Chapter four- Faces New and Old
Disclaimer: I hold no legal rights/possessions of Bleach or its characters and only write for fun- no profit!
"Geese, you act as though I'm nearly six months along instead of just two! Calm down, I am fine!"
"I do not!"
Upon receiving the disbelieving glare from his mate, he resigned, "Well, maybe a little…" It had been about a month since their big unveiling at the family den and Ichigo had matched the part of doting, though unwittingly overprotective and worrying, new father-to-be to a T. Grimmjow had to consistently remind his harrowed mate that pregnant did not mean helpless or dying. In actuality, besides minor discomforts, the panther's body had adapted to the changes brought forth in childbearing with a surprising amount of grace and ease. Ichigo had speculated that Grimmjow had always been as volatile as any she-cat, so his hormones had not needed to change enough to alter his personality. That comment was met with an unexpected swim in the river they regularly drank from, which really only helped confirm the lion's theory.
"Don't worry so much- the cubs are out of their major points of development and miscarriage is far less likely now."
"How do you know that?"
The panther blushed a bit, "When we we were visiting my village, the doctor explained some of the basics to me."
As they walked out the door of the healer's hutch, a gentle hand on Grimmjow's shoulder halted him. Giving the kind healer a curious look, the tall female simply smiled and gestured him back inside and shooed off the lion practically clinging to his side. The panther nearly burst out laughing at the affronted expression on the taller male's face, but rolled his eyes instead, "Just give us a minute will you?" Brown eyes narrowed dangerously at his tone and the bluenette inwardly cringed at what he was about to do.
"Please?" Beautiful blue eyes from behind charming fluttering lashes stared pleadingly up at Ichigo, complete with pout with his hands clasped together beneath his chin in a hopeful position. The redhead never stood a chance.
Grimmjow smirked in triumph when the lion let out a dazed sounding, "Sure, whatever you want…" and ambled away. He really needed to keep that little strategy in mind.
A long-fingered hand patted his back proudly, "Already playing him like an instrument, eh? That's our leader!" he flushed slightly at the praise, "So what is it you wanted to speak with me about, Isane-san?"
She smiled sweetly, "Well dear, now that you are mated, especially as the submissive of the pair," a growl erupted from the leader's chest at the term. The silver haired siberian tiger hybrid gave him a swat with her tail, "There is nothing to be ashamed of. Being the submissive partner does not mean that you are weak nor were you made weak! No one in the village truly believes that or thinks less of you now!" She had no idea how much that statement repaired his crippled ego, "Anyway, what I wish to discuss is the eventual result of your mating," she grinned in fondness as pink crept into the usually unshakable leader's cheeks, "Y-you mean er…"
"Yes sweetie, your eventual pregnancy and litter."
"Ah."
He'd learned much that day, more in fact than he'd ever wanted to know about childbirth. Some of the knowledge still made him squirm. Much to his embarrassment, though it truly could not be helped, he'd begun showing, however gradually, weeks ago.
Noticing the other's anxious expression, the slighter of the pair tilted his head up and went up on the balls of his feet to deliver a chaste peck to Ichigo's right cheek, "Don't worry so much; you'll make a great father," Ichigo blushed and smiled, lightly placing his hand over the still tingling skin. Unfortunately, the loving moment didn't last, "Aww, now in't that sweet!" a loud, obnoxious voice crowed before them, startling the two apart.
In front of the den stood a pure white male baring an eerie resemblance to Ichigo. Despite their almost identical appearance, their disposition could not be further apart. Even the way each held himself clearly differed; while Ichigo had a strong, assertive, and protective stance, his odd twin had an arrogant yet unhinged look, complete with his eyes darting about everywhere and the slightly crazed gleam in the white lion's unnatural inverted eyes.
Ichigo growled at the stranger and gently coaxed his mate behind him, "What are you doing here Shiro?" Grimmjow felt incredulity at the name, not sure if the orange lion knew the other lion or if he'd simply assigned the fitting title "white" to him as a taunt.
"It's been awhile. What, can't I miss mah little brother enough to come see him every now an' again?" The panther started at the information. Well this certainly cleared some things up. From his embarrassing talk with Isane, Grimmjow had learned cat hybrids always had a litter- meaning multiple cubs- without exception each and every pregnancy. This fact had greatly bothered Grimmjow since his own mate appeared to be without any littermates. Upon asking Ichigo about it, he was met with a grumbled, "It's not important," and intense brooding for the remainder of the day. Thus, the topic became taboo, though that didn't keep Grimmjow from wondering. He couldn't help it; Ichigo never kept anything from him, at least that he knew of. The most likely theories to him were that the lion's sibling was stillborn or lost at a young age to illness or predation. Never had he suspected the brother to be alive and well and apparently unwelcome. Perhaps he had been shunned?
"I haven't seen you since we were cubs, so why come now?"
The albino grinned back infuriatingly, "I'd heard some very interesting news I jus' had ta confirm with my own eyes. I suppose it was true, King's finally found 'is queen huh?" the gold on black eyes locked onto the hybrid behind his brother, the malevolently shining eyes roving the lithe figure, much to the ire of Ichigo, "And what a lovely queen he is," The previous growling returned and intensified into a roar.
Shiro obviously did not realize, or more likely did not care, the risk he took in continuing, "But wha' I'm really dyin' ta know- is 'e any good of a fuc-" "SHIRO!" all three hybrids snapped their gazes to the opening of the den where Masaki stood, her normally placid and cheerful nature replaced with outrage; in fact she looked down right intimidating despite her petite frame.
"That is no way to speak to your brother and his mate! Now apologize this instant!"
The previously unyielding smartass gaped down at her, "But Ma -" really it was quite a humorous sight: the male lion, more than twice the size of the lioness, quavering and whining like a cub protesting impending punishment for disobeying their parent- actually, that was exactly what was happening.
"No buts! Apologize now!"
With a sigh if resignation, the albino turned towards them again, "I'm sa-s-sawr-yee," he choked out, seeming to have great difficulty in articulating the word as if it was in a foreign language he had never heard of before. By his self-important demeanor and impudent responses to everything, Grimmjow wouldn't have been surprised if had been his very first usage of the word.
Despite the obvious lack of sincerity in the forced apology, Masaki recovered her natural sweetness, "Dinner will be ready in an hour or two. You boys should catch up- without physical force, that is," somehow that close-eyed smile looked just as intimidating as her glare, "Grimm-chan?" he sighed and followed his mother-in-law into the den. The lioness had been teaching him how to cook ever since Ichigo had caught that oryx for him. "It's not because you're the submissive dear, it's simply because my little boy can't prepare anything edible to save his life! And one of you has to feed the children. Besides, you truly have a natural talent for it," she had amended. Although he felt irritated at first, he had found cooking to be somewhat enjoyable. Plus, because of this chore, he made Ichigo do what he truly despised- the cleaning. All of it. He smirked evilly to himself.
At first the lion resisted, pulling the whole 'as the submissive you should to the inside work, and I the dominant should do the outside work'. Grimmjow had simply given him blank stare before all hell broke loose. In the end they had compromised: Grimmjow would always cook, though wouldn't hunt until after the cubs were weaned, but he would gather the firewood, water, herbs and other ingredients so that he could still get out of the den, while Ichigo would hunt, clean the den, and care after the fire pit.
"BRUDDER!" he caught the aqua blur flying at him easily with a soft grin. It really was adorable that no matter how often they visited, Nel always acted as if he'd been gone for years, "Are we gonna cook sumping yummy Brudder?" He smiled warmly down at the little girl, "We sure are! Did you get to see papa-Isshin and mama-Masaki hunt yet?" He listened contently as the little imp babbled on about her hunting excursions with the lions and everything under the sun afterward; he made sure to add comments and nod every once in a while to show he was listening. Being with his adopted sister inevitably brought about thoughts of his own upcoming litter, 'I'm gonna have one- well at least two of these soon! I had a whole village to help me raise Nel- how are Ichigo and I gonna pull off raising two or even three, or- heaven forbid, eight like that one cheetah mated pair a few years back!' he almost passed out at the mere thought! Peering down at his abdomen, he couldn't fathom carrying and birthing that many, let alone actually raising them all at once. He firmly decided then and there, 'If we have that many, this'll be our last litter period.'
Ichigo, wanting as many cubs as possible, felt the slightest disturbance in the force from his partner's adamant promise, not that he knew the reason for it. He brushed it off. Right now he had bigger problems, namely his newly returned jackass of a brother.
"So, what've ya' been up ta lately besides scoring that hot piece of ass?" Ichigo felt his claws extend unconsciously. He suppressed the urge to put the mouthy bastard in his place forcefully; words would do just fine for now.
"You're awful brave now that Mom's not here huh?" He smirked at the outraged expression he'd drawn from his twin.
"Hey you shut the hell up! We both know yer' the pansy mama's boy here!"
"How did that go again," he dramatized how Shiro's posture had dropped in deference when scolded, "But mmaaaa!"
Shiro snarled and prepared to leap at his snickering brother when a voice floated from within their family home, "Boys, what did I say?" Oh no, the lioness didn't need an angered or strict tone to effectively get her point across.
"Sorry Ma!" they responded simultaneously, Ichigo's taunting smirk never relenting. Shiro's glare told him exactly what would happen once they were out of range of their parent's keen senses. The gleam in the orange lion's eyes accepted the challenge, 'Bring it.'
The gold on black eyes sparked in accordance, 'Oh, I will.'
"I'd be careful, Ichi. With such a beautiful mate, yeh' never know who'll take an interest in 'im.'"
"Is that a threat?" the more colorful lion asked with an obvious warning in his tone.
"Nah, think of it more as brotherly advice- gotta look after me' little brother right?"
A voice broke the growing tension between the newly reunited siblings, "Boys! Supper's ready!" Sending one last glare to one another, Ichigo and Shiro tramped back into the den.
While the family had their, what Grimmjow discovered to be, traditional music night, the panther went for a walk. Ichigo of course did not agree with him going out alone in his 'condition' much to the bluenette's annoyance, "We've been over this before; my body isn't going to abort the cubs if something startles me and I'm no weaker now than normal! I just need some space! Besides, you should spend some time with your recently returned brother without having to worry about his constant horrible attempts at flirting with me." 'Cause damn if that didn't get old fast!'
Without turning back, he made his way further into the rain forest, comforted by its damp warmth and ever-present life even in the night. Grimmjow wasn't lying when he told Ichigo that he loved him; he did. He'd come to adore the lion as well as his family. He just didn't appreciate being treated like an invalid. He knew the redhead didn't do this on purpose- instinct was a very powerful thing and often worked without their kind's acknowledgment much less consent, and as the dominant and eventual leader of their growing pride Ichigo was deeply ingrained with the instinct to protect. On top of this, Masaki had enlightened him that due to some traumatic event in her oldest's childhood, Ichigo had made a personal vow to always to help those in need and to eternally protect all those precious to him with every resource and ounce of strength he possessed.
Honestly, Grimmjow deeply admired his mate's powerful resolve and loved him all the more for having it. Nonetheless, he still had a difficult time adjusting to the change in his role in the pack from leader of so many, to submissive mate. Much to his relief, Ichigo did not act domineering in all activities as he had seen in more than a few pairings in his village. Actually, besides the occasional intrusion of instinct and when something truly threatened his safety, he treated him as an equal partner. A fond smile pulled at the panther's lips, 'Well damn. I forgot why I was mad at him in the first place!'
Turning back to the den, a sudden snap caught his attention. Such a sound was quite normal in a place so teeming with life, but only new, foolish prey and others of his kind made so much noise around an obvious predator as himself. He knew it was probably a young okapi or tapir, but his instincts forced him to be careful anyway.
They were correct as always. Instead of a prey animal, there stood a large, even larger than his mate, vivid red-haired tiger hybrid, easily distinguishable by the striped pattern over his chest and forehead. Usually, in feline hybrid society, if two of no previous relations crossed paths, they simply ignored one another and went about their business, albeit wary of the other's intentions. Grimmjow could tell by the look in the tiger's eye that this would not be one of those occasions.
Beady reddish brown eyes locked onto him showing more interest than strictly polite. As the big male approached, the panther drew back into a defensive crouch, ready to either defend himself and his growing young or run. He felt grateful they were not currently in a mating season at the moment. When the tiger reached about ten feet from his position, the blue panther released a hiss in warning. The redhead blinked in surprise before raising his hands in a placating manner, though grinning roguishly, "Hey, sheath your claws Beautiful. I don't mean any harm."
He huffed in annoyance at the nickname before responding, "What do you want?" This was Ichigo's family's territory, so other cats generally stayed clear of the area. This male must be here for a purpose.
To his absolute fury, the stranger obviously didn't see him as an actual threat- this evidenced by his wandering eyes and being off guard while further approaching him. His hair bristled in agitation and a growl rumbled low in his chest. When the intruder stood just out of his immediate kill zone, he crouched down to get a better look at him, "You really are a pretty lil' thing aren'tcha?"
And dammit if he didn't have the cubs to worry about he'd rip this bastard's heart straight out of his chest! 'How dare he take me so lightly!' As soon as the fool crossed his striking range, he lashed out at the reaching hand, "Whoa!" The redhead pulled back, just barely saving his fingers. Inspecting his hand for injury, the newcomer dug his own grave with his next remark, "Hm…Feisty too! Just the way I like 'em!" Releasing the traditional screaming roar of the panther, he sprung, just barely missing due to a small blur knocking the target out of his path.
"RENJI! YOU IMBECILE! WE'RE SUPPOSED FIND HELP- NOT MAKE ENEMIES!"
Turning to see who interrupted his kill, he was met with a petite black haired female snow leopard repeatedly kicking the much larger downed tiger. This display clearly proved, at least in the panther's home village, why females were shown the same respect as their male counterparts: not out of the human concept of chivalry, but for sheer survival instinct. He smirked, enjoying the show, only slightly disappointed he hadn't gotten to the big oaf first.
The female gave a huff before setting a foot onto her victim's head in a common gesture of victory, and laughably tried to fix her hair and clothing up before turning to him with a very innocent look. It would have worked too if not for the rather frightening display of violence only moments ago, "Um, hello Panther-san! I want to apologize for my friend's rudeness; it was truly unacceptable," giving a pointed glare down at the pummeled male, "We are new to the area and need help…familiarizing ourselves with it. We don't wish to cause any problems, so we were hoping to find someone who lives in the area to avoid any territorial disputes. We humbly ask for your assistance," she finished with a demure smile and bow. By her speech and manners (sans the beat-down), it would not be off to guess the young female had descended from an aristocratic class: rather strange seeing that no normal aristocratic clan would allow her barbaric companion anywhere near an heiress.
Grimmjow carefully rose from his crouch, keeping a critical eye on the strange pair. The male posed a problem, both due to the interest he had shown in him (which he knew his overprotective mate would not tolerate) and his absolute lack of courtesy. Vibrant blue eyes darted to the female, 'Hmm…I bet she'll keep his ass in line.'
He'd give them a chance, "Alright. I am staying in a den in this area with a lion pride," they seemed surprised at this information, though whether it was due to the fact that there were not many lion hybrids in the region or the fact that he was staying with a different race was not clear, "I will introduce you to them."
During his walk, he found he had wandered farther from the den than anticipated. He sighed, 'Well, as long as Red doesn't try anything else…' Being the leader of his village had taught him to be polite, even when he really didn't want to, "My name is Grimmjow."
Pleased that the blue haired panther hadn't attacked again and was even willing to be civil, the snow leopard beamed, "I am Rukia and this is Renji," this said, she finally allowed the big male to get up from his defeated sprawl. Probably not the brightest idea when the tiger, Renji, sprung eagerly to his feet and ran in front of Grimmjow where he kneeled and grabbed his hand in a surprisingly gentle fashion that did not match his harsh movements and appearance, "I apologize for my earlier rudeness Grimmjow," he blinked down in astonishment at the redhead's sincerity before smiling slightly, about to accept the apology when, "I was not thinking straight and how could I?" at this he gave a smoldering stare up at him, causing the bluenette to close his mouth again, wondering where the tiger was going with his theatrics, "Why, how could anyone think straight after seeing an exotically beautiful hybrid like you?"
His jaw dropped open again, this time in a stunned gape, "It would be a great honor to have such a belle for a mate and with your fine form I'm sure you could provide numerous, equally lovely cubs. I only ask that you please consider me for such an honor," he finished in a husky, what Grimmjow believed to be his attempt at seduction, growl and intense gaze.
Grimmjow stared down at the other male in complete bewilderment at his audacity. In the background, Rukia smacked her forehead and let her hand drag slowly down her face in exasperation, 'Every time… No way, I'm not saving him this time- he is on his own!'
'Even before I was the leader of my village I was still shown /some/ FUCKING RESPECT! What the hell happened? When did I suddenly become some kinda prize in the eyes of every damn male I come across?' With a sudden furious flash of blue eyes, Renji landed hard, painfully hard, on the ground, clueless on how he'd arrived there. Grimmjow tried his hardest not to pounce and claw his would-be-suitor to death, 'Deep breaths- in, out, in, out. Remember what Isane-san said, "A lot of stress is not good for the cubs," breath in, breath out. Stress is not good for the cubs, my cubs, Ichigo and my cubs,' with this mantra, Grimmjow successfully kept himself from mauling the tiger, until, "So, I'll take that as a maybe?"
'Fuck it. This should relieve my stress just fine.'
Like a good friend, Rukia calmly turned around to inspect the nearby plant-life, humming a happy tune and diligently ignoring the screams of bloody murder coming from behind her. After all, good friends let their friends learn from their mistakes, 'Besides, as long as he's screaming, I know he's still alive.' With this logic, the dainty snow leopard hybrid happily chased after a nearby bunny.
Afterward, all three hybrids began the trek back to Ichigo's family den. Renji looking significantly worse for wear sporting several bruises and claw marks, though nothing broken or fatal, and a new fear-induced respect for the smaller male, even so he asked, "Hey Grimmjow?" flinching slightly at the warning look in those blazing blue eyes, "I meant what I said before," the eyes narrowed, "Er-I mean, not that I'll pursue you, but that you really are very beautiful, strong too!" 'I would certainly know!' "Surely you must get proposals like that all the time. So why did you react so poorly?"
Grimmjow sighed in annoyance, but as he was about to answer, he heard a call, "GRIMM?" Instantly recognizing the sound of his worried mate's voice, he quickly rushed towards the yell, hardly noticing the newcomers following behind. Despite his mate's overprotectiveness and clinginess, he missed him already and happily dove into the outstretched arms of his beloved, nuzzling the strong chest while purring contently. He blamed hormones. Then he realized something, "What are you doing out here looking for me? I told you I'd be fine," he growled, completely ignoring the fact he'd already internally forgiven his mate. His questioning was completely ignored by his mate in favor of sending a vicious warning snarl to the redheaded tiger. Shocked at the severe reaction, the panther's ears flattened and body shivered, though not in fear, at the merciless inlaid threat. As much as he liked Ichigo's possessiveness, he didn't think Renji could withstand his mate's rage after he had endured his own as well as Rukia's. Ichigo's eyes locked onto the bigger male before him and he pulled his mate closer. He growled out gutturally, "Why are you following him?" his parting words with Shiro still fresh in mind.
The bluenette decided to quickly defuse the situation, "It's alright Ichigo," he spoke gently, but with conviction, "I am unharmed and the cubs are ok," this seemed to calm the lion hybrid down, so he continued on louder, "The girl is Rukia and her friend," when the growling resumed, he added, "who has not touched me, is Renji. They are new to the area and need help settling in," Ichigo relaxed. His kind heart could not ignore anyone in need of help. Grimmjow grinned in triumph and looked over at the two friends, "As you've probably figured out by now, this is my mate Ichigo." Renji visibly deflated causing Ichigo to growl slightly while pulling the body in his arms even closer in the unmistakable body language of 'MINE!' Rukia swiftly elbowed her companion, her deep indigo eyes flashing, "Grimmjow just saved you from a worse thrashing than both of us gave you- don't ruin it!" she hissed.
"Oh! Heh, um it's nice to meet ya' Ichigo!" Renji grinned awkwardly whilst scratching the back of his head. Ichigo responded with a slight growl once more, but since he did not smell the tiger strongly on his mate, he let it go, "Come," the lion turned around with an arm wrapped around his partner's waist, beseeching the newcomers with a jerk of his head. They quickly hurried after the pair towards their den. Since Ichigo did not want to bring them near his younger sisters until he trusted them more, they would have to stay in the new den. Poking his head into his family's den he yelled a quick, "Something came up. We'll see you all in a couple days!" receiving numerous goodbyes in response, they headed out, 'Well at least I don't have to deal with that bastard brother of mine anymore tonight.' It was always good to count one's blessings.
Glancing back, he watched their new acquaintances bickering fiercely, that is, until the little snow leopard "accidentally" tripped her much larger companion. Ichigo shook his head in exasperation at their antics and caught his mate's eye, "This promises to be interesting," the bluenette grinned wickedly up at him. His grin mirrored his partner's perfectly; he agreed wholeheartedly, but couldn't help feeling a sense of foreboding at the two feline's random arrival, 'It's probably nothing.'