Author's Note: Sorry guys, but no smexy time in this chapter, but maybe some kissing and touching~ I"LL NEVER TELL! But there's also a lot of important info in this chapter.... and it's really long... o wo;; sorry about that.
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Chapter 2
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"Rukiaa!!" Ichigo called, his voice cracking slightly.
He had been calling his friend's name for hours, yet he couldn't even catch a whiff of her scentfromthe passing breeze, not even a small strand of her ink-black hair could be spotted anywhere.
"RUKIAAA!" He cried again as he raced through the tall grass of an open field. There were trees on all sides of him, but he knew that if he called her name out here in the open, then she could hear his voice even from miles away.
"Fuck… I hope she's okay…" He whispered to himself mournfully.
Just as he was about to begin searching in the dense part of the woods, he spotted a shadow making its way towards him. Recognizing the small shape and the sounds of quiet wings flapping in the breeze, he quickly looked up and spotted a familiar black hawk in the sky.
"BYAKUYA! HEY! DOWN HERE!" He shouted while waving his arms around wildly—but that was just to annoy the bird, since he knew it wasn't hard for a hawk to spot his glaringly bright hair.
The hawk faltered in its flight and looked down at him in annoyance.
For a second there, Ichigo was afraid that Byakuya was going to just continue flying and ignore him, but the large bird surprised him by circling around smoothly. Then the elegant creature dove down until his sharp talons were nestled gently atop the tiger's mop of orange hair.
"What do you want, Ichigo? You're scaring all the prey away with your loud mouth." Byakuya reprimanded while pecking lightly at the felid's head with its hooked beak.
Ichigo ignored the pecking and pulled at his tail nervously.
"Byakuya, I'm sorry, but you have to hear me out. Rukia's being chased by these two leopards and this huge gorilla, and they're from the espada! I've been looking everywhere for her, but I can't find her. I'm starting to get really worried; you have to help me find her!" Ichigo pleaded, which was a very rare sight, especially for Byakuya.
The hawk sighed and smoothed out his ruffled chest-feathers before replying, "She's fine. I saw her with Renji and the others back at Karakura not too long ago. However, they're all gathering search parties to look for you, so you'd better hurry up and get back home before your father has a heart attack." With that said, the stuck-up bird took off into the air once more, his long black feathers fluttering gracefully against the wind.
Ichigo growled a little before taking off in the direction of the dirt path—the same dirt path where Renji had found him when Rukia was first captured.
As he pushed his way through, he grumpily growled and hissed at random objects that got in his way before he finally emerged on the dirt road. He looked both ways before sighing and turning right, his ears and tail drooping a little, and he didn't even notice when he passed the empty space where the dead buck he had killed before used to be.
"I knew she would be okay… but I wasn't expecting her to be home already, safe and sound… I'm glad she's alright and all, but I was so worried that they like… killed her or something. And everyone's probably flipping out because I'm not back yet. Damn… I'm never gonna be able to go hunting on my own again! And to think—I could've stayed with Grimmjow and talked to him for a little longer… How the hell am I supposed to find him now without going into the forbidden part of the forest?" He whined while kicking at the dirt with his bare feet.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice a certain someone racing towards him until he heard a loud voice squealing, "Ichi-hime![1]"
Said tiger looked up just in time to see a familiar pink blur zipping towards him. He immediately stopped walking and braced himself for the glomp that was to come.
"OOF~!" He huffed as he was knocked right off his feet.
"Ichi-himmeee! Where've you been!!? Kenny and I has been lookin' evewywhere fo' you!! Then we heard you was in twouble! We were so worried! Kenny looked like he was gonna keel someone!" The small pink pup yipped as she nuzzled into Ichigo's chest affectionately.
"It's okay Yachiru… I'm fine." He purred while petting the wolf cub soothingly. "So where's Kenpachi right now?" He asked, with a slight hint of fear, his tail twitching nervously as he sat up. Yachiru giggled slightly as she slid into his lap.
"Ohh… He's awound here somewhere…" She hummed while looking around. Ichigo lifted his nose to the air and opened his mouth slightly while folding his ears back in concentration[2], then he almost immediately cursed aloud when he smelt that horrid, sour odor that could only belong to Kenpachi.
"C'mon. Let's get going. Maybe we can beat Zaraki out, yeah?" Ichigo said while standing up and placing the pink wolf atop his shoulders.
"YAY! A race! Yachiru loves races! Go, set, ready!" She giggled while lightly grabbing onto the tiger's orange hair and kicking his chest, as if she was currently mounting a horse.
"Hold on tight." He warned with a light chuckle before sprinting forward on the dirt road. He could hear her light childish giggling grow louder as he ran faster and faster.
"You're almost as fast as Kenny! Heh heh!" She said while tugging at his unruly hair a little. Ichigo merely rolled his auburn eyes at that and smiled before picking up the pace, the wind and falling leaves whizzing past them.
He wasn't trying to show off or anything if that's what you were thinking~
It didn't take long before they got close to the end of the path where the trees began to blanch. Beyond the thinning trees were many acres of green plains that stretched as far as the eye could see.
It was the land that belonged to Ichigo's father.
Karakura Pride-lands.
"Okay Yachiru… This is where we part. Tell Kenpachi I said 'hi', okay?" He smiled before placing the pup to the ground.
"But I don't wan' Ichi-hime to leaveee! Kenny gets so happy when Ichi-hime is awound!" Yachiru protested with big watery eyes then she clung to his pant-leg. He sighed irritably at the hackneyed scene before him.
She never failed to give him the guilt-trip whenever he was about to leave.
Ichigo gently patted the pup's pink head and lightly scratched behind the white furry ears, which immediately got her to release his leg. She practically turned into a puddle of giggly-panting goo as he continued petting her. He chuckled and sprinted off into the grassy fields before she was able to latch onto him again.
Yachiru stayed and watched him leave with curious amber eyes.
Ichigo had to race across the desolate terrain and along small cliff sides that cut into the ground before he finally made it to the huge mountain known as 'Masaki'—his father had named the massive cliff-like rock after his deceased mother. (It sort of looks like 'pride rock' from 'Lion King'.) Ichigo quickly shook away thoughts of his mother before continuing forward.
The mountain was practically hollow inside and resembled something along the lines of a termite hill, with its many tunnels and den-like rooms. No one knew how the tunnels and dens were made, but, honestly, no one really cared, as long as they could sleep comfortably in them.
Of course there weren't any doorways or anything, so everyone had to pitch in and take different shifts in guarding the entrance—in case of an attack.
Guarding the front entryway right now were Shuuhei, a dark haired jaguar, and Yoruichi, a lithe, purple-haired cheetah.
They immediately recognized the orange tiger as he began climbing up towards them on the rocky pathway.
"Ichigo! It's about time you got your ass back here. King Isshin is going ballistic in there, and we already sent a few groups to go search for you." Yoruichi called and she chuckled when the grumpy tiger finally stopped right in front of them, looking rather disheveled.
"Sorry I'm late you guys… Is it really that bad in there? And is Rukia okay?" He said, only slightly out of breath from his journey back.
"You should go see for yourself." Shuuhei said while flicking his long black tail towards the gaping entrance. Ichigo let out a long sigh before making his way in.
Once he was fully inside, he had to let himself adjust to the darkness—which didn't take long—and as soon as he could see the enormous room, he immediately made his way towards the small circle of cats that were currently blocking the way to his own den, which was right next to Rukia's.
They were all whispering amongst each other and he could tell that it was about something important from the way their tails twitched urgently.
Standing in the middle of the circle was Hitsugaya, a small white lynx with ice-blue eyes. He was probably trying to think of which cats he should send for search parties, seeing as he's the type to always keep everyone organized during a crisis.
Standing around him was:
Matsumoto, a frisky strawberry-blonde Puma who loved flirting with the other cats. It was almost like she was in constant heat or something… And Ichigo wondered how she wasn't pregnant yet.
Kira, a quiescent blonde Serval who seemed depressed all the time, but he had a good sense of pride and he was someone that you could always ask for honest advice.
Ukitake, a Caracal with long white hair and the sweetest and most kind heart you'd ever find in a felid.
Shunsui, a liger with wavy brown hair and a scruffy appearance. He was recently labeled a 'womanizer' after having mated with twenty different females this passed season, but Ichigo has noticed that the liger has been following Ukitake around a lot lately.
And—to top everything off.
Standing to the side of the group were three young cubs: Karin, Yuzu and Kon.
Karin and Yuzu were Ichigo's younger twin sisters, and unlike his bright orange tail and ears, they had the same dark, burnt-looking orange coat that their father had. Karin's hair was black though, which reflected her grumpy attitude, while Yuzu's hair was bright and sunny—it matched perfectly with her lambent smiles that lit up the world.
Kon was a lion cub who Ichigo and Rukia found months ago, and even though the feisty kitten hadn't been in the family for long, he seemed to fit right in—except for the fact that Ichigo thought the cub was a pain in the ass, but in a younger brother sort of way.
Besides, Kon usually clung to Rukia and Matsumoto, so Ichigo didn't have to deal with him half the time anyway.
As Ichigo drew closer to the small group, he figured that they must've smelt his scent, because once he took just one more step forward, they all turned and looked straight at him. Many of them gasped and smiled while the others jumped up and hugged him tightly.
He barely suppressed the urge to squeak when a certain strawberry-blonde Puma practically suffocated him between her huge breasts.
He was able to pry himself away from her when Hitsugaya began to scold her, only to be tackled by the three cubs.
He was then instantly harassed with questions like, "Where've you been? Are you injured? Was it really the espada? What happened? Are those hickies?"
He felt overwhelmed and could do nothing else but remain quiet as they continued to interrogate him.
Though, to his relief, they went completely silent… but his relief then turned to annoyance when he felt the 'fatherly-love' vibes coming from above. He tilted his head up to watch as Isshin came stomping out of his den, which was located on the top ledge of the cave (Right where he could watch over everyone).
It was completely quiet as everyone watched the king with bated breath, waiting for the large tiger's reaction.
…
"Ichigooooo! My son!" He cheered gleefully, and everyone instinctively backed away as he leapt toward the orange teen. "I was so worried about you!" He cried as he smothered his son in kisses and hugs of manlyness.
"Get off of me you big oaf!" Ichigo shouted while pawing at the tiger's scruffy face. Isshin refused to let go though, and the orange-head was about to give in to the forceful hug but froze when he spotted Rukia and Renji on the other side of the 'living den' (AKA Living room—Where many of the meetings occurred and it was a place where most of the cats hung out and ate). The smaller tiger quickly kicked his father away so he could run over to his two friends.
"Renji! Rukia! Are you both okay??" Ichigo asked as he looked over both cats carefully. Renji's chest had stopped bleeding and was bandaged nicely along with the few minor scratches that were on his face. Rukia seemed to be perfectly fine, except for a few scratches across her shoulders, which were most likely from running through some bushes.
The lynx suddenly became teary-eyed and she sniffled softly before walking over to the startled tiger. "I-Ichigo. I'm so sorry! We were supposed to be looking after you, but I only ended up causing you trouble, a-and I didn't even try to help you from that panther. I'm so sorry, please forgive me." She sobbed while clinging to Ichigo tightly, her ears and tail drooping.
Ichigo sighed gently and smiled as he hugged her closer to him. He even got onto his knees, so they were the same height, and he proceeded to wrap his arms around her. He rested one hand on her head as she buried her moist face against his neck.
"Don't worry about it Rukia. There wasn't much you could do for me back there since you were being chased by two leopards and a fat-ass gorilla." Renji snorted in amusement at the last comment which earned him a glare from Ichigo. "As long as you're okay then it doesn't matter what happened to me…" It was Renji and Rukia's turn to glare at him.
"But that panther, he—"
"Don't worry about it Rukia" Ichigo cut her off as he stood back up and then smiled down at her while wiping away her tears with gentle thumbs. "Hey, do me a favour, and go and see if you can persuade my father into letting me go on another hunt tomorrow." He said in a soothing voice, and Rukia almost seemed like she was about to object to that, but she shut her mouth and nodded in agreement when she saw the pleading look in his auburn eyes.
Once she was on the other side of the room and out of earshot, Renji quickly grabbed Ichigo by his arm and dragged him into the nearest hallway, which just so happened to lead to Renji's den. The crimson tiger pulled the silent Ichigo along until they were fully inside the cozy den. He swiftly pushed Ichigo up against the nearest wall and pressed his body flush against him.
"Okay, you're telling me exactly what the hell happened to you out there. Once we rescued Rukia from those assholes, she couldn't stop crying about some panther that was attacking you." He said with a frown marring his face and his eyes followed the trail of hickeys that covered the orange tiger's neck. "I can fucking smell him all over you, and that bite mark on your neck… I can tell that he did more than 'attack' you."
Ichigo stubbornly turned his face away and remained silent.
For a second, he was worried that the redhead would blow up or get violent, but Renji merely released him and began to pace back and forth in front of the orange tiger, who was still pressed up against the rocky wall.
"Listen Renji… I—"
"I don't want any excuses Ichigo. Just tell me what he did." Renji snapped, knowing that Ichigo would tell a story just to try and make it seem like it was no big deal.
The smaller tiger kept silent for a minute and he watched Renji's bare feet walk back and forth, back and forth, and he could practically feel the jealousy/possessiveness that radiated off of the other tiger.
"He… well… He had me pinned to the ground… and he bit my neck… and he began licking me and stuff. But that's all he did." Ichigo explained while averting his eyes from the now angry felid.
Renji stopped pacing and turned his sharp red eyes to watch Ichigo fidget nervously with his orange ears folded back and tail wrapped around his waist protectively, as if he was expecting the larger tiger to attack him at any second.
Renji felt his own tail bristle with guilt and suppressed anger—but the anger was more or less pointed at the panther who dared to touch his future mate.
After a long, awkward silence, Renji finally sighed and relaxed his muscles. He then slowly stalked over to Ichigo and grabbed his chin, making the cat look up so their eyes could meet.
"Is that all he did to you…?" He asked softly and blinked when Ichigo only nodded. "Hm… Fine. But from now on I want you to be more careful, okay? Ya know how worried we were about you?" Renji sighed gently as he embraced the smaller tiger. Ichigo growled a little and quickly pushed Renji off of him. "What the—"
"Fuck you Renji! I'm not some little kit anymore! I can take care of myself! And stop acting like you're my mate or something, because you're not! My father had only mentioned that we would make a cute couple, and you let it go to your head! Leave me alone!" Ichigo snarled and shoved past the dumbfounded redhead.
Once he made it back to the Living den, he was instantly grabbed by Rukia and dragged over to the place where everyone had started gathering. Apparently the search parties were called back and now everyone was all together, save for Renji, who was still in his den.
Ichigo sighed when he heard his father begin his stupid announcement.
"Today, we have once again proven to those espada that we reign supreme! And that no one messes with anyone in our family!" Cheers and howls of agreement resounded throughout the large group of animals, but Ichigo remained silent. He saw no such victory today. "And, unfortunately, my son was unable to complete his hunt." At this, the tiger received sympathetic looks and pats on the back, but he merely shrugged it off. "BUT!" Isshin continued loudly while raising a large hand, "I have decided—with the help of Rukia—to give my dear boy another chance to show us that he is no longer a young cub!"
Yowls and cheers of agreement again echoed throughout the large, cave-like room, but Ichigo only glared at his father.
Isshin noticed the scathing look and cowered slightly with a pout.
"Isn't that what you wanted, Ichigo???" He whined while crawling over to his son on his knees. Many of the animals just shook their heads and rolled their eyes at the scene.
"Yes dad. But are you going to actually let me go out on my own this time? No one's going to follow me around… Right?" Ichigo growled, his tail lashing around threateningly. Isshin sat there on his knees, looking up at his son thoughtfully. He seemed like he was going to just go ahead and say 'No', but thought better of it when Ichigo bared his canines angrily.
"Okay, okay! Daddy promises to let you go out by yourself!" He shouted and began groveling at the orange felid's feet.
"Ugh… Would you please act more like a king, you stupid oaf." Ichigo sighed while crossing his arms, but Isshin didn't seem to hear him. "C'mon dad wou—" Ichigo cut himself off when he caught sight of Renji emerging from his den, an expression of pure guilt marring his tattooed face. He glared at the crimson tiger heatedly and then roughly shoved his father away before turning around, towards the exit. He had to jostle his way through the many animals that were in his way, but once he was finally outside, he immediately jumped down from the stone ledge and bolted.
He ignored the others as they called out his name.
He let his legs sweep him away.
As he pushed his legs to move faster and faster, he was slowly able to calm himself down, the sound of his heart beating in his ears was a comforting cadence that slowly numbed his raging emotions.
The wind was soothing as it rushed through his hair, almost as if someone was running their fingers through his orange tresses, and the setting sun bathed the last of its warmth on his rippling muscles and long limbs.
Thoughts of Renji, hunting, and even Grimmjow escaped his mind as he continued to run—He didn't even spare a glance to the passing zebra and antelope—the only thing that entered his mind was how pretty the stars would be tonight.
~~About an hour later~~
Ichigo panted and wheezed for breath as he dragged his feet slowly across the soft grass, but he didn't stop until he finally reached the edge of his favourite watering hole, which was complete with waterfall and fruit trees. This was his favourite place to come when he was stressed out and only he and one other person knew the whereabouts of this place—which isn't surprising, because it was located at the farthest point of the 'Training Prairie' (which was right beside the 'Forbidden Forest'), where no one truly dared to venture through.
Ichigo walked closer to the water's edge and peered down, but all he saw was the reflection of the blackish-blue sky and the bright, gorgeous stars that littered across it—it was almost as if the water was another sky, but that was impossible because he could also see his shadowy silhouette as it blocked his view of the reflected image of the stars.
He chuckled when he saw the ripples from the waterfall come closer and sweep across his silhouette, making it seem like he and the stars were moving, maybe even dancing.
Smiling to himself, the tiger dipped one foot into the water to find that it was quite warm.
Nodding in approval, he quickly shed himself of his pants and dove into the water that seemed so black, but yet so very clean. Ichigo swam a few laps around the massive pool before settling himself out of the water and onto a rocky ledge that sloped out towards the water, right next to the roaring waterfall. He reached out a hand and let the cascading water slap against his skin.
The tiger was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice when a certain figure silently crept up behind him. He didn't even notice as said figure sat down next to him until a hand reached out and slid up his back slowly, fingers barely touching his skin. This made the orange tiger's body rack with shivers and he gasped softly.
Ichigo quickly turned his head towards the unexpected visitor, ears pulled forward in alarm, but he visibly relaxed when he immediately recognized the smirking shadow.
"Shirosaki, you ass! Don't do that, you almost gave me a heartattack!" He yelled over the roaring of the waterfall before he took in the other's appearance.
Shiro's looks were pretty identical to Ichigo's own, except for the fact that he was an albino tiger, which meant instead of an orange tail and ears, he had white ones, but you could barely see his ears since they blended in so well with his hair, if, of course, you ignored the black stripes that decorated said ears and tail. Even Shiro's skin was pale. In fact, it was so pale that it seemed completely white. Ichigo would always tease him by calling him 'the magic snowflake', which was mostly true, since he could 'disappear' whenever it snowed. Along with his frosty appearance, he also had a rough blue tongue, and bright golden eyes that were surrounded by black. And it never ceased to take Ichigo's breath away when the tiger was bathed in the moonlight—like right now. Shiro's whole beeing seemed to glow, which gave him an ethereal/godly look.
Said white tiger threw back his head and laughed that same loud, maniacal laugh that always seemed to cheer Ichigo up, oddly enough.
Ichigo was about to say something else, but was shut up when cold hands suddenly pushed him intothe water.
Ichigo broke the surface, spluttering and cursing Shiro, but the albino merely cackled again and jumped in right beside the other felid, making a small wave splash onto the tiger's flushed face. Ichigo pouted when he felt his hair stick uncomfortably to his scalp and his ears drooped slightly from being so soaked.
Looking around quickly, he began to worry when he couldn't find Shiro anywhere. His chest tightened uncomfortably at the mere thought of loosing the stupid albino tiger.
"Shiro?" He called tentatively, hoping to see any sign of the crazy cat.
Ichigo let out a surprised squeak when he was suddenly dragged under the water by his ankles.
When he broke the surface once again he dramatically gasped for breath.
"HAHAHA!"
Ichigo growled and turned towards the laughing tiger in order to splash him in the face, making Shiro's mouth get full of water.
"You jerk! I could've drowned!"
Shiro merely shrugged and said, "But ya didn't~ so ha! And 'sides, ya should know tha' I'd never le' my king drown! Tha'd be a rather pathetic way ta die, dun ya think??"
The next twenty minutes consisted of Ichigo chasing Shirosaki around in the water and cursing at him until they both grew tired.
"Oi, king! I think 'm gonna ge' out now~"
When Ichigo nodded in agreement, they casually swam to the other side of the watering hole, which was far enough away from the waterfall so they could easily hear each other speak without having to yell.
Shiro slowly climbed out of the water and then turned to help pull the other tiger out as well.
"Heh, never thought I'd see your ugly face again so soon." Ichigo joked as he violently shook himself, making water spray in every direction.
"HEY! Watch it!" Shiro complained as he got soaked—well, more soaked then he already was anyway.
Ichigo laughed as they both began to tug their pants back on, and once they were all buttoned up, he immediately hugged the other tiger tightly. "I missed you." He mumbled into the other's extremely pale chest.
Shiro seemed surprised by the berry's uncharacteristically affectionate attitude, but shrugged and hugged him back anyway. "Missed ya too… So wuh happened?" He asked, knowing something must be wrong with his king for him to act so strangely.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo mumbled, his face still buried in the other's chest.
Shiro's golden eyes narrowed, and his dripping wet tail swayed back and forth gently, before wrapping around the other's orange one. He then slowly ushered the other cat to sit beside him under their favorite tree—with its roots jutting out and curving up and then around, almost as if it was a making a small den for them. "'ey…" Shiro mumbled as they sat down on the soft, spongy, moss-covered ground, "Tell me what's wrong. I neva usually see ya here 'nless somethin's wrong—Well, yeah, sometimes ya come ta just visit me, which I appreciate by the way, but… jus' tell yer favorite servant wuh exactly is on yer mind." He said softly, which was odd for him to do. Usually he'd just beat the kit to a pulp until he told him, but he'd been feeling rather… gentle lately, especially towards his king.
Ichigo laughed hollowly at the 'servant' joke before going quiet for a second.
Sighing, he finally said, "Well… You remember when I told you about Grimmjow…?" He tried to keep himself calm by playing with the tip of Shiro's tail.
"Mmmm… oh yeah! Tha's tha' blue panther who you said was yer best friend when ya were lil', right?" Shiro said as he scratched his chin in thought. Ichigo nodded and began to absently pet the white tail that was trapped within his grasp.
"Yeah, that's him… Well, I saw him again today. The first time after eleven years."
"Really!? Tha's awesome! Ya finally found 'im. So are ya guys like bestest buddies again?" Shiro giggled and wrapped an arm around Ichigo's shoulders to give him a somewhat-embrace.
"Yeah, well… I also found out that he's an Espada…" Ichigo mumbled bitterly, tail flicking and ears lying flat against his head. Shiro looked down at the mess of orange hair with a raised brow before leaning down to nip at an orange striped ear, making it flinch away from him reflexively.
"So?" He scoffed.
Ichigo growled and tried to push Shiro away from him stubbornly, but the albino tiger refused to budge.
"What do you mean 'so'!!? He's the fucking enemy! I can't just.. I mean… He's… What the espada did… I can't forgive them… even if he wasn't part of it at the time…"
Shiro could tell by the cracking of his voice that he was about ready to start crying.
'GoodLord, king can be such a baby sometimes…'
Sighing, he began to nuzzle his face against the other's damp hair affectionately.
"I mean, my king, tha' it really shouldn't matta tha' he's stuck in a different world than you are. If ya guys like each other then ya should be friends, screw wuh the others say. And screw what someone else had done to ya. The past is the past, King… Ya need to let it go..." He explained while trying to sooth the shivering felid.
Ichigo clenched and unclenched his fists and he squeezed his eyes shut to help him resist the urge to cry, but a few rebellious tears leaked out anyway.
A soft hiccup bubbled out of his throat, making Shiro hold onto him more tightly.
"Tha's not all tha's buggin' ya is it?" Shiro hummed knowingly, but then he growled a little when Ichigo remained silent.
The Bengal Tiger huffed slightly and moved back just enough so he could grip the other male's chin, his black claws scraping lightly against the skin as he pulled the other's face upwards. His golden eyes glared sternly into Ichigo's watery brown ones and he refused to look away until he got an answer.
Ichigo wanted to hide away from the other's intense golden eyes, but couldn't find the will to do so.
"R-Renji got all mad when he saw the marks Grimmjow left on me, and then he got all jealous and possessive, and I'm just… I'm sick of him thinking that he's my mate." Ichigo snarled the last word and he averted his eyes from Shiro's piercing gaze. He winced when he felt the grip on his chin tighten.
"Marks?" Shiro repeated with a raised brow. He then used his grip on the other's chin to turn his head sideways. It was dark, so Shiro hadn't noticed the hickeys and the bite mark before, but now that he saw it, the albino felid growled a little and then sighed and forcefully calmed himself when he felt Ichigo tense up.
"D-don't get mad. Please." Ichigo squeaked, not wanting another one of his good friends to go all possessive on him again.
Shirosaki released his chin and then frowned when Ichigo immediately curled into a tight ball, with his ears tucked back and his tail wrapped around himself tightly.
"Ichigo…" Shiro called softly.
Said felid peeked out past his folded arms to stare at the white tiger in surprise. "…You… you haven't called me by my name since we were cubs…" He murmured, shock evident in his voice. Shiro shook his head once and grinned as he watched Ichigo slowly uncurl himself from his defensive position.
"Yea… Well, I jus' think tha' since yer bein' such a crybaby, tha' ya dun deserve to have the title 'King'~" He teased, and his grin grew wider at Ichigo's dubious expression.
Ichigo huffed defiantly and turned his face away, auburn eyes narrowing and bottom lips jutting out in a pout. He quickly crossed his arms and leaned back until he was resting against the tree's smooth bark. Shiro stared at the brooding kit for a few moments and he was content to just watch him, but then this burning sensation dug into his gut, forcing him to move.
Instincts took over the helpless white tiger, and he carefully prowled forward until his face was right in front of Ichigo's. Their noses brushed lightly against each other, and their gazes locked with a chilling intensity. Shiro then shifted until he had his long arms braced on either side of the orange tiger's head.
"…What are you—" Ichigo was cut off when white lips crashed into his own. All he could do was gasp lightly and clench his eyes shut as he felt sharp teeth nip gently at his lips. "S-stop." He breathed and he tried to move his head back, only to find that the tree's roots were in the way. Shiro slowly dipped his blue-ish tongue between Ichigo's thin lips, only to be stopped by Ichigo's stubbornly clenched teeth. Shiro growled deep in his throat but then began to kiss his way down to his neck.
'Oh shit… Not again.' Ichigo thought helplessly as he felt the albino's mouth open and then clamp down. "Mrow!" He yelped in slight pain once he felt those canines dig into his skin and then he blushed when he felt the sensitive skin of his neck being sucked towards that hot mouth. 'Why do I feel so weak when things like this happen!?' He grumbled mentally as he pawed at Shiro's bare chest.
The white tiger seemed to snap out of his trance, because next thing Ichigo knew, Shirosaki was off of him and out of the small den-like nest. He was now pacing back and forth along the side of the watering hole, a hand clamped firmly over his mouth—the same mouth that had been 'attacking' Ichigo.
"Shit!" He cursed to himself, his feet never pausing.
Ichigo grumbled slightly as he placed a tentative hand over the new mark on his neck. His skin felt a little soar in that area (Che, ya think?).
Looking up, his auburn eyes followed the other's white form as it quickly traveled back and forth, back and forth.
"Shiro." He called out attentively as he slowly made his way towards said felid.
But the Bengal Tiger didn't seem to hear him; he just continued his aggressive pacing.
Once he was close enough, Ichigo reached out and grabbed his friend's arm, which instantly stopped him.
"Wh—"
"I shouldn't 'ave done tha'." Shiro answered before Ichigo finished the first word. "M'sorry, King. I really shouldn't 'ave even come here… I'm gonna go." He whispered, then shrugged off Ichigo's hand and turned to leave, but the berry refused to let him. He sighed when Ichigo wrapped his arms around him from behind and buried his face in his back. "King… Ya gotta let me go."
"No!" Ichigo said firmly, his grip tightening. "I don't… I can't loose you Shiro. You're like my best friend. Please… just stay."
Shiro remained silent for a while, then sighed and made Ichigo loosen his arms enough so that he could turn around and face the other. "King... Look at me… C'mon… don' make tha' pathetic face, or I'm gonna 'ave to push you inta the water again… heh, see, tha's better... Now listen, I'll stay, but I can't promise tha' I won't do somethin' like tha' again…" He explained and smirked slightly when he noticed the other tiger blush. "Or… do ya want me to do tha' again?" He said teasingly.
"N-no! shuddup you stupid snowflake! It's bad enough that Grimmjow and Renji are perverted assholes, I don't need another one molesting me!!" Ichigo yelled, though his blush grew a little darker, but before Shiro could point that out, he quickly turned and said, "I'm tired, I'm going to go to sleep."
The albino smirked and then followed the orange tiger into the little den in the tree. They both lay down, and Ichigo automatically wrapped himself around the other so his head was resting on his pale chest and their tails became intertwined, just like he always used to do.
Ichigo smiled when he felt the vibrations of a purr rumbling deep inside Shiro's throat. He then slowly fell into a deep sleep thanks to the steady rise and fall of the albino's chest.
Neither of the sleepy tigers noticed as a silent figure in the bushes began to creep away without a sound.
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***TBC***
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[1]- Hime is a honorific for 'princess'… c'mon you guys, I had to make a strawberry-fem joke in this story at some point~ = w=~ but I will point out that even though I make Ichigo seem somewhat uke-ish at times, he isn't feminine what-so-ever ]:
[2]- Didya know that cats have a pair of vomeronasal organs—AKA Jacobson's organs—on the roof of their mouths? When a cat wants to pin-point a certain scent, they inhale through their mouths, and usually they'll fold their ears back, curl their lips up, and bring the air over the roof of their mouth. This makes them look like they're grimacing, but the look is called a 'Flehmen reaction'.
Just thought I'd share some knowledge~ I had to look up the name of the organs though because I forgot –hangs head in shame for never being able to remember names-