Author's Note: Just a heads-up, the first couple pages of this chapter is another flash-back with little Ichigo. But I promise it'll be the last one. You could actually skip it if you really wanted to—but that's up to you.
I also realize I never actually did a flashback with Mugetsu or Kon… So if you guys are curious and would actually like to have one, then let me know!
UNBETA'D (Need beta… HALP!)
Star Brothers
Chapter22 (PART 1): This Isn't a Stupid Fairy Tail
Mugetsu – 21 years old
Shirosaki – 18 years old
Getsuga – 18 years old
Kon – 15 years old
Ichigo – 15 years old
Soft, musical humming enveloped the kitchen as Jackie spread the last layer of icing across the spongey, chocolate-flavored, cake filling. Her little Ichigo was going to love this!
"Jackie…?"
Said woman jumped and quickly tried to hide the cake with a large bowl, smearing the once-elegant 'Happy Birthday!' that had been scrawled across the top. She cursed under her breath before glancing over her shoulder to see that it was the little birthday-boy himself.
"Yes, sweetie? I thought you were outside playing."
Ichigo's lower lip jutted out into a pout and he shuffled his feet.
"…I got bored… And Gijo said he was busy… Can I help?" He said while pointing to whatever it was Jackie had been making.
He liked helping out in the kitchen as long as Jackie was the one cooking.
"Aw, Ichi. Jackie's making a surprise! You can't see it until it's done."
Ichigo's eyes sparked to life at that.
"Is it 'cuz it's my birfday!?"
Jackie smiled and held up a finger to her lips as if to say 'Shhh, it's a secret!'. She smiled when she could actually see the excitement bubbling up inside him, but then all at once it disappeared.
"Ichigo… You okay, sweetie?"
"Uhmmm…. Jackie?"
"Yes?"
"Can uh… can two people have the same birfday?"
Jackie pursed her lips and thought carefully about what her next words should be.
"Well… Of course, Ichi. Babies are born somewhere around the world every day. It's possible for a lot of people to share the same birthday." She wasn't sure how much Ichigo understood about babies and "birth", but that was the best she could come up with.
Jackie could recall Ginjou mentioning that Ichigo had a twin and she wondered if maybe that was what triggered this bout of curiosity in Ichigo.
The little orangette scrunched his face and stared down, watching as his fingers intertwined and tugged at each other. "When Jackie and Gijo have a baby—can he have my birfday too?!"
Jackie fumbled with the tub of icing and nearly dropped it at the sudden question. She definitely wasn't expecting to hear that.
Jackie gulped when she looked down to see those big cocoa-eyes gazing up at her expectantly.
"Well… Uhm…" She said as she turned back towards the cake to distract herself. "Ginjou and I would love to have a baby, but… You see…" She fought back the tears as she forced herself to confess—she couldn't just lie to the poor boy. "We can't have any babies. Jackie is… sick." She took a quick glance to see Ichigo frowning in concern and added, "But don't worry, Ichi! Jackie and Ginjou don't need to have any babies! We have you!"
"Mmmm… uhm Okay… Thanks Jackie." He was about to turn away and return to whatever game he'd been playing outside, but then he paused and looked up at Jackie once more. "Hey Jackie…?"
"Yes, Sweetums?" She replied automatically, but this time she didn't look away from her task as she began placing decorations on the cake.
"…" Ichigo blinked and his face scrunched in concentration. Without much thought, he reached out and slid a small hand under Jackie's shirt so it could press against her lower abdomen.
Said woman jumped at the sudden contact and glanced down to see little Ichigo with this strange look on his face. Jackie raised a brow curiously but didn't say a word. She just waited to see what would happen next.
The awkward moment only lasted about 10 seconds and then Ichigo slowly stepped away. Jackie was taken aback by the radiant smile sent up to her and, probably the most confusing part of the entire situation, were the next few words that came from his lips.
"There! All better!"
Jackie could only blink in response as Ichigo suddenly bolted away, disappearing out the back door to play in the garden.
"All… Better…?" She repeated as she ever-so-gently lifted a hand to where Ichigo's had just been. "B-but… That's not possible…"
'Or is it?' Jackie hummed to herself as a huge smile took over her face. 'Only one way to find out.'
"Oh Ginjouuuu~! Sweetie~! Where are you!?"
She heard a muffled response come from upstairs and quickly skipped up towards their bedroom. There, she found her darling husband trying (and failing miserably) to wrap Ichigo's birthday gift.
While he was distracted with trying to cover the box with wrapping paper (Oh lord… Is he using glue…?) Jackie quietly closed and locked the door before sneaking up on him.
Ginjou blinked and frowned as the box was lifted from his arms only to be replaced by his darling wife. He couldn't help but smirk as she made herself comfortable in his lap.
"Oh? What's this? I didn't realize it was my birthday too~" Ginjou joked as he placed his hands on her round hips and then scooted her closer.
Jackie didn't reply as she jumped forward, capturing Ginjou's lips with her own and Ginjou didn't mind one bit. He grunted as he was pushed onto his back and then smiled.
~Two Weeks Later~
Ginjou shot up in bed.
He wasn't sure what woke him but he instantly knew something was off. His first reaction was to dig into the bedside drawer and assemble his gun, picking up speed when he realized he could hear loud crying in one of the other rooms.
Ginjou, now fully awake, ran towards the bedroom door. He paused make sure the coast was clear before bolting towards the noise—which was sounding more and more like his wife.
As he got closer, he realized he was heading towards Ichigo's bedroom, and he could hear the boy whining.
"Jackie—you're squishing me… Jackieeeee!"
Ginjou slowly peeked into the room to see that both of them were on the floor. Jackie was an absolute mess—her face leaking both tears and snot as she held Ichigo in a vice-like grip. Ginjou took a good look around the room and, when he realized there was no actual threat in the house, he quickly stuck the gun into a random closet in the hallway before entering.
"Jackie…" Said woman didn't look up as she continued to cry against the small boy's shoulder. "Honey… What's wrong..?" He cooed softly as he sat by her side.
Ichigo huffed as he tried to pry himself from her grip, but Jackie refused to budge.
"Jackie… Sweetie… Talk to me." Ginjou whispered as he ever-so-gently pried the poor child from her death-grip. Ichigo sighed in relief and smiled up at Ginjou before sitting himself down in front of Jackie—but at a reasonable distance in case she tried to smother him again.
Jackie eventually calmed herself enough to look up at Ginjou, but instead of the sadness he'd been expecting, she sent him the biggest, brightest smile he'd seen in years.
"Is everything… okay?" He asked curiously.
Ginjou frowned when, instead of an actual answer, she tossed something into his lap.
He slowly picked it up and his stomach did a nervous flip when he realized the object in his hand was a pregnancy test. He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing until he flipped it over to see the little "+" sign on the screen.
When he looked back up, he saw that Jackie was once again clinging to Ichigo and rubbing her face against his head.
"EWWW! Jackieeee! Stahp it!" Ichigo screeched but he couldn't stop the giggles when she began to tickle him.
Ginjou didn't care that he'd also started crying as he gathered both Ichigo and Jackie into his arms in a giant hug.
Both grown-ups laughed heartily when their little Ichigo cried out, "Not you too, Gijo!"
Things were starting to look up for the little makeshift family.
…
..
.
..
…
BigTits: 'Heyyyy big Boy~! U comin over 2nite? My dad said he won't be home~~ ;* 33'
GirlyDude: 'Grimmy~ I miss ur big, juicy cock. Swing by tonight, handsome~!'
CrazyBitch: 'Grimmjow! If I'm pregnant then my dad's gonna like LITERALLY KILL U! Should of used a rubber, u jerk!'
Said 'jerk' rolled his eyes as he shuffled through the rest of his texts—deleting each one as he went.
He didn't have time to waste on greedy sluts.
Although… BigTits was one hell of a lay… She sucked his dick like a professional whore. And damn did she have some nice tits… Too bad he couldn't double-dip (Not that it's really stopped him before).
"Yo, Grimm!"
Said teen quickly pocketed his phone and glanced up, just now realizing that he'd made his way into the cafeteria. He looked around until he saw the large, medieval-looking clock hanging on the wall.
Only 15 minutes left for lunch…. Damn.
He quietly moved over to where he'd heard his name to see Nnoitra waving at him, face split into a wide grin. Grimmjow grinned right back as he made his way over, squeezing his way into a seat between Nnoitra and Halibel.
"Where the fuck've you been?"
Smirk still in place, Grimmjow shrugged and laughed, remembering that not even 10 minutes ago he had some hot foreign teacher's mouth around his balls. He couldn't recall her name, really… But she was pretty good with her tongue.
"Mmm… Nowhere really. Why? I miss somethin'?"
Starrk snorted at him, probably knowing exactly what he'd been up to, and that just made Grimmjow laugh harder.
"Well, besides Kon getting bullied into distracting the Vice Principal and Ulquiorra making goo-goo eyes at Getsuga, our darling brother Shiro nearly had his head bitten off by Ichigo." Starrk replied while dodging the spoon aimed at his head—courtesy of Ulquiorra.
Grimmjow couldn't stop the large, face-splitting grin even if he wanted to. "Oh yeah?" He said while leaning forward to cradle his face in his hands, elbows planted on the table. "Ichigo's mad at Shiro…? How odd…"
Neliel glared at the younger teen, knowing full-well that he'd had something to do with the incident. Before she could yell at him though, Nnoitra butted in.
"Hey, Grimm. Didn't ya have a big bruise right there this morning?" He asked while pressing his long, boney finger into Grimmjow's cheek—hoping that maybe it was just invisible and would still hurt to touch.
Grimmjow swatted the finger away and gave Nnoitra a 'what the fuck're you on?' look.
Nnoitra rolled his eyes and gestured to the teen's own face. "Dude, you had two fuckin' bruises on your face this morning! I remember 'cause Shiro said—and I quote—'Now his face matches his hair'."
"Huh…" Grimmjow decided to store Shiro's little comment away for later use and nodded when he finally remembered getting wacked in the face by a dodge ball as well as getting punched by Ichigo's solid fist after swatting the teen's ass. "Oh yeah~… Wait. You're sayin' they're gone?" Grimmjow frowned curiously as he twisted around to face Halibel.
"Bel, my beautiful, golden-haired sister~ You wouldn't happen ta have one of those make-up-mirror-thingies, would you?"
Said sister glanced at him with one delicate, blonde brow raised. "No need to be a suck-up, Grimmjow…" All she got was a sly smirk for that before she rolled her eyes and dug into her purse. "Here… And by the way it's called a 'compact'."
Grimmjow didn't hear a word she just said as he snatched the round, mirror-thingie from her hand and flipped it open to examine his face.
Lo-and-behold: Nnoitra was right.
There wasn't any evidence that he'd even had a bruise on his face. Nothing. His face was completely clear of any discoloration.
"Huh… Tha's kinda weird…" Grimmjow poked at the spot he'd remembered getting hit, but there was no hint of pain or tenderness. He gently smoothed his fingers over his cheek as he tried to figure out what happened…
And that's when he remembered someone else's fingers had done the same thing.
Smooth, tan fingers that belonged to a certain Orange-headed teen.
No way….
Neliel let out a small squeak when Grimmjow suddenly jumped up, accidentally bashing his knee on the table.
"Fuck! Shit!"
"Hey! Where're you goin'!?" Nnoitra shouted.
"I'll tell ya later! Gotta find somethin' out! Oh and here's your thingie back, Bel!"
Halibel chuckled as she reached out and caught the compact in perfectly manicured fingers. Shaking her head, she slipped it back into her purse. "It's never a dull moment with him and Shiro around, that's for sure."
Ulquiorra snorted in amusement from his spot at the end of the table, but then went back to ignoring everyone as he tapped away at his phone.
…
"Fuuuuuck… There's no way she's not gonna see us… Should we just try again later?" Shirosaki grumbled to his twin as he peered around the corner.
They were so fucking close!
Kaien's office was within sight!
But there was a woman at the front desk—like some fucking guard dog watching over the three office doors located behind her.
Getsuga huffed out a breath and gave Shiro a look that said 'I don't care, we're still doin' this!'.
Shiro raised a brow but decided not to argue.
They didn't have much time left before the bell would ring for next class.
"Hmm…." Shirosaki hummed as he thought, but then a wicked smirk slipped across his face when an idea popped inside his evil lil' mind. Being as inconspicuous as he could possibly manage (which wasn't very), he shifted closer to Getsuga. "I guess the only way we could get inside without her seeing us is ta get her out of the office. Someone should… distract her. I mean—we only need one person ta get inside, right?… And what better distraction then a bloody nose~?" As he said this, he popped his fist out towards Gestuga's unsuspecting face—but Getsuga was much faster than Shiro anticipated.
The orangette managed to duck away from Shiro's fist and instantly retaliated with his own.
Shirosaki cursed when he both felt and heardhis nose crunch. "FUCKING SHIT!"
Shiro glanced up to see that Getsuga didn't feel guilty what-so-ever. In fact, the lil' asshole was staring at him with a smirk so victorious—so mocking—that it could even rival Grimmjow's.
Shirosaki hissed furiously as he pushed passed his twin. "May's'well gt dis ober with…" He warbled while holding his poor busted nose.
Getsuga watched, smirk still in place, as Shirosaki forced his way into the office and then theatrically fell towards the woman behind the desk. Without much thought to it, Getsuga lifted his phone and began recording the event. He made sure to capture Shirosaki as he was practically dragged out of the office and towards the nurse's office. Getsuga tried to hide his snickering as the woman sped passed with Shirosaki in tow.
"I think it might be broken!" Shirosaki groaned dramatically, making the woman unconsciously quicken her pace.
"Oh goodness! You're bleeding all over the place! Let's get you to the nurse!"
Shirosaki made sure to turn and flip Getsuga off before he was tugged around the corner and out of sight.
Getsuga hummed in amusement as he turned off his phone. Then, making sure the coast was clear, he made his way towards the unsuspecting office. He didn't waste any time—he quickly made his way towards Kaien's door, practically giggling in glee when he realized it was unlocked.
Getsuga closed the door behind himself and took a quick look around. When he was sure he was alone, he went to the desk and plopped into the comfy, leather chair before trying the drawer that he originally saw Kaien put those mysterious papers.
Getsuga's smirk fell when he peered inside.
Empty…
Getsuga tried the other drawers, but it was just full of menial junk about the school sports teams and, what looked like, reports from current teachers.
Blah!
Getsuga huffed in frustration as he collapsed back in the chair.
Where else could they be…?
He swiveled the chair around to see the rest of the room, and that's when he spotted the office drawers nestled in the corner of the room, practically hidden behind some glass cabinet filled to the brim with awards and diplomas.
Tch. Getsuga rolled his eyes at them as he scooted the chair over to the drawers. He stood as he pulled open the top one. It was filled with miscellaneous folders and papers, but nothing like what Getsuga had seen this morning.
Hm… He tried the second and then third drawer, but still nothing; Until he finally got to the bottom drawer. He went to open it, but huffed when it got stuck.
Locked?
Getsuga grinned as he dug out a bobby-pin from his hair—the same bobby-pin that had unlocked the cage when he and his brothers were stuck in that Science-lunatics lab. Getsuga frowned as he remembered what happened yesterday.
He'd attempted to contact Ryuken this morning, but there'd been no answer. Worry gripped his insides, but he quickly shook it off.
He was running out of time! The bell will ring any moment now.
Getsuga quickly shoved the bobby-pin into the cabinet and fiddled with it for a good 10 seconds before he heard the satisfying click of the lock.
Inside, lying ominously at the bottom, was a single folder.
Getsuga hesitated for a moment. He couldn't help feeling that whatever was in that folder-whatever he was about to read—there was no going back after…
"Tch…" Getsuga shoved aside his nervousness before snatching up the folder. He skimmed through the pages as he snapped pictures with his cellphone. He wanted to just take the pictures and go through them more thoroughly afterwards. Most of it sounded like science mumbo-jumbo.
Interesting, but not as life-altering as Getsuga had originally thought…
And that's when he found them.
A small pile of papers that looked like photocopies of… A journal maybe? (Judging by the careful handwriting scrawled along the pages) Each letter swooped elegantly and seemed oddly familiar—but he didn't dwell on the thought.
Getsuga glanced at the time to see that he still had a few minutes left, so he plopped down in the chair and began reading through the curious stack of papers.
[[[June 13th, 1988
Today is the day we administer the first test of [Hero Project 1.9] to our new subject: A homeless man the guards saw laying around the building. Rather unconventional, but he'll do. I ran some tests and the subject is completely infested with different diseases. HIV, Herpes, Yellow Fever, Severe vitamin deficiency—to name but a few of the many things wrong with this man. Hopefully he lasts longer than 'Subject 07'.
June 21st, 1988
For the past week we've injected 'Subject 08' with the Hero Project, but so far there've been no noteworthy reactions. His health is beginning to wither at an alarming rate. If his DNA continues to reject our injections, then he won't make it to the end of the month.
July 1st, 1988
It's finally happened! 'Subject 08's DNA has conformed to the Hero Project. He's much more active and he's been asking a lot of questions—as he should. However, we can't tell him what we've done. We managed to hold him down long enough for me to get another test sample. All traces of sickness are gone and he is completely healthy. The only side-effects seem to be loss in hair color and discoloration of irises; Subject 08's eyes, which had once been a dark green, are now bright crimson-red, but his eyesight hasn't deteriorated. In fact, he now has 20/20 vision.
July 5th, 1988
Zangetsu says that it's finally time to use [Hero Project] to cure our brother. The other scientists have urged against it though. Saying: "Subject 08 was successful, yes, but we're not sure if it will react well to the Ishida bloodline." So I volunteered to test it first, but Zangetsu refused—saying I couldn't be replaced if something went wrong. And obviously Zangetsu couldn't do it either. So, in the end, Masaki volunteered to test it… Dear, sweet sister… I wish you luck.
July 20th, 1988
[Hero Project 2.0]: Masaki has undergone the same daily treatments as the previous subject, but nothing has happened yet. Her DNA continues to reject it… But it doesn't seem to be having any negative side-effects either. Dr. Sousuke theorizes that it may be due to the fact that her body isn't 'desperate enough'. She's healthy, so there isn't a need for her body to absorb the extra nutrients. Hence, it won't touch [Hero Project]. Also, since it isn't a 'threat', her body won't fight it off. Dr. Guenael recommends that we make her body go under severe stress while Dr. Mayuri also suggests that we inject her with a fatal virus… It may be the only way to trigger the Hero Project… Our newest doctor, Isshin Shiba, is vehemently against both ideas.
Seems that Dr. Shiba has grown attached to Masaki. I'll have to keep an eye on them…
August 3rd, 1988
Still no sign of [Hero Project 2.0] working. Masaki's body has shown great resilience to all of the tests we've administered. Nothing seems to be working… It's time we try our backup plan like Dr. Guenael and Dr. Mayuri suggested. Zangetsu said he would take over this part of the project, so I've been ordered to take Dr. Shiba away in case he tries to stop them.
On another note—Subject 08 seems to be growing more and more irate with each passing day. Apparently Dr. Mayuri has been conducting his own experiments on the poor man and has discovered that not only can Subject 08 heal himself, but his skin has become tougher. He is immune to every known chemical, his physical capabilities have multiplied to inhuman rates, and he's shown slight telekinetic abilities. This is getting out of hand. Why hasn't Dr. Mayuri brought this to our attention? We must stop this before it's too late.
August 4th, 1988
Subject 08 has escaped… and Masaki is nowhere to be seen. The labs are completely destroyed. All that's left of [Hero Project] are my personal files here at home… Dr. Shiba, What have you done…?]]]
Getsuga scrunched his brows in thought as he tried to decipher everything he just read.
Dr. Sousuke? As in Shiro's foster father—Aizen Sousuke?
Mayuri and Guenael… He remembered those names—they were the creepy scientists from the hospital.
Zangetsu—that had to be the same Zangetsu that raised Mugetsu.
Apparently this Zangetsu had brothers and a sister named Masaki. That name sounded familiar too, but Getsuga couldn't remember where he may have heard it before.
However… one name he did know well was Ishida.
That was his father, Ryuken's, last name. Did he have something to do with this?
Also… Subject 08. White hair and glowing red eyes? That described Jin Kariya to a tee.
And then the powers described: "immune to every known chemical", "inhuman strength", and "Telekinetic"?
Those sounded exactly like the abilities Getsuga and his brothers possessed. But "Tough Skin" and "Healing"… was it possible for Mugetsu and Ichigo to have those abilities?
What the fuck's going on and why did Kaien try to hide this!?
Getsuga snapped to attention when high-pitched, ear-splitting wails suddenly erupted through the whole school. Surprised and slightly panicked, Getsuga shoved the documents back where he found them and looked up to the see lights flashing on one of the fire-alarm boxes near the ceiling.
Thinking fast, Getsuga took one last picture of the documents before closing and relocking the drawers. Just as he reached the door, he froze when it swung open, nearly smashing him in the face.
Getsuga was expecting to see Shiro or maybe even Kaien, but the guy who entered was definitely neither.
It was hard to tell who it was with the guy's face shrouded beneath a hooded sweater, but who cared? Getsuga had more important things to take care of. Shrugging, he tried to walk passed the guy, but he was pushed back towards the desk.
Getsuga watched with narrowed eyes as the man closed and locked the door, then a sneer slowly spread his lips as he came within striking distance of the stranger.
He wasn't stupid.
The fact that the fire-alarm wasn't fazing this guy meant that he was the one that set it off.
The stranger didn't even flinch or attempt to block when Getsuga's large, pale fist came straight at his face. Knuckles hit with a satisfying CRACK, but the stranger didn't even budge from the door.
"Heh… Heheh… Hahaha…. HAHAHAHA!"
Getsuga's hackles rose and he took a cautious step back at the stranger's laugh—A loud, throaty laugh that could be heard clearly over the screeching Fire-alarm.
"That's the spirit, Reaper!"
Getsuga's blood turned to ice and his sneer grew until he was baring his fangs.
There was only one person that called him 'Reaper'…
The man's chuckle subsided as he reached up to pull the hood away.
Getsuga's snarl faltered ever so slightly when he realized that it was, indeed, Kokuto, but he was barely recognizable beneath the huge, ugly scar that marred half of his face. Where his right eye should've been, was now just an empty socket; A gaping hole that could barely stay open.
While Getsuga was distracted with the revelation of his face, Kokuto took the chance to reach into his sweater and pull out a gun, snapping the orangette back to awareness and making him tense.
Kokuto smirked as he raised the gun, letting its cold steel brush against soft, tangerine bangs.
The alarm's deafening screams continued without pause, but it seemed to fall away into the background as the two enemies glared at one another.
"Where's he at?" When Getsuga merely raised a curious brow, Kokuto growled impatiently. "Shirosaki—your fuckin' twin! I know he came this way with you! Where is he?!"
"…"
Kokuto snarled when he received no reaction from the other.
"Look—As much as I want to rekindle our old friendship, I don't have time for this!" He snapped and, without hesitation, smashed his gun against Getsuga's cheek.
The teen's face whipped sideways from the impact and his sunglasses wound up falling to ground, shattering one of the lens. Getsuga hissed between his teeth and looked up, letting his bright, golden irises burn into Kokuto.
He didn't know what the older teen wanted with Shirosaki, but damned if he was gonna give up his twin to this maniac.
Getsuga steeled himself and didn't even make a sound as he was once again acquainted with the butt of Kokuto's gun. This time, however, it was not his cheek but his temple that took the brunt of the force, and Getsuga was finally forced to his knees.
He was about to climb back to his feet, but he froze when he heard the gun's barrel click and felt pressure at the back of his head.
"We can do this the easy way… Or I could shoot you… What's it gonna be, Reaper?"
"…"
"Tch… You always have to be difficult, don't you?
BANG!
…
..
.
..
…
"What the…" Ichigo scrunched his brows in confusion as he watched everyone, student and faculty alike, scramble out of the building. It was hard to distinguish any faces from his spot on the roof, but Ichigo eventually caught sight of familiar bright red hair which was obviously Renji's. From there, he could assume who the others were around him: Rukia, Orihime, Rangiku, Shuuhei, Kensei, Shinji… and, judging by the bright pink and sea-green hair, some of Shiro's foster siblings were in the same area.
Huh… But there was no sign of his brothers.
Worried, Ichigo quickly scanned through the crowd, but It was frustrating-like looking through a fucking 'where's waldo' book!
"Yo! Ichigo?"
Said teen spun around and blinked when he saw Grimmjow making his way up the stairs.
"Uh… Hey. How'd you know I was here?"
Grimmjow shrugged and then gestured towards Ichigo's hair.
"I went lookin' for ya before the alarm went off and spotted somethin' bright on the roof. Kinda hard to miss that orange fuzz in the sunlight." Ichigo blushed and then ducked down at the realization. He didn't want to be spotted by anyone else yet. "Hey… Ya know that guy—what's his name—Byakuya? He's lookin' for ya. He seemed really worried…" When Ichigo didn't seem to respond to that, Grimmjow continued, "Plus, we should be gettin' down—in case this 'aint just a drill."
Ichigo pursed his lips then released a long sigh. Grimmjow was right… And Ichigo did feel really bad about ditching Byakuya. Especially since the man went to great lengths to become his legal guardian—but Ichigo didn't want Byakuya hovering over him all damn day.
It was unnerving…
Grimmjow noticed the conflicting emotions running across Ichigo's face and stepped forward to stand before the teen with a hand stretched out invitingly. He definitely didn't want to be on the roof—of all places—if there was seriously a fire. Ichigo seemed to catch on to the seriousness in Grimmjow's look and grabbed his hand so he could be pulled to his feet.
Then they quickly began their journey toward the back entrance.
After a few seconds of nothing but the ear-splitting wails of the alarm, Ichigo finally sighed and turned to stare at Grimmjow, who was fiddling with his phone as they walked—probably texting someone.
Ichigo was then reminded of Shiro's phone… which was still in his pocket.
"Hey Grimmjow!" Ichigo shouted over the alarm. Said blue-haired teen quickly put away his phone to give the other his undivided attention.
"'Sup?!" He shouted back, his deep baritone easily clearing the sound of the alarm.
Ichigo gnawed on his lip, debating whether or not to ask what was on his mind… but he figured if anyone should know, then Grimmjow might.
"You and Shiro are pretty close, right?!"
Grimmjow raised a brow and his lips dropped down into a slight frown. "… Yeah… You could say that! Why!?" He already knew where this conversation was heading.
"How many relationships has Shiro been in?"
Grimmjow couldn't help but smirk at that. There was no point in exaggerating since he already figured the truth would be enough to spite the teen. "Relationships?" Grimmjow emphasized the word with an all-knowing grin. "Hmmm… Zero!"
"But…" Ichigo scrunched his brows in confusion until realization hit him. "So… He just sleeps around with people!?"
Grimmjow's smirk only seemed to grow with each passing second. "How long ago did you guys get separated?"
Ichigo raised a brow at the sudden question but then looked up to stare at the ceiling as he thought back.
"Let's see…. It's been about… 11 years I guess!"
Grimmjow pressed closer to the orangette, feeling victorious when the teen didn't shift away. "Soooo, you were only around Shirosaki for like… 5 years!?"
Ichigo frowned at that.
It was true. He'd only known Shirosaki for a very brief moment in his life, and when they were kids no less. "What's your point…!?"
Grimmjow shrugged and motioned around in the air. "Jus' sayin' that you never really got ta know him, ya know? I've been around the dude for—what—10 years! He's not the same kid ya knew back then—he's different now!" He paused as Ichigo looked away and let his fingers curl into tight fists.
Grimmjow was right… This was not the same Shiro he'd grown up with.
Ichigo sighed as he pushed open the large double doors that led outside and then nearly gasped when his arm was snatched up in a steel-like grip.
"ICHIGO!"
Well, well, well… Speak of the devil.
"What do you w—" Ichigo was cut off when Shirosaki lightly pulled him closer, eyes narrowed with worry.
"Did ya see Getsuga in there?!"
Ichigo blinked and slowly moved his head side to side while trying not to blush at their close proximity. "Uhm. No! Why!?"
Shirosaki noticed the teen's reddening cheeks, but didn't mention it as he quickly dragged Ichigo out of the doorway and pushed him towards the shifting mass of students and faculty. "Stay with the crowd!"
"But what's going on wi—"
"I mean it, Ichigo!" Shirosaki snapped and Ichigo was about to snap back for being fucking interrupted AGAIN, but the seriousness in Shiro's voice had him nodding instead.
With frowning lips, Shiro finally turned to acknowledge Grimmjow, who had returned his attention to the cell phone in his hand.
Grimmjow raised one bright-blue brow and frowned when his pale-skinned foster-brother grabbed him by the front of the shirt while also pointing towards Ichigo. "'Ey, Mudkip, Do me a favor n' keep an eye on him! Do not let'm outta your sight!"
Grimmjow let a small smirk spread across his lips. "That an order?"
Shiro's upper lip rose in the beginning of a snarl, but he quickly shook the anger away. He turned to head inside the school, only hesitating long enough to say, "I 'ain't got time for your fuckin' games, Grimm! Anythin' happens ta him…" He left the threat hanging as he ran off, knowing Grimmjow would use his own imagination to fill in the blanks. Shiro quickly skidded around the first corner towards Kaien's office without so much as a glance back.
Ichigo could do nothing but blink in confusion as he watched his older brother disappear.
That was weird…
Why was Shiro so frazzled?
Is Getsuga okay?
Should he go after him?
Ichigo was pulled away from his thoughts when Grimmjow began pushing him towards the crowd of people. Ichigo struggled a little, worry for his brothers outweighing everything else.
"C'mon, berry! Let's see if we can find Kon an' your other brother. What was his name—Mutesoo?"
That got Ichigo's attention away from the double-doors long enough so he could roll his eyes and snort in amusement.
"It's Mugetsu." Ichigo corrected, but Grimmjow just shrugged.
"Keh. Sounds the same ta me!"
Ichigo scoffed but didn't respond as they continued to push their way through the crowd. They eventually slowed to a stop and frowned when they made it all the way to the other side of the large mass of people. "I don't see them… Maybe—"
"Ichigo! What the fuck!?"
Said orangette spun around when he recognized the voice. He blinked and shrank away, guilty look plastered on his face, as he was confronted by Renji and Rukia.
"Where the hell did you run off to?! Byakuya is looking for you right now! He's really fucking worried!" Renji shouted, trying his best to be heard over the fire-alarm (which refused to shut the hell up!).
Ichigo grimaced and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"I went up to the roof…" He mumbled.
"What!?" Rukia shouted while leaning forward so she could hear him better.
"THE ROOF!" Ichigo yelled in an unnecessarily loud voice and before she could scold him, he added, "Hey! Have you guys seen Kon?"
They shared a curious look and shook their heads, making Ichigo curse under his breath.
Something wasn't right…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ichigo jumped to face the school, eyes wide.
"Did you guys hear that!?"
All he received in response were strange looks—like he'd grown bunny ears or something.
"Hear what!?" Renji asked, struggling to speak over the alarm. This made Ichigo realize that the sound had originated from his own mind, echoing and bouncing around inside his head until he realized it must've been from his connection with Shirosaki.
But he'd never heard anything through the connection before.
Something definitely wasn't right!
…
..
.
..
…
TBC
-Laughs nervously-
Been a while hasn't it?
Ehehehheh~ Hope I didn't lose too many readers because of my absence—but I'm sure I have.
And I wouldn't blame anyone for leaving. I hate it when Author's don't update regularly either. –sigh-
BUT! I really enjoyed writing this chapter (even though I rewrote the damn thing like 4 TIMES!) There were sooooo many different ways I could've done this chapter! And it turned out to be so long that I had to break it into two parts!
Don't worry, I already have the second part done! I'll be uploading it tomorrow night. PROMISE!
BTW: I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me on this long-ass journey. I really, truly, appreciate it! I love you all so much! I'll try to wrap this story up before chapter 30, and I promise you lots and lots of smut to make up for the lack of smexy time in this story.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PM ME!
Until tomorrow my darlings~!