moving, but the disappointment hurt more than the pangs of hunger he had endured while searching.
His eyes zeroed in on the cat, his nose flaring at the boy's remaining scent. Without a second thought, he grabbed the cat and dug his nail into the Chain of Fate and pulled. He watched impassively as the ghost turned into a hollow, ignoring its anguished cries for help. If he couldn't make the boy his, then he'd take the next best thing.
The Adjuchas stared the hollow cat, its mask forming a lopsided smile. He leaned down and brought it close to his face, satisfied to find the boy's scent still on the cat. "Come on. I'll think up a name for you later," he said and nuzzled his new pet. The hollow cat looked dazed and confused, it's clear blue eyes blinking from behind the hollow mask.
From then on the man made plans to visit the real world, his stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of seeing the boy again. However, every time he arrived into the real world he could never find the boy again. He searched everywhere, but the presence of a powerful Kekkai always interfered with his search.
After a few years he gave up on his fruitless search. He looked back on his endeavors and laughed at them. Nevertheless, if the Espada was honest to himself, he still misses that sweet unadulterated scent. Instead he focused all his attention to his hollow-cat, nuzzling it every chance he got. He knew the scent was gone, but it pleased him to know that he was touching what the boy had touched. The hollow cat was his only connection he had with the boy.
After the Throne Room incident, he sat down beside the near-comatose boy and waited. He wanted to scream at Ichigo, kick him, hurt him, anything that would ease the pressure in his chest. Seeing a man go against his nature and bow down to another was disgusting. He watched the freedom slip away as Ichigo pledged his allegiance to Aizen. Ichigo was strong, and free, tied down by nothing but his ambition. Now he is like the rest of the Espadas, bound and chained to Aizen's will. He traded his freedom for a human.
"Is your life so worthless that you would throw it away for another like this?"
He repeated that question over and over again, at first accusingly, but then it died down to a quiet contemplation. Now he stood over the bed, his nose breathing in the very same scent from all of those years. The Espada grinned and closed his eyes.
A soft jingle could be heard from under the bed, and the Espada grumbled to check on his kitten. He silently cursed himself for bringing the cat up with him. He wanted to reunite the two back together again as an offering of peace that he had for the boy, but the cat was too much for the Espada to handle. The cat sat on Ichigo's chest, its masked face sniffing the orange head curiously. "Yeah, he does smell nice, doesn't he Kimon-tan?" he whispered, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. The hollow-cat meowed in response, agreeing with its master completely.
Ichigo eyes snapped open, the colour draining rapidly from his face. "Who's there?" He called out, sitting up and reaching for his zanpakutou. The cat jumped, his lithe body rotating in the air before landing on the Espada's arm.
"Grimmjow?"
