"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. and when you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." -Nietzche
Upon awakening the next morning, Ichigo shot up in bed, eyes searching his room. His skin was slicked with a cold sweat that made him shiver. The weather seemed to reflect his mood, heavy storm clouds covering the sky, casting a dark gray shadow over everything. Lighting flashed ominously, a low, rumbling thunder following soon after as heavy raindrops pelted the town in a heavy down pour. Ichigo brought his knees close to his chest, running his hands through his hair feverishly. His dream had been so vivid, so frightening. To see a murder that up close and personal again made him think of his mother which put him in a not so friendly state. He closed his eyes tightly as he remembered the silver flash of a blade as it sliced through the poor woman's neck, blood slowly oozing out from the cut as the woman's violet eyes stared back at him. The crimson liquid stained her white satin dress and her long silver hair as she fell to her knees, clutching her throat. He could still hear her chocking gasps as blood filled her throat, slowly drowning her. Ichigo fought the tears that prickled at the corners of his eyes as he crawled off the bed, and made his way towards the bathroom. Splashing some cold water onto his face, he shook his head, trying to expel the thoughts from his mind. Stifling a yawn, he wandered into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. While waiting for it to brew, he poured himself a bowl of cereal, eating it quickly. After he was done, he placed the bowl in the sink and rinsed it off before grabbing a coffee cup.
Walking into the living room with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Ichigo walked up to the window, peering out at the nasty weather outside. Bringing the cup to his lips, he watched the sky light up for a split second before a clack of thunder sounded, nearly making him jump. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I really don't want to go out in that," he mumbled to himself, heading back into his bedroom. Grabbing his cell phone, he thumbed through his contacts, pausing when he reached Keigo's number. Texting the brunette to let him no there was no way in hell he was going to class today, Ichigo finished his coffee and made his way into the bathroom for a shower.
The shower warmed him up, finally allowing his mind and body to relax. The smell of the shampoo calmed him further and by the time he was done, even the storm couldn't bring down his mood. Stepping out of the shower, he ran a fluffy, black towel through his hair before wrapping it around his waist. Checking his phone when he got back into his bedroom, Ichigo read through the text Keigo had sent. Apparently, the brunette wasn't willing to chance the weather either, and according to him neither were Tatsuki or Inoue. He toyed with the idea of inviting them over since the three of them only lived a couple blocks down from him. However, the prospect of having a quiet day to himself won out and he set his phone back down, moving over to his closet to get dressed. He decided on a comfortable outfit, one that would never be worn outside of his apartment. Pulling on the black sweat pants and red t-shirt, he pondered on what to do for the day. His phone ringing broke him from his thoughts and he clambered over to it, grumbling in annoyance.
"Hello," he answered, walking down the hall towards his living room.
"Movie day?" Tatsuki's voice responded, and Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"I'm taking it that Keigo informed you that I wasn't going to school today," he said, flopping down onto his couch.
"You guess right. So how about it? Up for a movie day? I have popcorn and gummi bears," Tatsuki questioned, chuckling when Ichigo groaned.
"Fine. When do you want to come over?" He grumbled, running a hand through his hair.
"We're already here," she answered, and at the same time a knock sounded on Ichigo's front door. The orange head turned towards his door, raising a confused eyebrow.
"Wait! We?" He questioned, moving towards the door. He could hear Tatsuki sigh before she responded.
"Just open the door," she ordered, earning her a grumble from the orange head as he fiddled with the lock. As soon as the door opened, he was pushed back into his apartment, nearly being trampled over by a rather large group of people. Once everyone was inside, he glanced over the group. Tatsuki, Inoue, Chad, Mizurio, and Keigo all stared back at him with slightly amused looks, water dripping from their hair and coats.
"Don't tell me that all of you are cutting class!" He exclaimed, watching as the group pulled off their jackets.
"Don't be such a hypocrite. It's too nasty to drive the half hour it takes to get to the school," Tatsuki remarked, pulling a large bag of gummi bears and a couple bags of the microwavable popcorn from a plastic bag that she had brought with her.
"And yet you drove over here," Ichigo mumbled under his breath as he made his way into the kitchen. He sighed, opening his fridge to grab a case of soda as Tatsuki started to make the popcorn.
"So what type of movie do we want to watch?" Inoue questioned, poking her head into the kitchen. Ichigo pondered for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.
"Doesn't really matter to me. Why don't you pick," Ichigo offered and Inoue smiled brightly before disappearing. Ichigo shook his head, unable to keep the smirk off his lips. After helping Tatsuki finish the snacks, they made their way into the living room where everyone was seated, Inoue with the remote clasped in her hand. Plopping down onto the couch with a bowl of popcorn, Ichigo motioned for her to press play. Shifting into a comfortable position, he wondered exactly what the orange haired woman had picked. He had just grabbed a handful of popcorn, bringing it to his mouth when the menu screen came up, and he stared wide eyed at the screen, his mouth hanging open. Mentally groaning, he sent Inoue a small glare. She had chosen Van Helsing, a vampire movie. He knew that she had no idea of exactly what kind of creature Shirosaki was, but it still seemed a bit strange to him. He expected some love story or something given the woman's usual tastes, anything but a vampire movie. Heaving out a sigh, he settled in to watch the movie. If anything, he might be able to learn something from it.
About halfway into the movie, Ichigo wasn't sure if he could watch anymore. It wasn't the poor misrepresentation of vampires that got to him, but the way his mind would display vivid pictures of Shirosaki leaning over him as he laid with his back pressed against the desk. Shaking his head, he got up from the couch, making his way into the kitchen. "This is getting ridiculous," he murmured, leaning against the counter. Once he deemed himself in a decent enough state to return, he slowly made his way back into the living room to enjoy the rest of day with his friends.
By the time the storm let up, it was late into the afternoon, nearing sunset. Inoue had offered to cook dinner, but Mizurio had saved the day by suggesting pizza instead. Making sure Inoue wasn't looking, the group mouthed their thanks to him. He just smiled before pulling out his cell phone. While Mizurio ordered the pizza, Ichigo wandered into his bedroom to grab his phone, only to drop it when it vibrated in his hand. He let out an annoyed groan when his phone rolled under his bed and fell to his knees to grab it. Glancing at the screen when it was back in his hand, he stared confusedly at the text message on the screen stating to call the number as soon as he got the message. Raising an eyebrow, he pressed the call button bringing the phone to his ear.
"Wow, less than five minutes! That has to be a record," Ichigo groaned at the teasing voice that answered.
"Why the hell didn't you just call Grimmjow?" He grumbled, standing up.
"Cuz, I like fuckin with ya," was his response and Ichigo resisted the urge to yell at the vampire.
Clearing his throat and taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ichigo mumbled, "I take it you want me to work tonight."
Grimmjow chuckled for a minute before responding with, "Well it's not me that wants you to come in." Ichigo knew by the tone of his voice that the vampire was getting ready to tease him about something or another.
Not giving him the chance, Ichigo stated, "All right then, just let me get dressed and grab a bite to eat, then I'll be there." Grimmjow grunted in response and Ichigo snapped his phone shut. Sighing, the orange head made his way back into the living room where everyone was sitting, laughing and discussing which movie was the best.
"I rather liked Sleepy Hollow," Tatsuki said, glancing at Ichigo as he fell onto the couch next to her. She raised an eyebrow at the slightly annoyed scowl on his face, glancing down at the phone clenched in his hand. "So when do you work?" She whispered to him, grinning when he gave her a dark glare.
"In about an hour and a half," he growled back. Tatsuki just laughed, patting him on the back as the doorbell rang.
"That was fast! Pizza's here!" Keigo exclaimed, grabbing a wad of bills from Mizurio's outstretched hand before bounding for the door. When the brunette came back, he held three large cardboard boxes and a container of bread sticks. "Let's eat!" He practically yelled, setting the boxes onto the coffee table. Almost immediately everyone followed his order and dug in.
Aizen sat at the bar, a black leather briefcase on the counter in front of him. The club wasn't open yet, so there was no other soul around, except for the blonde haired woman who had let him in. She stared at him from her place leaning against the wall, her gaze moving towards the briefcase when he snapped it open. Pulling out a large envelope out, he shut it, pushing it to the side.
"Welcome Aizen. Would you care for something to drink?" Shirosaki asked appearing through the doors to the side of the bar, a couple files in his hands. Fixing his dark red tie, the mayor shook his head.
"I have a benefit to be at in a little over an hour, so I would much rather get this done with," Aizen answered, pulling a packet of papers out of the envelope. Shirosaki shrugged, joining him at the bar. He glanced over the papers when Aizen handed them over. "Those are the forms you will have to fill out when your alcohol license expires. I suggest that you get them filled out as soon as possible," Aizen explained. Shirosaki glanced up at him over the top of the papers, scanning the mayor's face before nodding.
"That seems fair enough," Shirosaki responded, setting the forms off to the side. Aizen gave him a small, condescending smile, which made the silver haired vampire scowl.
"Now then. I do believe that we have some murders to discuss," the mayor said, looking pointedly at the files in Shirosaki's hand. Sighing, the vampire opened the first file, setting it on the table between him and the mayor.
"First victim. Female with blonde hair and blue eyes. Throat slashed. We have yet to come up with a name since her fingerprints aren't in the data base," he explained. Aizen nodded, lifting the first page up to get a closer look.
"And the message?" He questioned, brown eyes flicking towards the silver haired vampire.
"I will avenge her," Shirosaki responded as Aizen set the paper back down. The mayor turned to him, an eyebrow raised in question.
"And the others?" He asked. Shirosaki sighed, opening the next file.
"Male, black hair and blue eyes. Same cause of death. The message left with him was, you will all face justice. Victim number three a raven haired female with green eyes. Found in the same state as the others. The message left with her was, all who are marked are fair game," the vampire explained, producing pictures of the messages as he spoke. Aizen leaned against the bar, scanning the messages.
"What does this reference to marked mean?" The mayor questioned, jabbing a finger towards the appropriate picture. Shirosaki ran a hand over his face before responding.
"Any one who steps foot in this area is free game to him," he explained. It wasn't technically lying, he just twisted the truth some. Aizen nodded, scratching his chin.
"Any idea of his whereabouts?" He asked.
"Halibel and Nel have narrowed it down to either underground or he moves from place to place as he kills," Shirosaki answered. Aizen hummed, flicking through the reports.
"I don't want to have to send out a warning. That would cause mass hysteria as I'm sure you know. I expect this issue to be resolved quickly before I have to result to drastic measures," the mayor ordered, rising from his seat. Shirosaki stood as well, gathering up the reports before turning to the brunette.
"I understand sir. We are working around the clock to put a stop to this," he answered, earning him a small smile and a nod of approval from the mayor.
"I expect to be informed with any new information. Until then good day Shirosaki," Aizen called as he headed for the door. The silver haired vampire watched him leave, silently wondering how the man ever got elected to office in the first place. Once he was gone, Halibel spoke.
"I don't trust him," she mumbled, staring at the door that the brunette had just passed through. Shirosaki smirked, shaking his head.
"None of us do, but he's in charge, so we have to at least try to appease him," he responded, before collecting up the documents and heading towards the door to the third level. Turning to look over his shoulder, he locked gazes with the blonde. "I need results Halibel, please inform the others to keep up with their assignments. Also, I would like someone waiting for Ichigo in the parking lot when he shows up for his shift. I'd rather not lose an employee to this psycho," he ordered before disappearing through the door. Halibel stared after him, a small smirk tugging at her lips. She knew Shirosaki wasn't just being careful since the orange head was an employee, but it was best to keep those thoughts to herself. Pushing away from the wall, she made her way down towards the security rooms to pass out the orders. The clock was ticking and things weren't necessarily going in their favor.
Ichigo wasn't sure how he felt as he drove to the club. Sure, he was on his way to work and inevitably to the object of his infatuation, and with the storm over, it was actually quite nice outside. The clouds had disappeared, revealing a blanket of twinkling stars that had been hidden behind them. However, Tatsuki had dressed him again, and he wasn't quite sure why he was wearing a vest. She had forced him into a pair of tight black jeans, a dark emerald button up and a black vest. She had also forced a black fedora hat onto his head before she let him out the door. He sighed, pulling into the parking lot. He was starting to feel like a little child again at having other people dress him so often, but he could never put his foot down to the raven haired girl. She had a sort of control over him, something that annoyed him greatly. Grumbling, he climbed out of his car, locking it up. Turning towards the club, he almost ran into a broad chest covered by a black t-shirt.
"Interestin outfit ya got there Ichi," Grimmjow remarked, smirking at the annoyed look Ichigo shot him from under his hat. "I rather like the hat," he mused, tapping the brim with his finger.
"Not my idea," Ichigo grumbled. Grimmjow barked out a laugh, turning towards the club.
"It works for ya though. Come on let's get inside," the teal haired vampire ordered, and Ichigo followed him into the club. The orange head tried to ignore the stares he received from Gin and Nnoitra when he walked into the front room, but it was rather hard when Gin made him do a little spin. Growling, he politely asked the raven haired vampire to open the door. A grin flashed onto Nnoitra's lips as he did as requested, bowing as he held open the door. Ichigo scowled, climbing up the stairs to the VIP room.
There was already a couple people sitting at the bar when he entered. The orange head let out a groan when he noticed a head of fiery red hair. Renji and his companion, a man Ichigo vaguely remembered from his first night at the club turned towards him as he made his way over. "Ah, there's the man of the hour!" Renji exclaimed cheerily as Ichigo approached. Ichigo's gaze was on the other man, desperately trying to remember the man's name. "Isn't he somethin Hisagi?" Renji questioned, nudging his companion in the shoulder. The man nodded, his gaze following Ichigo as he slid behind the bar.
"What do you want?" The orange head asked, his hands gripping onto the bar as he leaned over it.
"Just two beers for now," the red head ordered, tapping his fingers onto the black marble. Ichigo nodded, moving over towards one of the small fridges. When he turned back around with the bottles in hand, his gaze locked with Hisagi's and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Here," Ichigo grumbled, handing Renji the two bottles in exchange for a folded up bill. Grinning the red head moved away from the bar, and Ichigo was more than grateful that Hisagi followed after him. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.
Shirosaki paced the length of his office, his eyes narrowed. He had been expecting to have found another body, given the evidence so far, but nothing had turned up. He was confused as to just what Tousen was thinking. Usually, he had no problem figuring out what the next move was going to be, but at the moment, he was at a complete loss. Moving over to his desk, he flipped through the reports of the first three murders, running a hand through his hair. There wasn't much evidence to go on. Just a rough guess of a time table and the fact that the bodies had been found within a four block radius of the club. There were still nearly forty alleys in that small area of space, and each one had been searched, all turning up absolutely nothing. He had gone over the reports about a dozen times and knew the contents by heart. He was getting frustrated at the lack of results. A knock at his door tore him from his thoughts and he stood, making his way over to the door. Gin's smiling face appeared when he opened it, and Shirosaki raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" He questioned, leaning against the door frame. Gin gave a slight bow before speaking.
"Grimmjow asked me to inform you that a certain orange head has made it into the building safe and sound," Gin responded, his red eyes shining with mirth. Shirosaki ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head.
"Good. If you see Grimmjow or Ulquiorra around tell them to meet me in the VIP room," he ordered.
"Yes sir," Gin stated turning towards the door at the other side of the room. Shirosaki watched him leave, a thoughtful look on his face. It eased his mind to know that Ichigo was out of danger, but how long could he keep this up? How long until things got too dangerous to have the orange head around? Sighing, he shut off the lights to his office before following after Gin. It was no use to dwell on these things now, unless he wanted to give himself a migraine. He liked pain, but only if it was delivered under sexual pretenses. On his way down the marble staircase, he couldn't help but smirk as his thoughts turned in a happier direction. Last night had been amazing. Ichigo was so very responsive and he played to Shirosaki's desires like a master. There was no way the silver haired vampire was going to let him get away.
Ichigo was wiping down tables, enjoying the quiet atmosphere. Renji and Hisagi had kept to themselves, although the constant staring was getting on the orange head's nerves. He was humming a tune when the door opened. Before he could even turn his head to look back to see who came in, Ichigo was tackled to the ground, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "What the hell?" He exclaimed, looking down at the black blob that had nestled itself in his lap. The stranger wore a black trench coat, a hat laying next to him on the ground, knocked off the man's head when he had tackled Ichigo. The man snuggled into his chest making Ichigo's eyebrow twitch in annoyance. He didn't even know this guy, hadn't seen him ever before in his life, so why the hell was this guy hugging him?
"Shiro! It's so good to see you again! Aren't you gonna give your big bro a hug?" The man questioned lifting shining green eyes to stare into Ichigo's brown orbs. Ichigo face palmed. This man thought he was Shirosaki. He was trying to figure out how the hell the man could mistake him for the pale, white haired, golden eyed vampire when the man spoke again. "You're not Shiro," he stated, crawling off Ichigo.
"No really?" Ichigo snapped back exasperatedly, rising to his feet. The vampire followed his movement and stared at the orange head as he fixed his outfit.
"You're a human," the man stated and Ichigo resisted the urge to repeat himself. He gave the man an incredulous look. Was he really that dense? Shaking his head, Ichigo bent down to pick up the towel that had dropped during their little scuffle and flung it over his shoulder. The man stared at him for some time before holding out his hand. Ichigo looked at it for a long moment before shaking it.
"Names Kaien, and as you probably now know, I'm Shirosaki Ogichi's brother," Kaien explained, shaking Ichigo's hand feverishly. The orange head nodded, pulling his hand out of the man's grasp. When he was freed, he made his way back to the bar, the man following close behind him. Kaien took a seat at the bar as Ichigo moved behind it and watched the orange head with curiosity. Before Ichigo could even manage to open his mouth to speak, the door opened again and his silver haired boss, the object of his infatuation, sauntered into the room, golden eyes trained on Ichigo. A grin curled onto his lips as he walked up to the bar, leaning over the top to grab the front of the orange head's shirt and pulled him into a searing kiss. Brown eyes flew open at the act and he stiffened, only to melt into the kiss when a tongue invaded his mouth. His eyes fluttered closed, his hand snaking around the back of the silver haired vampire's neck. Snickering brought him back to reality and Ichigo broke the kiss sputtering, his cheeks bright red. "My, my that was some kiss," Kaien remarked and Shirosaki turned to him for the first time, his eyes widening.
"K-Kaien?" He questioned, his mouth hanging open slightly. Kaien smirked, tilting his head to the side to glance up at him.
"What's up bro?" He questioned, giving off a toothy grin. Shirosaki shook his head, collecting himself.
"Ichi, why don't you grab three bottles of beer and come join us in the back," the silver haired vampire ordered, not waiting for an answer as he moved over to a couch and sat down. Kaien followed behind him, glancing back over his shoulder at Ichigo, an interested expression on his face. When Ichigo joined them, he was slightly miffed to see the brothers sitting side by side. He wanted to be close to Shirosaki, but he wasn't so sure about Kaien, so, after handing them their beers, he moved over to the other couch, only to be yanked back and into Shirosaki's lap. Yelping slightly, he shot a dark glare back at the vampire who only nuzzled against his neck, his arms wrapped tightly around the orange head's waist. Sighing, Ichigo squirmed until he was sitting beside the vampire. It was a little too uncomfortable to be on his lap with his brother right next to them. The orange head glanced over at Kaien to find the man smirking, his eyes shining with curiosity.
"You two seem rather close," he remarked, noting how the orange head's cheeks flamed. His gaze flickered down towards the human's neck, a grin morphing onto his face when he spotted the bite mark half hidden under the collar of the green shirt. Shirosaki just grunted, plucking Ichigo's hat off his head to place it on his own. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at him as Shirosaki tilted the hat to shade his eyes. "He one of your marked ones?" Kaien's question caught Ichigo's attention and he turned towards the new vampire. He felt Shirosaki nod his head against his shoulder and rolled his eyes.
"Yep, he's mine," Shirosaki's words were further proven as he kissed the orange head's cheek, earning him an annoyed grumble from the human. Ichigo shifted out of the silver haired vampire's grip, slumping into the back of the couch. Shirosaki gave him an amused look before turning towards his brother.
"When did you come in? You must have had a long trip," he stated. Kaien took a sip from his bottle before nodding.
"Yeah, ten day journey. Getting over the ocean was a tough one," he answered, resting the bottle against the arm rest of the couch. Ichigo listened in on their conversation, taking an occasional sip from his drink.
"You must be hungry. I can have Ulquiorra find you someone to eat," Shirosaki offered and Ichigo rolled his eyes. That was bad vampire humor in his opinion. He jumped when an arm snaked around his shoulder's, eyes flying open when he was pulled towards the raven haired vampire who nuzzled his neck.
"Why make Ulquiorra find someone when you have one right here? You've never had a problem with sharing before bro," Kaien murmured against Ichigo's neck, making the orange head shiver. His body stiffened when he felt the fangs scrapping along his neck and braced himself for the bite. The next thing he felt was an arm wrapping around his waist and yanking him out of Kaien's grip.
"He is mine and mine alone. Don't touch 'im," the silver haired vampire growled, pulling Ichigo close. Kaien raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two. After a moment, a smirk curled onto his lips.
"My, my he must be something special if your keeping him all to yourself," he stated in a teasing tone. Ichigo really wished the couch would grow a mouth and swallow him whole. This was really getting ridiculous.
"I should get back to work," he mumbled, pulling himself free from Shirosaki's grip. Both vampires stared up at him and he shifted nervously.
"Very well Ichi. But, I want to see you later ok?" Shirosaki questioned, tilting his head to the side. Ichigo nodded before quickly darting back to the bar. He missed the dark green gaze that followed his movements.
"Now tell me what are you doing here?" Shirosaki questioned, his voice taking on a dark tone. Kaien turned to him, a devious grin on his face.
"So now that the human's gone you're gonna get all temperamental," he remarked, his smirk widening as Shirosaki's eyes narrowed into a glare.
"Just answer the question Kaien. Last I knew you ran off because you murdered a bunch of people, so I'll ask you again..what are you doing here?" The silver haired vampire hissed with a venomous tone. Kaien leaned back against the couch. He was expecting Shiro to be angry with him, and had known from the start that Ichigo wasn't his brother. He was on a mission, a mission that just so happened to deal with the orange haired human. He had succeeded in getting close to the human, and learned some valuable information in the process. Things were going along quite smoothly. "Either answer me or get out," Shirosaki growled when he hadn't received a response. Kaien's eyes flashed and he fixed his brother with a taunting gaze.
"I'm here on a job," he answered, gaze trailing over to the orange head who was fixing a drink. A shiver raced down Ichigo's back leaving him feeling highly nervous. Just what the hell was going on?