Death of Innocence: Battle Between Kings
Written by étoilefilante07
Pairings: So far? Just GrimmxIchi
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Language, sexual situations between males, violence, and possibly more that will be noted as this fanfic grows on.
A/N: All of Bleach is (c) to Kubo Tite sensei! And the song utilized here is the creative property of UVERworld (which is a friggin' amazing Japanese rock band). Obviously, this is an AU fanfic. Many thanks go out to those of you who have kindly placed Death of Innocence in your favorites and story alerts! And please don't forget to review!
Chapter 6
With his naturally orange spiky hair poking out from underneath the hood of his jacket, his lean physique, and his brooding posture, any passing pedestrian would have taken him for some punk or a member of a yakuza. None troubled the youth as he silently wandered out to the outskirts of town, unaware of where his feet now led him.
"You've been hurt by unspeakable pain and sadness. Shoulder the burden of the past that cannot be erased; don't throw away your will to live," spilled out from his neon green earphones as Ichigo pulled them out of his ears. Chocolate eyes widened as he realized where he was.
"…I held your hand…"
A hard lump rose in the middle of his throat--it didn't matter how many times people had told him it hadn't been his fault or that he and his mother had been caught in a terrible accident. He knew that it had been his fault why his mother died in the first place. He knew that if he had not seen the lure of the Grand Fisher, he wouldn't have stolen the life of his beloved mother.
If he only hadn't let go of his mother's hand that day…
If I didn't have all this spiritual power, I would have never seen that girl. If I hadn't all this power, all my friends and family would be safe and wouldn't have to deal with the goddamned Soul Society and its goddamned rules…
"Will I end up losing them someday? I want to protect you and your fading smile, so, even if the resounding voice calling me should wither, even if the mingling winds should tell me, I will find you!"
"Ya know, you're not so hard to find, shinigami," drawled a terrifyingly familiar voice above the music from the earphones. The small hairs on the back of his neck rose as the youth immediately turned around, furiously wondering why he hadn't noticed his reiatsu until now.
"…Have you ever wondered," began Grimmjow softly as Ichigo ineffectively attempted to wriggle out from underneath the espada, "why you always seek me out the most out of all of the arrancar?" The youth had stopped struggling but his body tensed; something in the bottom of his gut tingled with an ominous feeling at the tone of Grimmjow's voice--low, sensual, and full of a veiled menace…
"When you and your pathetic friends are fighting the espada," Grimmjow began anew, his lips a hair's breadth away from Ichigo's sensitive ear, "why is it me that you always claim as your opponent, eh, Kurosaki Ichigo?..."
Why is this memory annoying me now of all times? Ichigo demanded of himself as he fought an involuntary shiver. I've got to focus--I can't let him win just because of a fucking memory…
Grimmjow leisurely walked towards Ichigo, his hands in his pockets and with a malicious sneering smile plastered on his face. "Especially when this place simply reeks of your reiatsu, dumb ass."
Quick hands reached for the skull marked badge but they never met their destination. Ichigo fell back into the grass at the impact of Grimmjow's speedy tackle. Winded, the youth doggedly attempted to shake himself out of the daze until he realized that Grimmjow pinned him down in the grass while he was still in his body. The strangely familiar weight and heat of the sexta espada's body sent tingles throughout his body as the teen struggled to push those thoughts in the back of his mind.
"Shit," Ichigo hissed as his face began to slowly fill with color. He realized the extent of his predicament. Outside of his body, the shinigami could withstand vicious injuries; however, he grimly doubted it would be the same with his real body.
"What the hell do you want, Grimmjow," the youth seethed as he hoped his body would not pull a repeat performance from the last time they had fought. He knew his heart was rushing faster than it should have and desperately schooled his face in what the strawberry blond hoped was a look of complete hatred and disgust.
"…B-b-because you're always the first espada that I find," stuttered the now blushing shinigami substitute, grasping for any excuse and definitely a bit more than merely uncomfortable from the unexpected body heat and weight on top of his own. He jerked his head left to abandon the gaze of those mocking cobalt eyes. "I--it's--it's just luck of the draw. You just always seem to pop up wherever I'm around when you and your sick friends fight us…"
"It's time that I ended our late-night rendezvous, shinigami," whispered Grimmjow with strange cobalt eyes. Confused chocolate orbs pierced through him, seeing not him but lost in thought.
How could I ever know where Grimmjow is until he shows up in the living world? I can't sense reiatsu worth shit; he's always been the one to find me fir--
Chocolate eyes widened at the realization.
Grimmjow's the one who always finds me!
Virgin lips curved into a wry smile.
I guess I really am dense…
"You know what's funny, Grimmjow?" Ichigo whispered softly as he defiantly stared down the teal-haired arrancar. The sexta espada studied Ichigo with narrowed eyes, unsure of what to expect this time.
"You're the one who always finds me."