Chapter Eight: What It Means to Be Blood
Shiro cackled as Ikkaku stared up in horror. Ikkaku didn't expect to see Shiro and Chad together; he knew both men were notorious for their fighting skills and low tempers. He specifically recalled the situation regarding Yammy's transfer, which was caused by some bodily torture done by Shiro and Chad. The bald man clenched his teeth when he felt Shiro's shoe touch a sensitive spot on his back, causing a searing burn.
"What did he do?" asked Chad as he looked down at Ikkaku's pathetic form. He really wanted to know what happened, so Chad looked up at Shiro.
The white haired man wiped a tear away from his left eye and stated, "Man, his face was priceless." He cleared his throat as he folded the knife and handed it back to Chad. Shiro's eyes narrowed, and his golden eyes darkened, making his entire expression malicious. "Chad, ya know that I don't imprint our names for no reason," started Shiro.
He looked down at Ikkaku with his darkened expression and continued, "He has done somethin' that makes him 'acid,' but he deserves a worse title than that." He ground his foot into Ikkaku's back, causing the victim to groan in pain. "This cocksucker decided t' be a tough guy and rape my King!" growled Shiro; he ground his foot down again. "He also beat my King like a mutt from the streets!" This time, Shiro stomped his foot down mercilessly.
Ikkaku screamed as he clawed at the gravel for some sort of comfort. After his scream, he panted heavily, and his eyes were lidded with tears. He couldn't bear the pain.
"Oh, cocksucker," called Shiro in a whimsical voice. He stomped his foot down when he didn't get a response from the downed man. When he got a pleasant scream, Shiro said, "Did ya know that I hate people, such as ya, who I call 'acid?'"
The bald man clenched his teeth. He would not give the other men the satisfaction of hearing him scream. When he felt the school shoe rub his skin, Ikkaku growled between his teeth.
"Ya feel all that pain, don't ya, cocksucker?" mocked Shiro as he grinned evilly. He didn't care to stomp the man, so Shiro continued, "That pain ya feel. It's no where near the pain ya caused my King. His pain will forever stain him 'cause ya took something precious from my King, his innocence." Shiro leaned down and traced 'acid' with his forefinger. When he felt the man below him stiffen, Shiro licked his lips and thrust his finger into the wound.
Ikkaku cried out in pain.
"How ya like the feelin' in return?" asked Shiro as he withdrew his finger. Blood poured from the wound in droplets. Not caring for the other's pain, Shiro stabbed the wound again to make more blood spill. While Ikkaku whimpered, he traced the blood on Ikkaku's back again, but he made sure to write 'rapist' and 'remember my king's pain.' When he thought he heard Ikkaku sniffle with tears, Shiro said, "If ya wondering where the pain is comin' from, I won't tell ya." He removed his foot and set it on the ground by Ikkaku's head. Shiro jerked his head toward Ikkaku at Chad; he moved away to watch the show.
The taller man nodded his head and knelt forward. He lifted Ikkaku's chin to look into the other's eyes. He frowned when he noticed red eyes with tears at the edges. "Consider him leaving you conscious as a sign of mercy," said Chad. He then grabbed Ikkaku's shoulders and flipped the man onto his back.
Ikkaku burst out with a scream as he felt the gravel rub against his wounded back. His back was burning completely. He felt as if his back was being whipped with streams of fire. Ikkaku clenched his eyes shut to block out the light from the sun and block out the sight of Chad.
"I hope you realize that you raped Ichigo, who is practically my brother," started Chad. He looked down at the man, showing Ikkaku his maliciously narrowed brow and pursed lips. "I don't take kindly to those who hurt my family. I don't care if you're some popular joke or a dipshit nerd, I will punish those who deserve it," added Chad. He cracked his knuckles and punched Ikkaku in the jaw.
The bald man didn't care for the pain in his jaw, but he cared for the damage Chad might cause. He knew Chad was a good fighter, and he knew that the other always won his fights. He remembered Chad had actually broken some of the toughest kids' bones with just a single swing of his fist. If Ikkaku had to summarize his perception of Chad and his feelings toward Chad, he would say that Chad was a demon he deeply feared. He grunted when the other side of his face was hit; as a result, he couldn't move his jaw correctly.
"The wounds on your back are there for more than pain," said Chad as he stared at Ikkaku's deformed jaw and bruised cheeks. "Those wounds are for you to remember this day. Your label is 'acid,' for acid is something that can damage others horribly. What you did today, earned you that dishonor. You will also remember us, for our names are engraved within your skin." Chad got to his feet. "Those are your scars to share from today." With those last words, he looked at Shiro, who nodded in satisfaction.
"Shall we?" asked Shiro as he gestured toward the roof door with his right hand. His expression was no longer vicious. He looked bored and disinterested. The reason was that he was satisfied. How could he have such a dissatisfied expression for a satisfied result? Shiro didn't care to smile at another's final suffering, for he knew the pain would be subsided with medicine and the wounds would be patched up with bandages.
Recognizing the face, Chad nodded and walked toward the door. As he descended the stairs, he said, "Where's Ichigo?"
The other shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Grimmjow has 'im. I don't know the guy's number, so we're gonna have t' figure it out." When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Shiro led the way toward the school office. Classes would be ending in an hour anyway, at least that's what Shiro thought from glancing at a clock above the lockers.
"Grimmjow cares for him?" asked Chad as he walked alongside his friend. He recalled Grimmjow being called "Grimmfuck," so the change in name usage was odd.
"Not sure," replied Shiro. He saw the concern and anger in Grimmjow's eyes on the roof. The other man was clearly not in the mood for any objections from Shiro. He did let the other run away with his brother, and he didn't regret it. Shiro knew there was more after witnessing Grimmjow beat the crap out of Ikkaku and care for Ichigo. He didn't know what 'more' meant to him yet, but he would find out.
In Grimmjow's room...
Nel observed the bruises, cuts, and penetration wound on Ichigo's body. She had taken the freedom to apply peroxide to all wounds, ice all bruises, and bandage all cuts. She couldn't do much for the penetration wound, but she did suggest leaving ice on it to prevent swelling, which led to Ichigo's current state of laying on his stomach with a bag of ice on his rear end.
"You didn't have to hide from us," called Nel toward the hall. She raised an eyebrow when Grimmjow didn't enter the room from the hallway. "Mr. Grumpy Grim, get in here!" She knew that nickname always got Grimmjow to do what she wanted.
When he heard his nickname from Nel's mouth, Grimmjow peered around the door frame and asked, "Is he okay?" He really didn't want to see all of the damages on Ichigo's body. He felt he had already seen enough blood, so he stayed outside of his room when Nel got to working on Ichigo.
"I'm fine," defended Ichigo from his position. "You don't have to hide anymore. I'm covered and pain free...for now." He sighed when Grimmjow slowly entered the room. "Don't act like I have some disease," said Ichigo to the blue haired man. He didn't like the way Grimmjow was acting too cautious; he deemed the quiet steps and sucked lips unnecessary.
"I'm not acting like you have a disease," countered Grimmjow as he pouted and crossed his arms.
Nel shook her head at the two boys, who bickered about diseases and the technical definition. "You two act like little brothers," said Nel as she stared at the two. When the boys stopped arguing to look at her, Nel smiled. "You guys are really close." She put her gaze on Grimmjow and asked, "So you finally gave someone a chance?" She didn't care if Grimmjow answered, for the question was rhetorical. "I'm proud of you, Grimmjow," lauded Nel. "Very proud." She got to her feet and patted Grimmjow's shoulder. As she walked toward the door, she turned her head and cheerfully asked, "Do you two want chocolate chip pancakes?"
Grimmjow looked at Ichigo, who nodded his head furiously. He turned to Nel and answered, "Yes, please." Before Nel could turn, Grimmjow quickly walked over and gave the woman a hug.
The other was shocked by the hug, so she just placed her arms around Grimmjow's midsection and rubbed his back. Now that she was his legal guardian slash mother, Nel felt the ability to convey motherly tenderness.
"Thanks," he said, "for supporting me and my best friend." After letting her go, Grimmjow gave a weak smile. He never initiated a hug with Nel, so he surprised himself a little. When he looked down at Nel, he saw a set of motherly eyes gazing up at him. Grimmjow knew Nel was only a few years older than him, but he couldn't help his happy, gushing heart
"Oh, Mr. Grumpy Grim," squealed Nel as she playfully pinched Grimmjow's cheek. "You are just so sweet!" When the other blushed and looked down, Nel just squealed more and added, "I'm doubling the pancake load. How does that sound?"
"That sounds awesome, Grimmjow's mom!" cheered Ichigo from behind Grimmjow's tall form.
"You can just call me Nel," said she as she waved off the childish address.
"Okay, Nel," said Ichigo with a smile. He quickly turned to his fingers and stared at them fiddle around with each other when Grimmjow looked at him. Grimmjow was still blushing from the mother-son interaction, so Ichigo quickly said, "Your mom's hot." He tried to hide his chuckle in the pillow beneath him.
After shaking his head with a big smile, Grimmjow went to his friend's side and sat on the edge of the bed. "How ya feeling?" asked Grimmjow. Despite receiving the reassurance earlier, he still wondered about Ichigo's well being.
"I'm fine, mother hen," replied Ichigo as his eyes drifted toward Grimmjow. When he saw the guilt in the other's face again, Ichigo chewed on his lower lip and muffled, "So how are Nel's pancakes?" He really didn't want Grimmjow to be bummed out again.
The blue haired man knew that Ichigo read his facial expression perfectly, so he didn't bother to push the subject. When he changed his thoughts to Nel's pancakes, he smiled and replied, "Nel makes fantastic pancakes. Every piece is like heaven on a fork." He gazed into Ichigo's eyes. "No hate," he thought, "I like that."
"Heaven on a fork, huh?" asked Ichigo as looked at the other. Wanting to keep Grimmjow's mind from returning to sadness, Ichigo asked, "So are her chocolate chip pancakes even better?"
Grimmjow sniffed the air and replied, "Smell for yourself." After he smelt the pancakes, he instantly thought of the chocolate chips within. His mouth was drooling. He hunched forward on his knees and dreamily said, "That smells so good."
Ichigo sniffed the air and instantly drooled. "That must be heaven calling for us," said Ichigo. His eyes lidded as his stomach started to growl. "I can smell the chocolate," he drooled. He blinked when he heard Grimmjow's house phone ring.
The other man pursed his lips when he had to get up and stop enjoying the smell of the Nel's chocolate chip pancakes. He looked back at Ichigo and said, "I'll be right back. Stay here."
With a meaningful scowl, Ichigo countered, "I don't think I'll be getting up anytime soon." When Grimmjow turned his back, he muttered, "Mr. Grumpy Grim."
"I heard that," replied Grimmjow with a quick turn. He tried to make a grimace, but he had to smile at his chuckling friend. He didn't care for the ringing phone in the background, for he enjoyed the sight of his smiling friend. Grimmjow had to admit that Ichigo's bright smile and glowing hair made the atmosphere both peaceful and happy.
"Go answer your phone, Mr. Grumpy Grim," ordered Ichigo with a big smile. "Hurry up before the guy on the other end gets irritated." He was waving his hand at his friend to go.
With a cross of his arms, Grimmjow retorted, "Oh, you're really funny, and I don't care to answer people on time." After Ichigo playfully stuck his tongue out at him, Grimmjow just rolled his eyes and turned around. He made sure to mumble, "Child." Then he quickened his pace into the hallway to both escape Ichigo's comeback and to get the phone. "I got it!" called Grimmjow as he walked toward the phone and picked up the receiver.
"Hello," greeted Grimmjow as he leaned against the wall. He sounded happy toward the other speaker.
"Grimmjow?" came a deep voice.
"Who is this?" asked Grimmjow as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Chad," replied the other. "I was calling about Ichigo. Is he okay?"
Grimmjow's eyebrows rose. "How did they get this number?" he thought. After some pondering, he concluded in his mind, "Nel changed the numbers." After exhaling a sigh, Grimmjow replied to Chad, "He's fine. My mother's a nurse, so she was able to help Ichigo with his injuries." He shifted his weight onto his feet. He heard the other make a relieved sigh.
"I was worried," said Chad. "I hope I'm not being rude when I ask where Ichigo is."
"You're not rude at all," responded Grimmjow. "He wants to know where. Would he be angry with where Ichigo is?" pondered the blue haired man. After Chad asked for the location again, Grimmjow replied, "He's with me in my home." He heard Shiro's voice in the background, so he concluded that he was on speaker. The sound of the phone being shifted emanated from the phone.
Shiro's demonic voice filled Grimmjow's ears as he asked, "Where do ya live?" When Grimmjow didn't respond, Shiro said, "I may seem cold, but I ain't, especially when my King's involved. I need t' support my King. He's special t' me, and I don't want to lose 'im over a grudge."
Grimmjow heard the sadness in Shiro's voice. Witnessing that kind of emotion from Shiro was rare, so he felt some compassion toward the other. After he cleared his throat, Grimmjow gave Shiro directions to his home.
"Tell my King that I love 'im," said Shiro. Guilt and worry laced his voice.
"Yeah," came Grimmjow's response. After that word, he hung up the phone and sniffed. He had never heard someone sound so strong with emotion like Shiro did at that moment. Grimmjow was even surprised to even hear 'love' from Shiro's mouth. "Heh," thought he, "love laced by love from the human mouth." After feeling awkward for staring at the phone and thinking about love, Grimmjow turned his attention toward his room.
He quickly made his way over to his room and looked inside. He found Ichigo fiddling with the pillow his head was on. Grimmjow quietly chuckled as Ichigo twiddled with the corners of the pillow. When the other slammed his head in the pillow with boredom, Grimmjow purposely laughed aloud.
"Were you watching me?" asked Ichigo, who quickly picked his head up and scowled at Grimmjow's amused form.
After taking in a dramatic breath, Grimmjow replied, "Yeah." He walked into the room and reclaimed his spot on the edge of his bed. "Shiro called," announced he.
"What did he say?" asked Ichigo. He was looked up at Grimmjow with a little more interest. If his brother called, then the conversation must have been very important.
"He said he love you," replied Grimmjow. He saw a bright emotion run over Ichigo's face, which led to a happy squeal and smile. Right as he was about to make a smart remark about Ichigo's childish behavior, Nel burst in with a tray.
"Pancakes!" announced Nel. She set the tray down on the little side table Grimmjow had next to his bed. The tray had two plates mounted with chocolate chip pancakes drenched in syrup. Two glasses of milk and utensils were set by their respective trays. "Do you need help with eating your food?" asked Nel to Ichigo.
The orange haired man shook his head and replied, "I'll figure it out." Ichigo set to trying to move around to gain a better advantage over the pancakes. He looked like a confused seal trying to squirm on sand. When he was able to turn himself to a comfortable angle, Ichigo cheered, "Hurrah!"
Grimmjow shook his head with smile. He gently patted Ichigo's head and said, "Good job." He scooted the side table closer to the bed, so Ichigo didn't have to struggle with reaching. The result was a very happy orange haired best friend with a perfect reach to a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes.
"Hope you like 'em," said Nel with a proud smile.
"You know you make the best pancakes in the world," said Grimmjow looking up at Nel. "The best!" He dug into the pancakes with a hungry greed.
"He's not kidding," mumbled Ichigo through a mouthful. After swallowing some of the cake, Ichigo praised, "I've never had pancakes like this. It's like heaven within a heaven." He drank some milk to wash down the pancakes.
Nel flashed a smile and bowed as she said, "Thank you so much." The doorbell suddenly rang. "Huh?" wondered Nel as she looked toward the general direction of her front door. "I wonder who that is," said she with hands on her hips. She turned and said, "I'll be back with more pancakes after I see who's at the door." When the boys muffled okay, she nodded and went into the hallway.
The green haired woman made her way down the stairs and toward the front door. She asked, "Who's there?"
"Friends of Ichigo," came a deep voice.
Nel opened the door and gaped at the extremely tall man, who Nel guessed must've answered. Of course, Nel was short, so anything above six feet amazed her. "Who again?" she asked. Her eyes went to the white haired man, who had a smudge of blood across the bottom of his eye. Nel panicked at the sight and quickly went to close the door.
Shiro frowned and stopped the door with one arm. He studied the woman's face and deduced that she was in fright. He pursed his lips and said, "What's the matter with ya?"
The woman shook her head furiously and challenged his stare with narrowed eyes and pursed lips of her own. "I don't allow strangers to enter my home," she defended.
With an irritated sigh, Shiro countered, "Didn't ya hear my buddy say we were friends of Ichigo? Well, I'm his brother."
Nel put her hands on her hips and retorted, "I don't believe that Ichigo, the young cutie pie with orange hair, is related to you." She was trying to sound as intimidating as possible, but her voice was too sweet. She didn't like random people at her door with blood on their faces. After seeing the white haired man, Nel didn't like the way he looked overall. His eyes seemed too suspicious, and his frown seemed malicious to her.
Chad caught Shiro trying to get in Nel's face, so he quickly held the other back. "Shiro!" growled Chad. "This is probably Grimmjow's sister, so quit acting this way!" He shoved Shiro behind him. When he was able to calm other down, Chad looked at Nel and said in a gentle voice, "Can we please enter? Ichigo is my best friend, and he is Shiro's brother. We were just worried about him."
"I didn't get your name," said Nel as she leaned against the door frame.
"Sado. You can call me Chad," answered he. "Are you Grimmjow's sister?"
With a giggle and a wave of her hand, Nel replied, "Oh no. I'm his mother." She laughed more when the two men looked at her in shock. She quickly answered their confused faces with, "I'm his adoptive mother." After feeling that Chad was more trustworthy, Nel moved aside and said, "Come in, boys."
Chad walked in and took a look at his surroundings. The random green walls and white furniture reminded him of the ads in magazines. "How fancy," he thought.
As Shiro walked through the door, he eyed Nel warily. His eyes narrowed again in a challenging manner when Nel gestured that she was watching him with her fingers. After the woman closed her door, Shiro tried not to growl as he asked, "Where's Ichigo?"
Nel crossed her arms at Shiro, for she heard the growl. "Delinquent," she thought. She walked toward the stairs and said, "His room is up there. You'll see the light coming out of the room. Please be gentle with Ichigo. He's very hurt right now." Without looking at Shiro, Nel asked, "Would you boys like some pancakes?" She felt the need to be a motherly host toward her son's guests.
"No. Thanks, though," replied Chad with a warm smile. The reason for his more gentle nature was due to the fact that Nel was Grimmjow's mother. He always remembered to respect his elders. After the woman nodded at him, she left toward another lit room.
Shiro didn't wait for Nel or Chad; he ran up the stairs and stopped in front of Grimmjow's room. His heart melted at the chocolatey face of his brother. "King," he called with loving eyes.
"Hm?" came Ichigo's reply as he looked up. His cheeks were puffed out with pancakes, and his mouth and chin were smothered in chocolate. His eyes widened with delight as he attempted to say, "Shiro!"
"Ah, King. Don't talk with ya mouth full," said Shiro as he walked over. He looked at Grimmjow, and a more serious look came upon Shiro's face. "Grimmjow," he started. He held out his hand, which was thoroughly washed.
Grimmjow took the offered hand and nodded his head. He didn't show his expression when Shiro called him by his actual name, but Grimmjow felt more accepted by Shiro. Shiro's grasp was firm and strong, so he thought that Shiro was more physically strong as Ichigo was emotionally.
Ichigo smiled. Chocolate helped make a brown clown smile. "Shiro said, 'Grimmjow,'" thought Ichigo, "he must accept Grimmjow. His name was said with praise." He kept his happy gaze on his brother and Grimmjow.
"I thank ya," said Shiro. Chad came in as he continued, "If ya hadn't have came when ya did, I don't think King would look as healthy and happy as he does now." With a small smile, he nodded his head at Grimmjow.
"If ya don't know already, Grimmjow," said Shiro, "Chad and I don't accept bastards who lay their fingers on blood. Thus, we labeled the cocksucker, Ikkaku, and credited his title with our names."
"Labeled?" asked Grimmjow with a raised eyebrow.
Chad stepped forward and answered, "When we see an enemy most worthy of his label, which is usually 'acid,' we make sure the title is scarred on his back for him to remember. We also put our names on his back." He looked to Ichigo, who had downcast eyes. Chad looked back at Grimmjow and finished, "Ikkaku was most worthy of 'acid,' so we labeled him with my knife. Our names are on his back, and we only carve blood. Those who are acid or water don't have a place on the enemy's back." He crossed his arms.
"Whose names are on Ikkaku's back now?" asked Ichigo with lowered eyes. He felt Grimmjow settle a hand on his back and pat him gently.
Shiro's eyes saddened at his brother's reaction to the subject. He didn't want his king to feel anything toward Ikkaku's name. He expected his king to wave off Ikkaku's name, so his king's real reaction made him want to snarl out a curse at Ikkaku's name. To appease his king, Shiro replied, "Chad, you, me, and Grimmjow."
Ichigo's eyes snapped upward. He looked at his brother with disbelief. "You mean that, Shiro? Grimmjow's name's on Ikkaku's back?" he questioned.
Shiro nodded.
Grimmjow was looking at Shiro as if he were an angel sent down to announce his future. With an expecting feeling and a nervous gulp, Grimmjow asked, "So what does that mean?"
"You're blood," answered Shiro. He put his hands in his pockets as he leaned to one side. When Grimmjow still looked dumbfounded, he added, "And as blood, you have responsibilities. Ya are t' defend those who are also blood, ya are expected t' fight when needed, and ya are t' always put blood before any girl. Failure t' follow these simple rules results in labeling as 'water.'"
"I don't get it," said Grimmjow. "Are you three some type of gang?" He didn't want to get involved with a gang; he just wanted friends. He hoped they weren't, for he knew the three were known for being devious around quarrels and vicious in fights. He would probably fit in, but Grimmjow wasn't up for a bad reputation.
Shiro just laughed and shook his head. With a happy sigh, Shiro corrected, "A family, not a gang. We don't associate ourselves with the lowly gangs who try to be tough. You're a part of our family, Grimmjow. Like a brother. That's what it means to be blood."
Author's note:
Oh yeah! Grimmjow's officially blood people. :)
I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did writing it. Have a nice night/day/evening. lol
