New Chapter! I want to thank you for everyone who gave suggestions. There were so many good ones. Some of them will already be in the story, but some were just amazing. I want to thank: dvaB aka Yumi, anon: yuki hana, cccccCc, Pawliine, -Kor-chan- and ezcap1st for the suggestions. If anyone else has any suggestions feel free to let me know. Onward now.

Chapter 11: Brand New

Ichigo smiled to herself as she lay on the couch in the living room of her home. Her eyes were glued to the text in the book she had been reading since earlier that afternoon. She tried to take her mind off of the events of the past week, but she couldn't help the large smile that was across her face.

She reached her hand up and twirled a finger into the short locks she now had. She was surprised that she even went through with it. She had been dreading the idea after it had been cut, but now she didn't regret it at all. It made her feel relaxed. The new style was much more manageable and Ichigo found that Grimmjow seemed to enjoy it a little more than she did. She caught him running his hands through her hair a little more often and she guessed it was just another thing to add to the list of things Grimmjow loved about her.

He had said it was easier to ravish her neck now that she had short locks and she noticed that he indeed leave a large amount of hickeys there. She sighed and lowered the book onto her lap, leaning back against the couch pillows. Everything had been going smoothly, though she was still out of a job. She had been searching and searching, but no one seemed to want to hire her. She had all the qualifications, years of experience, decent background. And she knew Urahara would give her a letter of recommendation.

She refused to be sour about her previous job. Urahara felt sorry for having to let her go and she understood that he couldn't always have everything his way. He had told her Kenpachi had been in an uproar, demanding that she be hired back, but the blond man wasn't able to do so. Ichigo smiled at the thought of the behemoth businessman. She guessed there were still some people that enjoyed her from her job.

Anyway, she had been told by a few of the employers that she was without a college degree, meaning that if she wanted the job she would have to go to college. She was never the kind that completely loved school, but she knew she did well. She guessed going straight to work after school only had some benefits. Now that she was out of the job she would have to go to college or be forced to take a job somewhere she felt wasn't for her. But did she really want to go to school just to become an assistant? Did she really want to do that job for the rest of her life?

She sighed and looked down at the cover of her book. If she ever went back to school, she wasn't sure what she should study. She knew she could do anything that she really wanted. She was still young, so there were plenty of opportunities left.

Maybe she could be a writer. She loved books, reading them and collecting a large variety of them. She frowned at that. She was never a creative person though. She looked down at her knee high striped socks, wiggling her toes. Maybe she could do something that had to do with fashion. She was always wearing the latest thing and coming up with her own trendy looks. She sighed, thinking about how she would probably get bored of that very quickly.

She looked up when she heard the soft steps of feet walking against hardwood floor. She watched Grimmjow, oblivious to her wandering eyes. She wondered if Grimmjow always knew what he wanted to do. Did he always want to follow in the footsteps of his father? Did he always want to be a businessman? She smiled to herself, looking at her boyfriend as he tried to make him something to eat. Rising up from her laying position, she made her way over and leaned against the counter to gaze up at him.

She always adored Grimmjow when he was in 'work mode'. That was the time that his face was always so serious and he wore the charming and fashionable black framed eyeglasses. He glanced at her out the corner of his eye and a small devilish smirk curled at his lips. She smiled back up at him and he went back to making him a small snack. Words didn't really need to be said between them most of the time, they could just enjoy each other's company. It's what she loved about her relationship with Grimmjow.

She looked down at his hands as they worked and grabbed things. Then it hit her, she knew what she could go to school for. A wide spread smile sat on her face and she leaned over the counter, kissing Grimmjow on the cheek.

"You are a genius!"

Grimmjow frowned to himself, watching his girlfriend dash out of the room.

"…Thank you? Though…I thought you were coming over here to help me," he mumbled to himself. He looked back down at his lop-sided sandwich, missing of all the things Ichigo usually put it on. He really sucked at those kinds of things.


Ichigo hummed as she rocked back and forth in her black suede flats. She was standing in line at the local college, getting ready to register for the the coming semster of school. She hadn't realized how close it was to the opening of classes and she had to hurry before she missed out. She would have done it at home, but Grimmjow had been incredibly horny and she didn't want to deal with him at that moment. She hated leaving him in the state, but she had better things to do that day. She looked down at her completed registration form, making sure she had all her classes filled out. She was excited. She didn't know if she would pursue this after graduating, but it was something fun to do while she thought it all through.

Cooking was her love above other things. She loved food and creating a variety of different dishes. Her mother had been a stay at home mom, mostly cooking a large variety of things. She had a loved for baking and Ichigo knew her love for the same thing came from her mother. She never got bored of food or of cooking. If she couldn't make a living out of it, at least she could do it for fun.

After a while it was her turn. She got settled and was enrolled for her first semester of college for the spring. She was ecstatic, beaming as she walked towards the exit. She never remembered being so happy about going to school before. She was always an outcast, but she hoped that at least if people didn't like her they would keep to themselves. She didn't want to have to start kicking ass like she did in high school.

Stepping out of the building, she looked up to see the sky a slate color. She frowned at the smell of rain and wondered if she should go home. She had wanted to look at the campus, but she didn't want to get caught in the rain. She pulled her burgundy petticoat tight around her and slipped her hands into her pocket.

"Maybe I should go shopping," she mumbled to herself, looking down at her shoes as she walked. "It might be nice to cook something warm for the night. Nikujaga sounds good. I can add a side of tempura and maybe some miso soup." Ichigo smiled, thinking of how Grimmjow would probably devour the whole entire table of food. The man never wanted to admit it, but he had a large appetite.

"Excuse me." Ichigo looked up when she heard a voice. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a tall and very handsome man standing in front of her. His skin was fair looking and he had large aqua green eyes. His lashes were long, giving him a somewhat youthful appearance. He had a bout of freckles across his narrow nose. His spiky raven hair looked almost like hers, but the lower part stopped at the base of his neck.

"Yes," she responded, not sure what the man actually wanted.

"Uh…well, I noticed you inside and I overheard that you are going to major in cooking. I kind of wanted to ask you a few things. Uhm, that is if you don't mind." Ichigo frowned, looking at the man as if he had lost his mind. She had never met a man so bold (well other than Grimmjow and Shiro). He had come up to a complete stranger, saying that he had listened in on her business and wanted some help. "Uh, I apologize if that came out sounding weird. It's just that I don't do much- any cooking and I kind of want to impress my parents when they come home for a visit."

"…Why can't you get a cook book or something, maybe hire a chef?"

"Oh, uhm, ha-ha. I can't really afford a chef. I'm just a lowly student." Ichigo's frown deepened. She felt bad for the guy, but she didn't know if she could really help him. She couldn't even teach Grimmjow how to make a simple dish.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't think I'm the right person for that task. I really don't know where to start with helping you. I wish I could, but I wouldn't know where to begin." Ichigo watched the man's face turn sorrow and she felt her chest burst.

"Oh…I see, well okay. Uh, thanks anyway." Ichigo watched the man turn away and start to walk the opposite direction. She hated to see people like that. She started to nibble on her bottom lip, not sure what she should do. Sighing, she cursed to herself, hating her good-natured heart. She started jogging in his direction.

"Hey, wait!" The man looked over his shoulder, stopping in his tracks. She came up behind him, watching him turn his full attention to her. "Uh…maybe I can help you a little."

"Really!" Ichigo smiled and nodded. "Yes! …Oh, I'm Kaien, by the way. Shiba Kaien."

"...Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo."


Ichigo sighed as she stepped into the apartment. Kaien was very…different. At first she had felt a little uncomfortable around him, but the more she was around him, the more she saw that he wasn't all that bad. She had been right when she said that it was hard to teach him how to cook. He had been just as bad as Grimmjow, probably even a little bit worse. The man didn't know the difference between a yolk and a white of an egg and Ichigo wondered how he ever survived before.

She slipped out of her shoes and picked them up. Walking to the bedroom, she wondered what Grimmjow had done for the day. He hadn't called her the entire day and she wondered if he had been up to no good. She walked into the open bedroom, throwing her shoes into the closet. She started to slip out of her clothing, sighing at the feel of finally being free of clothing.

"Ichigo!" She heard Grimmjow call for her, but she ignored it to throw herself onto the bed and relax. It had been a long day and she wanted nothing more than to sleep. She listened as the blunet walked into the bedroom. She shut her eyes and pretended to sleep. "I know your awake." She scowled and opened her eyes to stare up at the man standing at the edge of the bed.

"What?" she whined. "I'm sleepy." Grimmjow smirked and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well too bad, we're going out tonight." Ichigo groaned and turned over, exposing herself to Grimmjow. She had already gotten over the blushing about being naked in front of him.

"Why?" she groaned. "Can't we just stay home and cuddle or something? Or maybe have sex? You were dying for it earlier today." Grimmjow's smirk widened and he rose from the bed.

"I'll fuck you later, but now we are going out." Ichigo pouted and kicked her feet like a child who wasn't getting her way. "Come on, I even bought you a dress." Ichigo froze and looked up at Grimmjow before sitting up completely. She wondered what the special occasion was.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo watched the blunet walk into the closet. She heard shuffling before he walked out with a long covered garment. He laid it across the bed and stared at her.

"A business party."


Ichigo frowned, staring at the room full of people. She didn't understand why she was even brought to such a party. Okay, maybe she did, but she wasn't the kind of person that should be going to these fancy smancy dinner parties. Ichigo glared at Grimmjow who just smiled down at her, taking a few glasses of champagne from the waiter that was walking around. He held one out to her and she scowled at it.

"I shouldn't take that, Grimmjow. I'm not good with alcohol."

"Just a bit. I'll keep an eye on you." Ichigo slowly took the glass from her boyfriend before glancing around the large ballroom. She had never seen so many fancy people in one room before. She knew they were all made of money and Grimmjow was one of them. She sighed and looked down at her deep blue shimmering gown. It clung to her curvaceous form and put her breasts on display. If she didn't know any better she would have thought Grimmjow purchased the dress just because it showed of way to much cleavage.

"What the hell is up with you and boobs?" Grimmjow chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I can't love my woman's breasts." Ichigo glared up at Grimmjow as they maneuvered through the party.

"No… you can't. Love something else," Ichigo hissed lowly. Grimmjow grinned, leaning over and pressed his lips against Ichigo's ears.

"I love everything about you. Is that okay?" The woman could feel a blush rising across her face and she quickly gulped the glass of champagne down. She really hoped he didn't tease her through the whole entire night.

Throughout the night, Ichigo was completely bored out of her mind. She didn't understand how Grimmjow could come to these parties and not fall asleep. She guessed it was because he was in CEO mode when it came to these things. She mostly just stood next to him and smiled, trying not to gouge her eyes out for pure entertainment. They walked around some more before they stepped up to a little old couple that seemed like they were made of riches and jewels. Ichigo had never seen so many diamonds and rubies on one person. The dress the older woman was wearing had to be custom made. It looked just that gorgeous.

"Ah, Grimmjow-san, it's so good of you to come tonight. I was worried you wouldn't want to stand around with us old farts." Ichigo found herself snorting at the comment and the man's deep green eyes turned her way. "This must be the one you were telling me about. Kurosaki-chan, I presume?" Ichigo blushed and nodded.

"How are you, Shiba-san?" Ichigo blinked her eyes when she listened to how Grimmjow was speaking to this man. She could hear a hint of respect in his voice and wondered exactly who this man was.

"I am doing fine. You know how my health rises and falls, but I am doing well at the moment. The reason I wanted you to join us this evening is because I wanted you to meet my son. He's studying at the local college so that he can take my place as head of the company soon."

Ichigo narrowed her eyes, trying to remember where she had heard the name, Shiba, before. She really was bad with names.

"I would be delighted to meet your son, Shiba-san. I must know who my future business partners will be." Ichigo frowned, trying to drown out the conversation as she looked around the party. She could feel Grimmjow's tug around her waist and she fell into step next to him as they started to walk. Her mind wondered and she thought back to earlier that day. The man she had spent all afternoon with, trying to help him learn how to cook. It had been fun and she knew that it would be the perfect thing to study. Her passion for food and new things made her enthusiasm that much more enhanced.

What was his name again? Kin? Kisho? I know it started with a K. I hate to have to ask him again. That would seem rude.

Ichigo was in her own little world and she didn't even notice that they had stopped walking. "Ichigo." She scowled to herself, still trying to figure that name out. "Ichigo."

"What?" She glared up at Grimmjow, only to see him with a amused smile on his face. She glanced over to see the old couple gazing at her and she coughed in her hand. "Uh, I apologize. I was thinking about something.

The man smiled and waved his hand. "It is quite alright, my child. My son should be over in just a moment. He wasn't ecstatic about coming to the party. He said something about cooking or some nonsense. The boy could never cook a thing in his life." The man chuckled, but all Ichigo could do was stare at him with large eyes. "Ah, here he comes." Ichigo looked over her shoulder and she felt her eyes would fall out of her socket.

Oh shit! It's him. …And why does he look so good in a suit.

Ichigo's sienna eyes took in the fair skin and blue-green eyes. The spiky obsidian hair was pulled into a ponytail, the edges still as jagged as before. The man's three-piece suit was lavish and Ichigo wondered if this man had been lying about having no money at all. She narrowed her eyes at him and he stopped in his tracks, sweat starting to roll down his face.

"I-Ichigo?" The orange haired woman listened to the low growl that came from her boyfriend, but ignored it to glare at the black haired man before her. She didn't want to say anything in fear of jeopardizing Grimmjow's potential and present clientele. She watched the man step closer, standing next to his father and she looked away, trying to ignore how the green eyes were looking her over.

"Ah, Kaien, you know of Kurosaki-chan already?"

"Uh…yeah, I mean yes, I do. I met her at the college earlier today." Kaien couldn't take his eyes off of the curvaceous figure that was on display. Earlier that day, he had thought Ichigo was beautiful, but now that he could actually see her body, he could completely say that Ichigo was everything he could ever want in a woman. Not to mention she could cook her ass off. After meeting up a few times, he was going to ask her out, maybe try to lay on some charm, but he saw it was going to be much harder than that.

"Ha ha ha, what a small world it is," Kaien's father exclaimed.

Grimmjow's eyes were blazing and Ichigo wondered why the man looked so angry. "Indeed it is."


Grimmjow slammed the door closed, glaring at his girlfriend's back as she slipped off her shoes. "What the fuck was that, Ichigo?" Grimmjow knew he probably shouldn't get angry, but he hated when men gazed at what was his with such eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about, Grimmjow?"

"I'm talking about the lil' fucker who was practically tryna see through your dress." He followed behind her towards the bedroom and watched her start to undress. "You met him earlier? Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important. He asked me to teach him how to cook and I did. Nothing more."

"You went to his house!" Grimmjow roared, making Ichigo flinch. She looked up into blazing neon blue eyes and wondered if she ever seen his eyes get that bright. "Why the hell didn't you fuckin' tell me this when you came home earlier!"

"Do I have to tell you everything, Grimmjow? I'm doing the same thing you did. You didn't tell me about Mila. You hid it behind my back and just did whatever the hell you wanted to." Ichigo let her dress fall to the floor and she stepped out of it. "I shouldn't have to tell you everything."

Ichigo made her way towards the closet, but jerked to a stop when Grimmjow's hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her towards him. She glared up into his eyes, trying not to show any fear in her body language. She really wasn't scared, but she never had anything to be scared about when it came to Grimmjow. The man was rough, but he wasn't abusive.

"So it's okay to do it, because I did the same thing," Grimmjow said, his voice sounding a little calmer than before. "Ichigo…okay I was wrong for not telling you about Mila and I apologized. I know what I did was untrustworthy, but Ichigo what you did was pretty careless. What would have happened if he wasn't such a nice guy?"

"I can take care of myself, Grimmjow. I can fight my own battles."

"You're too nice." Ichigo saw the anger start to dim and sighed. "I know you're strong, but what if he had taken you by surprise? Then what, huh? Most men are vile creatures, me being one of them. You don't know what he was thinking. He could have attacked you."

Ichigo frowned and tried to pull away, but the grip around her wrist tightened. "Grimmjow…you're hurting me," she mumbled.

"I care about you, Ichigo. Don't go doing stupid shit. I can't lose you." Ichigo swallowed at the sound of Grimmjow's voice and nodded. He leaned over and pressed his lips against her forehead before lowering to her lips. His fingers slowly started to release her wrist and his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Their tongues danced and joined, creating the familiar fire Ichigo knew so well. No matter how many times she kissed this man, it never got old. Grimmjow's passion never diminished in her eyes and it was just another thing she loved about him.

Pulling away, she gazed up at him with hooded orbs, panting deeply and trying to catch her breathe. Her body was hot and she could feel the tingling between her legs. "You're not a vile creature, Grimmjow." The man tutted and Ichigo pulled away to start undoing his buttons.

"Of course I'm vile, my mind revolves around nothing but fucking you into the nearest wall." Ichigo giggled, slipping the dress shirt from the man's torso. She let her hands ghost down his chest, making sure to gently rub across his nipples. She always admired his body. The corded muscles and tanned skin. The way his chest flexed when he breathed deeply. The man was beautiful inside and out and Ichigo really wondered how a man like Grimmjow could ever put up with her.

"You think about other things," she responded, letting her hands descend to his pants, yanking at the belt before looking up at him. Half-lidded cerulean eyes gazed down at her as she tugged the belt from his slacks. "I know you care about me. I know you worry, but I'll be fine. I've kicked all kinds of ass in high school. I've even been caught off guard. No one fucks with me."

"I bet you lost a lot of battles too." Ichigo frowned, her hands still working him out of his pants. Of course she had lost. It had been numerous times where she lost to battles between men and women. She wasn't perfect, but she knew if her life depended on it, she would fight with everything in her. She sighed and let his pants drop to the floor.

"Can we change the subject now? How about a shower?" Grimmjow chuckled, shaking his head, but let Ichigo drag him to the bathroom. He knew they would probably have the same conversation again.


Ichigo smiled as walking to her next class. She was so happy that she had started school. Of course it was just the first week and nothing really was going on, but she didn't care. She would be going to classes that would better educate her in something she loved doing. After she told Grimmjow about it, he thought it was kind of interesting that Ichigo wanted to learn more about cooking. He asked her if she wanted to make a career out of it, but she still wasn't too sure about that. Maybe in the future she might open a little restaurant or shop, but for now she would just enjoy the lessons being taught.

She slowly made her way down a flight of stairs and down a hall, finally making her way to her next class. She was taking a course on food from around the world so that she could understand and learn the different types of foods and recipes. She loved American and of course Japanese, but she wanted to try other kinds of worldly foods. She wanted to be able to cook a variety of things.

Steeping into the classroom, she found a seat off to the side and in the third row. Setting her books down, she took a seat and started to pull out her needed supplies for the class. While she waited for class to start, she started scanning the required book for the class. The brightly colored images and detailed words made her giddy with excitement and she couldn't wait to learn.

She listened as students started to file into class. Chairs were scarped across the floor and shuffling was being heard. Ichigo heard a large variety of voices, high and low and looked up. She noticed a lot more men in the room then women. She guessed men loved cooking just as much as women did. Looking back down at her book, she didn't notice the handsome and tall man stepping into the room. He walked towards her and pulled the chair out that was right next to her. Setting his books down, he slipped into the chair.

Ichigo glanced over seeing the thumb ring on his finger before looking up, her eyes widening.

"Hey Ichigo," he said with a large and welcoming smile. She stared into aqua green eyes that seemed to be glowing with happiness.

"Kaien? …What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking this class," he said with a chuckle. "That's the only reason why I would be in here." Ichigo frowned and looked away. She knew Grimmjow didn't tell her to stay away from him, but now she wished he had. She glanced back over, assessing him with her sepia eyes and sighed.

Hello, my brand new start.


So, a brand new start for Ichigo? It seems like more drama is going to come her way. Drama. Drama. Drama! Also if you have suggestions you can let me know. Hope everyone enjoyed. Please review and see you next chapter.

Also Nikujaga is a type of Japanese warm dish. Basically meat and potatoes. That sounds good right now.