Author's Note: Mom and dad are home so now there's help with the babies other than me. I might be able to write again. XD

Shiro licked his lips, gazing into the depths of the water with narrowed eyes.

Fishing wasn't necessarily easy but it was always rewarding. The fish that came from the ocean were full of fat and ready to spawn, a dream come true for anything that ate fish. There had been plenty of raptors at the shallow part, but he and Grimmjow had managed to drive them away. Raptors always feared his kind, although they wouldn't hesitate to attack if they looked weak or injured.

So the raptors had been relegated to less choice spots, and he and Grimmjow were fishing. Shiro used a cleverly made net while Grimmjow preferred to use his hands and claws. They were equally successful, which was a little annoying to Shiro. In his old family, a net beat hands every time.

Shiro was just pulling a fish out of his net when a strange sound split the air. Orange was sitting on the bank and quickly stood, looking towards it. Then the two aliens gaped as a strange… thing trundled into view.

"What th' hell is that?" Shiro said as Grimmjow stared. "There's people in it?" He asked but his mate had completely lost interest in the moving thing. His focus was solely on the woman inside it.

"Yoruichi!" Shiro cursed and tried to grab his hair as he went by, but missed. His stupid and trusting mate was going to do something idiotic again, he just knew it. Shiro tensed as the female leapt off the thing and sailed at Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow!" For one brief, horrible moment Shiro thought they were trying to kill each other as they grappled and tumbled through the grass. But then his fear eased as he realized they were both laughing and crying, nuzzling each other like close siblings. He snuck closer, his ears tilted forward as he tried to listen in.

"You're alive you're alive you're alive…" The female punctuated every word with a kiss and if she'd been male, Shiro would have been bristling. But if they'd ever been lovers it would have been purely for entertainment. Grimmjow was certainly not fertile in the male position.

"I can't believe you made it." Tears were streaming freely down Grimmjow's face as he hugged the female tightly. Shiro noticed that Ichigo was quietly conversing with one of his people, a man wearing a funny looking hat. But most of his attention was on the drama unfolding in front of him. "Did anyone else get out? Did your parents?" Grimmjow asked and Shiro blinked as everything suddenly clicked. Of course. This was a female relative of some kind and the white alien relaxed a bit as he realized that. They couldn't be too closely related – the skin color was very different – but they could be as close as half-siblings.

"No." She said sadly, her ears flattening a bit. Shiro could sympathize. "It was all so confusing when the flooding started… mama yelled at me to grab the babies and run. I could only reach my little sister, and I was holding onto her so hard but a branch hit my arm and just ripped her away." The female reached up to wipe her eyes and Shiro cringed to himself. He could absolutely picture it. "Who is this?" She asked, clearly changing the topic. Bright gold eyes eyed him dubiously and Shiro frowned at her.

"This is my mate." Grimmjow said, omitting his name. Shiro appreciated that. "And this is my cousin." He said to Shiro, who nodded at her. She gave him a critical look then suddenly grinned.

"I'm Yoruichi!" She said, pulling away from Grimmjow a bit to lounge on the grass. Shiro hissed, annoyed. That was far too friendly for a first meeting and now he was obligated to give her his name, unless he wanted to make his distrust obvious.

"I can see you two're related." He said drily and Grimmjow grinned. "I'm Shiro." He said a touch sourly but the female just gave him a cheeky grin.

"Nice to meet you Shiro!" She chirped out before darting out to give him a hug. Shiro recoiled but couldn't avoid her and he cursed softly as Grimmjow laughed. His blue mate had told him he'd come from a very touchy feely sort of family and it hadn't bothered him when it was Grimm, but it was different from a stranger. "Ah… you're hot." There was an odd note to her voice and her golden eyes narrowed into slits for a moment. Shiro yanked away, scowling at her as a bit of fear crawled through the back of his mind. But she just smiled at him innocently and turned away. "You have a mate? That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, and he's the most beautiful mate in the world." Grimmjow said proudly and Shiro couldn't help but blush. His mate immediately proceeded to make it worse, sliding up behind him and running his hands across his waist, dipping down beneath his leathers.

"D-Dammit Grimm! I'm gonna slap you!" Shiro threatened, gripping blue hair and giving a yank. There was a wince from his mate but he didn't stop, teasing him with slow, languid strokes. "Nnngh, agh! Not now ya bastard!" Shiro tried desperately to squirm away. It wasn't that he didn't want to lay with his mate – he loved it – but his family had far too many taboos for him to be comfortable with this kind of display in front of Yoruichi, Ichigo and the strange man. They hadn't even been introduced to him yet!

"Aw." Grimmjow looked dejected but let him go, sensing that his mate was really serious this time. Shiro took a few deep breaths, trying to get his body under control as Yoruichi giggled madly. Glancing over he blushed further as he saw Ichigo and his friend were both watching the show.

"Well, who th' hell is this?" He asked grouchily, eyeing the stranger. Shiro knew what hats were, although he associated them with old women. So the white and green thing looked particularly odd over the straw colored hair. The thing he was holding in his hand was weird, too. The white alien had no idea what that was for.

"This is Urahara Kisuke." Ichigo introduced him and Shiro instantly caught the deference in his body language. This was someone Orange respected, an elder perhaps. "He is the leader of our group." He explained and Shiro nodded, looking over the stranger thoughtfully. He didn't look particularly strong or agile, but Ichigo had said that his people were here to study them. That wouldn't require being an excellent hunter so he'd likely been chosen for completely different skills.

"Will you be staying here, Yoruichi?" He asked and Shiro's eyes widened at the thought. He desperately hoped the female wouldn't. She had every right to as Grimmjow's only surviving family, but Shiro had a bad feeling about her. He bit his lip, looking down as guilt suddenly hit him. He hadn't felt it in years but the look Yoruichi had given him brought it all back.

Why was I so stupid? I shoulda just said… but it's too late now. Shiro thought miserably. Dragging his mind away from his mistakes, he paid attention to what Yoruichi was saying.

"I'll just stay for a while if that's okay!" The alien bounced with a happy grin and Shiro averted his eyes, feeling another blush rising on his cheeks. She was a fine picture of a woman and he liked females just as much as males. "I want to get to know my cousin's mate better!" Shiro winced at that and sidled up to Grimmjow again. He relaxed a little as he felt his mate's hand on his back. Grimmjow knew he was uneasy although not why.

Hopefully, it would never come up.


Urahara watched with a smile as the three aliens began fishing in the stream, chattering away. At least, Yoruichi and Grimmjow were chattering. Shiro was keeping a bit of distance from the amiable female.

Kisuke was no stranger to inter-personal relations, and while gauging how aliens interacted was a difficult business he was finding that he agreed with Ichigo. They were very humanlike in their emotions and interactions. So he could tell that Shiro wasn't very happy about the newcomer to his small group.

"Is Shiro particularly antisocial, Ichigo?" He asked quietly as Yoruichi dove after a fish but came up empty handed. Grimmjow laughed and made fun of her as she hissed.

"Um… well, I wouldn't quite say that." Ichigo said cautiously and Urahara smiled to himself behind his fan. "He's not as outgoing as Grimmjow but most people aren't. He's really nice when you get to know him."

"I was just thinking that he wasn't very glad to see you, and now he seems to be reacting the same way to Yoruichi." He observed, watching Ichigo carefully. The young man frowned, glancing at the three aliens.

"He's rather jealous when Grimmjow pays attention to someone else." Ichigo admitted. "Maybe that's it." Kisuke considered that for a moment with a frown. There was something else that had been bothering him lately.

Ichigo was recording many of his interactions with the aliens, and Urahara had noticed that they were both becoming quite affectionate with the human in their midst. It was hard for him to tell what was happening sometimes, but they were both becoming quite physically close to Ichigo. And there were some suspicious blackouts in the records. Kisuke chewed his lip, wondering if he should bring it up.

But he decided not to. Largely because it was harmless, but also because of Yoruichi. She was a young lady on the make, and her targets had only put up a token resistance. Urahara really didn't want to explain that to his sponsors, or the fact that he was becoming rather fond of the young alien himself. He was seriously considering taking her up on her offers.

"They really are beautiful, aren't they?" Kisuke mused as he watched Grimmjow toss a huge fish into the basket with a tremendous throw. The fish promptly flopped out and he chuckled as Grimmjow was scolded by his mate. He had to go back to properly store the fish.

"They really are." Urahara caught the slightly odd note to young Ichigo's voice and nodded to himself. The young man was very poor at keeping secrets. "You should see some of the artwork they make." Ichigo said with a smile before pulling out his obsidian blade. Kisuke had already seen it, after a fashion, but actually taking it and holding it was different from just viewing it.

"Beautiful work. Ow!" He nicked himself on the blade and shook his head, handing the knife back. "Well, keep up the good work. Unohana Retsu should be arriving soon." He said and Ichigo nodded, his expression a bit pensive. Kisuke could imagine why. He wasn't eager to share in the glory of his discovery, but he also knew that he was too young to handle this on his own. Yet he also knew the reason Unohana was coming with only one aide was because the planetary government of Hallelujah was still denying that these aliens were sentient. That was a slam on his abilities, but if Unohana said they were sentient then that would be that. So naturally Ichigo was a bit conflicted.

"I'll do my best sir." Ichigo said and Kisuke nodded. He was just starting the ATV when Yoruichi ran back and snatched his hat all in an easy, fluid move

"Don't think you're getting away too easily! I'll be back after I've caught up with my cousin for a while!" She promised with a grin, the hat sitting on her head at a jaunty angle. Kisuke ran a hand through his hair and smiled back. Yoruichi was so cheerful; she made him feel young again.

"I don't think anything gets away from you. Could I have my hat back, please?" He said humorously and Yoruichi laughed, tossing it back. He caught it easily and put it back on his head. "Thank you. We'll be looking for you." Although they wouldn't see her until the young alien chose to reveal herself. The camouflage they called 'hierro' really was amazing. They were still trying to determine how it worked.

"Goodbye!" She called as he left and he turned a bit in the ATV to wave. She waved back, a gesture she'd learned from them and Urahara smiled to himself.

He was sure Yoruichi would be back at the camp in no time.


Shiro sat by the fire, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

They'd spent the rest of the day preparing and smoking the fish. They'd also taught Ichigo how to slice them for smoking. At first he'd cut the fillets too thick, a natural thing to do since it maximized the amount of meat. But the slices had to be thin to smoke properly, despite any potential waste, and they'd corrected his technique. Now the teepee was smoking away, and they were all enjoying an evening meal of raw and barbecued fish.

What was making him uncomfortable was Grimmjow and Yoruichi. His mate was singing his praises to the young female and encouraging him to be social, but Shiro just couldn't do it. The most he could manage was to sing a bit for her before ducking his head. The sharp looks she sometimes sent him put him on guard and he had a bad feeling he knew why she was looking at him that way. Shiro looked away and saw Ichigo. He'd taken a cautious bite of the fish and was nibbling on it now with a dreamy expression.

"It tastes like salmon. It looks like salmon, too." He said and Shiro flicked his ears at the foreign word, grateful for the distraction.

"We don' have these in th' rainforest, so we was just calling 'em pink fish." He told the other man, taking a big bite of his fish. It was one of the ones they had cooked on a stick and he deeply enjoyed the seared flesh. "Salmon. That sounds funny." Shiro wasn't sure he liked it. It sounded a bit too close to a bad word for comfort. "I think they'll stay pink fish."

"Well, they can't be the same as our salmon anyway. They do taste the same, though." Ichigo popped another piece in his mouth and suddenly stopped with a slightly panicked look. "Oh, I shouldn't be…" He started but Shiro huffed a laugh before poking him in the side with one finger.

"I'm pretty sure you're not gonna die." He told the young man from beyond the stars. Ichigo hesitated a moment before shrugging and taking another bite.

"You're probably right." He said and Shiro smiled. It would be nice if Orange ate their food once in a while. It felt good, like he was becoming a proper member of the group.

"So Shiro." Yoruichi suddenly said and he couldn't stop his flinch. "That thing you have. Did the shaman say it's really bad? Because it feels and smells really bad." His heart nearly stopped at the casual question. Her face was open and friendly but her eyes were calculating as she stared at him, gauging his answer for truthfulness.

"I…" Shiro glanced at Grimmjow. His stupid, trusting mate was looking confused. Shiro swallowed hard. He couldn't lie. He'd never lied to Grimmjow, just left something out. It wasn't the same. "It's… not good." He said before looking away. His mouth felt dry and his heart was pounding. And why did Ichigo have to be here for this? Why didn't I tell him years ago?

"What're you two talking about?" Grimmjow asked and Yoruichi gave him a look before glancing sharply at Shiro. The look on her face wasn't the least bit friendly.

"He doesn't know. And you didn't tell him." Her voice held condemnation and Shiro lifted his head, managing to meet her eyes.

"Wasn't his business at first. An' after we… I didn' know how." He said, feeling the pain twist in his chest. That had been wrong, he knew it.

"Shiro?" Grimmjow was starting to sound pissed off and a touch scared. Shiro looked over at him and met bright blue, upset eyes. "What's she talking about?" His mate left Yoruichi's side to move closer to him as Shiro looked away. He glanced up as a black hand gently touched his shoulder. "Shiro?"

"Grimm… I'm sorry." Shiro whispered. "My… my thing… it's gonna kill me Grimm." He said, his heart hurting at the shock in his mate's face. "They dunno why but… this heat thing, it runs in my family. And I got it bad. I'm pr'bly not gonna make it past thirty." He was twenty-three now. He'd been barely fifteen when the mud had killed his family. Grimmjow was older.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Grimmjow's voice was husky with shock and a growing grief. Shiro swallowed hard, feeling the guilt again. He knew his mate had dreamed of them growing old together. He'd mentioned, several times, planning for when they were old. Shiro had ignored it, deliberately not thinking about his own limited time.

"I didn' know how. An' I was afraid… you might want me t' leave…" It was always the same fear. Shiro knew he wouldn't survive it if he was rejected again. He couldn't go back to being alone after experiencing such closeness and love. Then he gasped as Grimmjow suddenly yanked him close. Sharp teeth touched his throat and Shiro froze as he heard Grimmjow's rumbling growl. "Grimm…?" It wasn't easy for them to tear another's throat out with nothing but their teeth, but that was clearly what his mate was threatening.

"You really piss me off sometimes." Grimmjow snarled but thankfully moved his teeth away from Shiro's throat. "Why can't you trust me? Why are you always so scared? I know your family fucked with your mind but shit Shiro! Can't you just trust me?" Shiro's breath caught in his throat and he blinked. He hadn't thought of it that way at all. "You know what this says to me?"

"Wh-what?" Shiro said timidly as Grimmjow drew back to look into his face. He looked furious, his blue eyes flashing and his claws half extended as he gripped white shoulders.

"If you have only seven years left, then we need to make them the best damned years we can." Grimmjow claimed his lips then and coherent thought became impossible. Shiro felt like he was melting as his mate dominated the kiss, ravaging his mouth and giving him tender nips. He couldn't stop the tears from building in his eyes, tears of pure thankfulness.

"What did I do t' deserve you…?" He asked as they finally parted, seeing a suspicious wetness in Grimmjow's eyes. His mate sniffed, rubbing his eyes for a moment before smiling and nipping his ear.

"Just being yourself. C'mon, let's go. I want to be with you tonight." Shiro nodded as Grimmjow took his hand and they left the fire, completely ignoring Yoruichi and Ichigo. They could entertain each other and this would be for the two of them.

They needed the time together.