"Da do do do... da do do do... do... da do!" Takashi sang to Yuki before offering her a spoonful of ice cream. She slurped up the sweet treat and beamed at him. "You like that, don't you Cuddles?" That was his new nickname for her, and it fit. Yuki was a very cuddly toddler.

Takashi was settling in pretty well into his new life. There was always lots of work for him at the restaurant – they were chronically short of good help – and he was already getting a bit of training as a line cook. It wasn't an easy job, but it had a great deal of appeal to him. He was good with knives and Tanis was teaching him interesting things, like how to fillet a fish and properly cut sashimi. The actual cooking was taking a bit longer for him to master, but he was rapidly getting the hang of that too. Takashi was hopeful that soon he would get a raise.

But one of his old suppliers wanted to see him. Takashi scowled to himself. He'd rather the other guy dropped dead, but he knew refusing wasn't a good move. Yoshi and Tanis were adults, they could take care of themselves, but Yuki was a child. (cub) Takashi knew it was his duty as a relative (fraccion) to make sure the kid was safe. That meant he couldn't afford to bring trouble home, so he'd meet the asshole as far away from his family as possible. Takashi sighed to himself, wishing all his old debts and contacts could just go away. They were developing a bit of wariness towards him – bad news gets around – but they were still willing to take him on. His previous reputation was shit, to say the least.

Right now, he was looking after Yuki while Tanis and Yoshi worked. It showed a lot of trust, but also a bit of desperation. The kiddo was sick with a stomach bug and they couldn't take her to daycare, even though it was starting to clear up. That kind of situation normally meant one of them had to miss work, which wasn't great at all. Yoshi was a dispatcher at the local cab company and his job wasn't very flexible. His sister's was, if anything, even worse. The top chef of the restaurant needed to be there on a busy Friday evening. But while the restaurant needed a dishwasher, it needed the executive chef more. Takashi was getting a break on the rent for this, which was good. And his old supplier wanted to see him late, so it should all fit together nicely.

"No more ice cream, Yuki." Takashi said and the toddler screwed up her face at him. "No." He said firmly before picking her up and cuddling her.

"Unca." She said and Takashi blinked before grinning. Yuki was over a year old and he knew both her parents were a bit worried about her. She didn't have much of a vocabulary for a child her age although the pediatrician said she was fine. Her little hand tangled in his hair and he winced a little before gently disengaging her.

"Yeah, I'm Uncle Takashi. Ow." Takashi frowned at the hair in her hand. She'd pulled out a few strands and they looked almost white. "Hmph." His hair was still sandy, but it seemed to be gradually bleaching out. Tanis was talking about taking him to the doctor again, but Takashi felt fine. Maybe he would get it dyed, though, if it kept bleaching. White hair would really stand out.

Yoshi finally got home, looking drained. Takashi greeted him as Yuki squealed and reached for him. Her father managed a smile before taking the child from him, gently cuddling her as she hugged his neck.

"You hungry? I put together some pork short ribs." They had been perking in the slow cooker for a long time and should be melt off the bone tender at this point. Takashi had already sampled them and he was pleased with the taste. He'd also fed some to Yuki, who had loved them. Yoshi gave him a small smile.

"I would appreciate that, thank you." He said and sat at the table as Takashi put together a plate for him. He added some steamed broccoli and heated it in the microwave before dressing it with a bit of olive oil and parmesan cheese. Then he added the ribs and brought the whole thing over to him, along with a fork and knife. "Thank you."

"S'nothin'. You want me to take her?" He asked and Yoshi nodded. Yuki was reluctant to go, but he distracted her with a good tickling. "Let daddy eat, Cuddles, then he'll play with you." He coaxed the little girl who giggled happily. He gave her another horseback ride, one of her favorite games, and by the time they were done Tanis had walked in the door. "Hey sis! How was work?"

"Dreadful. But we made a lot of money." Tanis said, sounding tired. She was part owner of the restaurant so the profits were never far from her mind. "How has Yuki been?" She sounded quite concerned and Takashi grinned.

"Great! She's gonna be fine for daycare tomorrow." He said, watching as Yoshi came over to take the child. She was very glad to go with her father. She might love her uncle, but he was rather new in her life. Her parents had been around for all of it. "I gotta go out tonight and meet someone, I might not be back until late." Tanis and Yoshi exchanged a look and Takashi could guess what they were thinking.

"Takashi, you shouldn't be involved with those people anymore. They'll drag you back down." Tanis said carefully and Takashi sighed. She was right, but that didn't mean he had a choice.

"I know, but it's not up to me. I owe this guy money and he's not going away. If I don't meet him where he wants, he'll come find me and that ain't happening." He said briefly, glancing at Yuki. Yoshi scowled while Tanis looked a bit perturbed. "I'll take care of things, Tanis. Don't worry about me." He was sure he could deal with this. His sister heaved a sigh.

"Before, I would never have believed that, but now I think I do. Don't make me feel stupid for trusting you." She warned him and Takashi grinned.

"I'll be good! For a certain value of good." He added and she looked a little pained. "So Yuki managed to eat some ribs and her baby food today…" He went into the kind of details parents wanted to know, like what her poops had been like and how much she'd thrown up. It was all pretty normal, to their relief. Yesterday she hadn't kept down a thing.

Takashi didn't bother to eat much for supper. He'd already snacked on a rather powerful hollow yesterday, and he'd found the good ones took a while to wear off. He could go for days, even a week after a good meal. When everyone else was going to bed he left the house, catching a late bus. The meeting point was pretty far away.

They were meeting at an old, abandoned building. Takashi entered as if he didn't have a care in the world, but he noted all the possible exits and the forces marshalled against him. Although that was a bit grandiose. He was actually facing four thugs and their boss, a tough man named Sota. He wasn't actually the guy Takashi owed money to, not directly. He was a mid-level boss in the drug trade, several notches higher than his supplier. Admittedly, he owed this particular supplier a lot of money – close to a thousand, without interest – but it still seemed odd that Sota wanted to talk to him.

"So, Takashi." Hard blue eyes trailed over him and Takashi scowled, feeling like that gaze was undressing him. That would actually have been better if there was something lustful about it, but it just seemed cold and calculating. Like he was being evaluated for something. "I'm told you owe one of my men almost five thousand dollars."

"One thousand!" He barked, immediately bristling. The men around him made threatening moves but Takashi just kept his gaze on Sato. "I don't pay interest, fucker." He snarled and Sato smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. In fact, it was one of the nastiest smiles Takashi had ever seen.

"You'll pay interest if I say you will." He said silkily and Takashi held back a sharp retort. If he had to pay interest, he'd be on a treadmill he could never get off of. It wasn't like he made good money and he couldn't ask Yoshi and Tanis to take care of his debts for him. They were comfortable but they didn't have thousands of dollars lying around. "But I have a different proposition. How would you feel about doing me a favour?"

"Depends on the favour." Takashi said warily. He wasn't just going to promise to anything, although he'd go pretty far to get this guy off his back. "I might consider a cock sucking, but we'd need a bit more privacy for that." He said, glancing over the flunkies. They mostly looked revolted, but one of them grinned. Sota looked amused.

"You're not to my taste. No, this is more violent." Takashi tilted his head, listening attentively. He liked violent. "A have a client who wishes to contract a hit. However, my men have already had trouble with this particular target. While I'm sure they could eventually kill him, it might be better if someone not affiliated with us did the deed. It would help with the investigation later." Sota explained and Takashi's eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't be planning to fink me out to the cops, would you?" He asked suspiciously. "Because if you did, I'd have a lot to tell them about you, Sota." The other man just smiled and shrugged. Not exactly a response. "Who is this target?" Takashi had no moral qualms about murder. He'd considered trying to go into that business, too, but the problem had been the same as drug dealing. How did you get started? How did you make contacts you could trust not to betray you? People (humans) were just too damned talkative sometimes. And he really, really didn't want to go to prison. Being trapped in a box (underwater world with nothing and no one) was his worst nightmare.

"A boy named Kurosaki Ichigo." Sota said and Takashi blinked behind his glasses. He remembered the orange haired kid. And the thought of his death sent a violent revulsion through his body. (he must not die) The reaction was instinctive and Takashi trusted his instincts.

"I know that guy. Sorry, no can do. He's the kid of the family doctor, and I like the old guy." Takashi said easily, hiding his sudden tension. He didn't think they would be happy with him turning down their 'generous' offer. "Besides, I've faced him before. It didn't go too well."

"But you are quite a bit stronger now. Not to mention cleverer." Sota said and Takashi scowled. Cleverer? Had this guy been having him watched? "It might go differently, and you could avenge yourself for the humiliation." Takashi's scowl deepened. That did have a certain appeal. But he just couldn't shake the conviction that he couldn't kill the Kurosaki kid. Something bad would happen if he did.

"No, and that's final. Was there anything else you wanted, or should I just go back to getting that thousand bucks I owe you?" He said and Sato's smile took on a nasty edge again.

"Five thousand. And I could put you to work in a different field." The bosses' eyes roved over him again and Takashi snarled silently. "Since you're not some scrawny, disgusting little street rat anymore. I'm sure I could find a buyer or two for you." The teen stiffened in outrage as he understood what Sato was suggesting.

"Fuck you! I'm not a whore." He snapped, although he knew that wasn't quite true. Takashi had sold himself for drugs many, many times, before his body had really started to go. "The only one who's going to get between my legs is someone powerful." Then Takashi frowned, wondering where that thought came from. He was willing to suck Sato's dick because he was strong, stronger than him in a lot of ways. But he wasn't going to do it for someone who'd just paid for the privilege. Money wasn't enough to win his favours, which was strange considering his past conduct.

"You really are being very difficult." Sato observed and Takashi scowled. There was a laugh and the thugs were moving towards him. He easily took a fighting stance and prepared to give them some hell. "We'll sell you on the black market, then. You'll fetch a good price now. Take him." He ordered his men.

The whirlwind of battle that followed went badly, but not for the young man at the centre of it. Takashi could only remember his past as a street rat and drug addict, but his body moved with the assurance of a hardened street fighter. Soon one of them was dead of a broken neck, one was clutching his busted balls, another was unconscious and the last one was trying to puke up a week's worth of dinners. Takashi had taken a good, hard punch to the face and another to the stomach, but he was still in business. Then something unexpected happened.

"Put your hands on your head." A cool voice ordered him and Takashi turned to see that Sato had a gun. That was unusual. It was hard to get guns in Japan and most of the street gangs didn't have them. Takashi stared at the barrel of the weapon. It seemed to fill his gaze, and he knew he couldn't kill the man before he could shoot him. Not by any normal means, at least.

But he had some very abnormal means at his disposal. Takashi reached out, not with mortal hands but with the power within his body. Sota had a moment to look puzzled before his body dropped dead, the gun rolling away from a limp hand. The newly made ghost turned to look at his body, still puzzled by his new circumstances.

"What did you do?" He asked and Takashi laughed before lunging at him. Sota tried to get away, but he couldn't stop Takashi from grabbing the chain on his chest.

"Removed you from your body. And now… you look tasty, but I know a way to make you tastier." Takashi grinned wickedly as an idea occurred to him. It would be so much fun to watch. "Hehehe." He gripped the chain and yanked on it, hard, keeping a hand on Sota's chest. The man's eyes widened in sudden agony as the chain was ripped right out of his chest. "This is gonna be good." Takashi leapt back, still grinning, and watched the man turn into a hollow.

The high pitched scream assaulted his ears and Takashi laughed. White flowed out of the man's mouth, coating his face and turning into a mask. Crossing his arms over his chest, he watched with a gleeful grin as the newly made hollow tried to orient itself.

"Eat your 'friends'." He crooned to it and it hesitated a moment, clearly trying to decide if it should go for him or for the thugs. It finally decided on the easier prey and screams erupted as the men were attacked by a monster they couldn't even see. Takashi cackled as he watched the blood and gore fly. The hollow couldn't remove their souls from a distance like Takashi could, so it was simply tearing them apart to get at the sweet little nugget beneath.

One of them tried to crawl to him and Takashi kicked him in the face, watching with pleasure as the hollow grasped him and bit into his back. The blunt teeth reminded him of a hippo, and did massive damage. The screams were music to his ears.

When the thugs were all dead, the hollow leapt for him. Takashi laughed and dodged it easily before tearing into it. It was pathetically weak, even after devouring four men, and he overpowered it easily. Then he ate it. He wasn't really hungry, but more food was not something he would ever turn down. When he'd finished eating the creature Takashi surveyed the room. What should he do now?

"Hmm." Shrugging to himself, he charged up a bit of red power. A few good blasts and it would take a forensic specialist to even determine how many people had died here. They certainly would never be able to determine the exact cause. Takashi attended to that, then pulled up his hood, wrapping a scarf around his face. He didn't want to be identified, if someone happened to be out this late. He left the building and turned back, charging up a ferocious blast. It used up a large amount of his power and he was glad of the meal, but it collapsed the building, burying the evidence. Takashi grinned to himself, wondering what the authorities would blame it on. A gas leak?

Humming to himself, he cheerfully left the scene of the crime. Although there was something he would have to do tomorrow. Sota hadn't been acting for himself, which meant there was still a hit out on Kurosaki Ichigo.

He kind of liked the kid, and he definitely liked his dad. Warning him seemed like the thing to do.

"Hey, Kurosaki!" Takashi sprinted after the telltale orange hair. It really made him easy to pick out in a crowd. The teen turned around with a frown and Takashi waved. "Over here!" School had just got out, and Takashi had been waiting for him. He knew the routines of school – it hadn't been that long ago he'd been part of it – so it hadn't been hard for him to find Ichigo.

"Hello?" Kurosaki said in a slightly wary tone as Takashi reached him, pulling himself up with a grin.

"You don't remember me." Takashi said, rather amused. But then, it hadn't exactly been a memorable experience. "I'm Takashi, I met you at the clinic. I opened the door just as you were walking in." That clearly sparked a memory and Ichigo nodded.

"I remember now. How have you been?" Kurosaki asked, clearly observing the social niceties.

"Not bad. I just needed to talk to you. There a place we can sit for a moment?" Takashi glanced around. This would take a while, he'd need to explain how he knew Kurosaki's life was in danger. The teen frowned but nodded, leading him over to some steps. "Okay. Do you have any idea why I was at your dad's clinic?"

"Of course not. He doesn't discuss the patients with me." Ichigo sounded annoyed at the suggestion and Takashi shrugged.

"I just wanted to know 'cause it would have made this faster. I'm a recovering drug addict." He said plainly and the teen across from him blinked. "I've been on drugs since I was thirteen, and I'm seventeen now." They were the same age, in fact. Takashi vaguely remembered Ichigo from school although they'd never been in the same class. "I just managed to kick them and my sister and brother-in-law are letting me stay with them as long as I get regular tests. But the thing is, I have debts with my old dealers."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kurosaki said politely and Takashi barked a laugh. He knew what the teen was thinking.

"I'm not gonna ask you for money. I'm just explaining how I know… well, see. This guy, sort of a middle manager in the drug trade, called me in for a meeting. I couldn't exactly say no so I went. Then he made me an offer. All my debts with him could go away if I killed you." He said and saw Ichigo's eyes go wide. He clearly hadn't been expecting that. "I took care of him, so you don't have to worry about him anymore, but he made it pretty clear that the contract was from someone else. I don't know why, but someone wants you dead and they're willing to pay money for it." Takashi shrugged as Ichigo just stared at him, speechless. "I thought you should know." He stood and started to walk away. Then he stopped as a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.

"Wait! Someone has put out a hit on me?" Kurosaki demanded and Takashi nodded. "That's insane! Who would do that?"

"I dunno." Takashi frowned. He really shouldn't get more involved in this. But (he cannot die) he wanted to. Ichigo seemed to pick up on that and his hand tightened.

"Takashi, help me out here." He said softly and Takashi blinked at the odd echo of his thoughts. "All I know about gangs and crime is the thugs I've beaten up over the years. I have no idea how to hunt down someone who wants to kill me. Can you go to the police with me?"

"Um… no." Takashi said slowly, avoiding the teen's eyes. He knew the teen probably wouldn't like this, but it was time to be honest. "I told you, I took care of that guy. As in, mysterious disappearance, never to be seen or heard from again." Ichigo tensed and took his hand away. That made Takashi scowl. "When I turned down his offer he told me I could whore myself out instead. When I told him to fuck off, he tried to take me to sell me as a sex slave. Okay?"

"Oh." The tension left Ichigo's body and he nodded, his brown eyes dark. "I see. Well, if you can't come to the police with me is there anything else you can do? You must have contacts." He said and Takashi thought about it for a moment.

"Sort of. I know a lot of drug dealers, but they mostly hate me." He said, then grinned. "But enemies can be useful. I'll see what I can dig up for you." He could go to his former suppliers and intimidate them, and start to move up the food chain. It would be dangerous but that was rather thrilling. He still didn't know why he was willing to help Ichigo so much, though. He thought about it a moment and finally decided it had to be sexual attraction. Kurosaki was pretty damned hot and Takashi knew he was gay as hell. Although… he hadn't been, back when he'd been thirteen and just started using. Shrugging the thought away, Takashi turned his attention back to Ichigo. "What's your phone number?"

They quickly swapped information, but neither of them could stay to chat. Takashi kind of regretted that. It was probably just the sexual attraction, but he wanted to get to know the Kurosaki better. (you already know everything about him)

Takashi paused and shook his head, placing a hand against his forehead. He had the weirdest feeling that he knew Kurosaki already. That if he really tried, he could say the kid's favorite foods and the names of his friends. And that was just ridiculous. He'd never known the guy, not really, unless getting kicked in the face was knowing someone.

"Okay, get a grip. It's just been an interesting couple days." He told himself then laughed. "Yeah, just an interesting couple days." Still chuckling at himself, he started off for home. He needed to get changed and ready for the daily grind.

Those dishes wouldn't wash themselves.