~ Chapter 5 - Bad luck ~

The first thing Ichigo had done after being kicked out by Kariya was to go to the closest ATM to withdraw money from the emergency credit card. His situation right now was an emergency, caused by his exboyfriend, which really needed the aid of cash. The word 'exboyfriend' sounded foreign in his head, so foreign that he hadn't dared to say it out loud yet. Ichigo knew that it wasn't possible to take out much from the card; he would only be able to make an 800 dollar transaction on it. Angst had already knotted his stomach to a thin line as he had to wait for the few seconds it would take for the machine to announce if the card still was valid or not. It hadn't been canceled to his relief, guess that the elite business man wasn't so smart after all, not that the sum would make a dent in Kariya's wallet. So, there Ichigo was 800 dollars richer and a whole life poorer.

He decided to walk towards the city since he wasn't tempted to spend his precious money on the bus fare, and it wasn't as if he had someone waiting for him. Not anymore. Carrying his duffle bag felt as if he carried a sack of stones on his back. Even though they were drawing closer to summer, the air was still a little chilly when it was damp outside. The day couldn't get shittier, but oh how wrong he was. He furrowed his brows at the approaching black and dark grey clouds. Ichigo stopped walking when he approached a playground that was situated in the middle of a park. Knowing that there probably would be a bridge in the playing fort, it could provide him with a much needed shelter, if the clouds decided to be on Kariya's side tonight.

He sat down on one of the benches next to the fort. The right hand went to the necklace around his neck, with the fist closed around it and Ichigo let out a sigh. It was taken off to lie in his hands, and after fiddling with it for a while, he opened the medallion. His mother smiled brightly at him. Her smile made him remember about the time when everything was the way it was supposed to be. A lifestyle full of happiness, laughter and a family that always stuck together no matter what. That had changed one day and on that day he lost not only his mother but his father too.

It happened ten years ago.

His father owned a clinic which lay wall to wall with the house that they lived in. His mom, Masaki, was a florist; she didn't own her own company like his father but worked with a very kind elderly woman. Ichigo had been there a few times when he had been too sick to attend school as a child. The shop was situated in the towns mall and wasn't large. It held a cooling room for roses and other flowers, shelves for pot flowers and of course the cashier counter. Due to his moms love for flowers and binderies the house had always been decorated with fresh flowers as long as Ichigo could remember. Champagne roses had been his mother's favorite and there always was a vase on the kitchen counter containing them, his dad brought them home to her every Friday.

Ichigo was the only child in the household, it could be lonely sometimes if he came home from school and both his parents still was working. It was very usual that his dad stayed late with no spare time to leave the clinic but his mother was always home on regular hours. Ichigo and Masaki frequently cooked dinner together and it was at those moments that Ichigo had learned the basics pretty well. His mother passed all the recipes that her mother had teached her, onto Ichigo. He still used them while he made meals.

On a warm sunny summer day, his mother participated in a county fair that sold or displayed flowers and other things regarding flowers and gardening. Since it was on a Saturday Ichigo had the opportunity to come along and avoid spending the day alone at home. During the day he had managed to see all kinds of colors, plants, soils, people and artificial ponds. A lot of things could have been taken straight out from a fairytale. In the middle of the fair a fake garden had been made for the visitors to stroll around in.

Masaki wasn't only representing her store; she was also participating in the flower arrangement competition. She ended up winning it with her arrangement called 'Berry Topia'. God how Ichigo had hated it at first, because she had made fun of his name but he sooner realized, when it was too late, that she had done it to honor him in her special way of saying that she loved him with the use of flowers.

The sunny day changed into a dark rainy one in the afternoon, much like the weather that was approaching in on him now. He helped with packing everything down so that they could go home faster and avoid the rain. The elderly lady told them to leave earlier before the rain got heavier. His mom never got around to take a license for a car so they were bound to ride the bus when his dad wasn't coming along. Outside of the building his mother unfolded an umbrella to shield them from the rain. Ichigo pressed as close as he could against his mother.

Luckily the bus stop had a small roofed cubicle to shield the passengers from the weather. Ichigo sat down on the bench situated inside it. His mother read on the time table and glanced at her watch a couple of times to confirm which rides that they still could take, in the end she realized that the buss already had passed the stop and they would have to wait for twenty minutes until the next. The rain continued its rage together with the joining thunder and lightning. Ichigo flinched every time the lightning struck, afraid of getting hit by it.

In the distance a man came walking on the pavement. Wisely because of the lightning he didn't carry an umbrella, but wore a thick dark raincoat with a protecting hood instead. He stepped into the cubicle and like Masaki did, surveying the time table carefully. Water dripped from the coat and it echoed throughout the tiny space in Ichigo's mind. It was awkwardly quiet, like it usually is between strangers waiting for something. It turned misty outside with the cool rain and the warm air. Suddenly something glinted in the corner of Ichigo's eye, making his head snap in the direction of it. The man had gotten very close to his unsuspecting mother with a knife in his hand, which he spared no time on pointing at her throat. The sight made him stand from the bench in pure shock.

"Hand over your valuables!" The man shouted.

Masaki gave the man her purse obediently hoping that it would be enough for the attacker to run away. It was. The knife was lowered and the man went through the purse as he still held it in his hand. At that moment the small boy had gotten over his shock and found his courage again. There and then, life decided to make a 180 degree turn.

"Give it back!" He said.

The man looked up and stared at Ichigo as he licked his dry lips to later crack a smile. "Brats shouldn't poke their noses where they don't belong."

"One shouldn't steal." Ichigo bravely answered.

This didn't favor the man who just had threatened his mom. He lashed out with the knife at Ichigo where Masaki in pure motherly instinct shielded the child with her own body. The world got so quiet for a minute despite the rain. His mom fell to the ground in front of him before he even could realize what just had happened. Blood started to pool around her, painting the asphalt with a sickening red color mixed with water from the rain. The robber ran away quickly after seeing what his knife had done to the woman. Ichigo stood frozen to the ground looking at his mother's slowly dying body. It took a minute for his brain to process what he had been seeing. He went down on his knees, shook his mom and begging her to open her eyes. His jacket was ripped off and pressed into the wound to stop the bleeding just like his dad had showed him once. Unknown to the boy, it was already too late. In his desperation he saw the bus at the red light further up the street. Someone can help me. Ichigo let go of the pressure on the jacket and ran out to the side of the road and waved, shouted simply did everything to get attention. What really happened after the bus stopped and the terrified driver stepped out from the vehicle at the sight of a blood stained child, was a blur in Ichigo's memory. His brain shut down on him after that, probably in self defense. The ambulance came, the police too, making the dark rainy day brighter with their blinking lights. A thousand questions were asked but he was only able to nod or shake his head.

That was the day his mother died or according to his father, a month after her funeral, the day when Ichigo killed her. It was after she had gone six feet under that reality went downhill for the Kurosaki family. The autopsy they had done due to a standard procedure showed that she had been in the beginning of a pregnancy, with twins. It had hit his father hard to not only lose his wife, but also lose two of his future children. Ichigo couldn't believe that he could have gotten siblings. To have someone to play, argue and make mischief with at home had always been a big dream of his. It could have been reality. If he hadn't killed them too.

The house became quiet and colorless; there weren't any flowers in every corner anymore and the smell of home cooked meals gone. His father changed for the worse. He gave Ichigo the blame for killing his wife and hated him for it. It was hard for Ichigo to mourn and at the same time get shit thrown into his face every single day. To try and compensate for his empty heart, Isshin filled the emptiness with beer. Sometimes, something stronger when memories were too stubborn to drink away. He stopped going to the clinic and then later shut it down completely, no one wanted to come when they could smell alcohol on his breath anyway. Six months after Masaki's funeral he sold the house, to forget the memories that haunted him but also to pay his debts.

Ichigo was never spoken to and was also always locked up into his room minding his own business while his dad practically lived in front of the TV. It happened, but rarely, that his dad threw his bedroom door open to shout and curse at him. It was usually things like: 'How can you sleep at night?', 'How can you be so insensitive?' and 'You ruined this family!'. Ichigo broke down inside every time it happened. He never screamed back at his father, he took it all quietly because deep inside his dad was right, he had killed his mother. That was something he carried around in his mind all day and all night. Nightmares weren't unusual where they replayed the killing over and over again. Ichigo lived a lot in his own world when he was at home. Music was a big part of his life, he listened for hours every day mostly to block out the sounds from his dad. Luckily he had good friends and without them he really didn't know how to survive. Ironic that he abandoned them in the end.

Just to make things more complex, his sexuality was something his dad had a hard time to understand. His friends knew of course and supported him a lot in it. It was hard for his dad to accept that Ichigo wouldn't pass on Masaki's genes when his son inherited most of them. It was like killing her all over again.

Ichigo graduated from school with good grades and moved from his dad as fast as he could. Later he met Kariya and the rest you already know. If only misfortune could stop plaguing his life. If only-.

"An' what do we have here?"

A voice dragged Ichigo out from his thoughts in an instant. He looked up to see a human standing very close to him with two men behind him. Ichigo leaned back in the bench to get some of his personal space back. The man in front of him was bald, clad in jeans, black t-shirt and leather boots. The two other men were clad in a similar style. Ichigo made eye contact with what he suspected to be the leader of the trio.

"Am I supposed to know you?" He asked.

The man sneered before answering. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"What gives you the right to tell me that?"

"'Cause…" The leader said and pulled Ichigo by the collar till they were face to face. "Your hair annoys me."'

"The hair-story got old when I was five. If I were you, I would let go of me."

"Make me."

Ichigo swept his right leg across the bald guy's, making him loose his balance. The leader fell to the ground and his men were quick to come to his aid. Ichigo tried to make himself ready for the consequences. The first blow came from nowhere. He ducked and tried to make a hit as well; he missed and was forced to duck again. At his second attempt of defending himself, he managed to get a lucky hit in the leaders face. Pain shot through his fist from the impact but he tried to ignore it as he flung it once more. It missed and instead his arm was trapped behind his back and bent up towards his head. The excruciating pain in his shoulder was breath taking. His other arm was treated the same way, every small step he took in any direction sent the pain moving downwards. That precious adrenaline he had in the beginning of the fist fight wasn't present anymore; it had turned him weak in matter of seconds. Maybe this was meant to happen? His life couldn't get any worse at this point, dying tonight would be merciful from all the bad luck. The leader wiped the corner of his mouth where Ichigo had hit him. He grinned big as he closed in on him. The air in his lungs rushed out from his body and before he had a chance to breathe again, a second kick was delivered. His body desperately made him cough to get some air. Ichigo struggled against his confinements only to be immobilized further. Fists came raining in his face, one by one. His lip got split and he got a cut above his swelling eye from a ring on the guy's finger. Ichigo panted after breath to somehow deal with the pain and the way his head was spinning. The fists had come to a halt and Ichigo could swear that he could hear the blood drip from them. After that his legs felt like iron. In defeat he hung his head.

The leader lighted a cigarette, took some deep pulls as he gazed at his handiwork. Leaving the stick in his mouth, he grabbed Ichigo's hair to lift his head. "Don't show your ugly face in this area again. Next time I'll kill ya for sure. Comprende?" He whispered in Ichigo's left ear. "Y-yeah." Ichigo managed to choke out.

His body crashed to the ground as the men let him go. As a parting gift he got kicks against his body, something broke at the last kick and breathing got heavier. Ichigo cracked his better eye open and looked around but mostly at the bench he had occupied. His mother's necklace glinted in the dark and he stretched out for it while cradling his stomach. When he securely had it in his hand, the world slowly turned dark and it was welcomed.

~~xxx~~

Grimmjow was out on his usual morning jog. The thing about it that wasn't usual was the hour he had decided to run it on. After hours of turning and twisting in bed, unable to get any sleep, he had headed out to clear his mind of his troubled thoughts. He had steered his way towards the park knowing it would provide him with the trees and shit that was supposed to reduce stress. With the coming sun up, the jog would be pleasant. The chilly air cooled down his body as it responded to the work out it was put through. Grimmjow jogged further in to the park. Three men, also jogging but for complete different reasons was heading straight at him. As they passed each other, he tried to mind his own business knowing that they had been up to something, but couldn't miss the dark splashes on one of the guys black shirt. Black always hid blood perfectly, if you didn't know firsthand how it looked soaked into the fabric.

The gut feeling he got at the first sight of the men, increased. Something wasn't right here. He tried to shake the thought of dread and kept on jogging. The sun started to rise, an orange glow filled the horizon and the park got illuminated beautifully from it. He closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the warmth in his sweaty face before turning left. The playground got closer as he came to the center of the park. He spotted the benches where the annoying brats' mothers usually sat, always too busy with their phones and flirting with him when he ran past them, to be able to keep their offspring in check. He nearly ran over a kid once. This time it wasn't the mothers' that got his attention, but an outstretched figure lying in front of the benches. The three thugs popped in to his mind and he put one and three together.

Grimmjow was obviously the only person around at this time of the day. Perfect, he cursed under his breath. The sun peeked up more in the horizon, scaring away all the remaining darkness. He stopped dead in his tracks when he recognized the human on the ground. Some would call it fate, others fucking bad luck. It was the orange haired kid he had met on the road, the kid that had made his past come back to haunt him again, the sole reason for him to even be out running this early in the first place. Grimmjow tried to calm down his breathing caused from the run and the small panic blooming in his chest. He knew nothing about the kid, for all he knew he could be dragging himself down in some deep shit if he wasn't careful.

The kid groaned as he tried to open his eyes when he surfaced out from unconsciousness. One was only able to open though. He coughed and took a few pained filled breaths. Grimmjow finally snapped out from it as he saw the kid trying to get up from the cold ground. Only managing to sit up, he rested his back against the bench but his head lolled forward when sweet darkness wanted to bring him back. Grimmjow kneeled down in front of him and shook his shoulder.

"Kid!" He said. The left eye fluttered open, acknowledging Grimmjow's presence. "You need to keep yourself awake. Can you do that for me?" Ichigo nodded weakly, eye already closing. Dammit. Grimmjow shook again, alerting the boy. "'m awake…" A mumbled response was what he got.

He lifted the orangette on the bench to remove him from the cold ground. The kid scrunched his face in pain to endure whatever pained him. "How many fingers?" Grimmjow asked as he put up two in front of the kid's face. The eye opened and with confidence in his voice Ichigo answered: "Four." The kid brought up a hand to clutch his head. "If this is a trick question, I would say two each." Grimmjow rolled his eyes, by the looks of it the kid looked very-... The orange head bent forward only to puke on Grimmjow's shoes.-…nauseous. Fuck. Concussion most likely. The kid sagged back against the bench, out cold.

The bluenette punched some numbers on his phone, before bringing it to his ear. "Come to the playground at the park."

"Why the fuck would I do that this early in the morning?"

"Come and see for yourself."

Grimmjow ended the call, hopping that Nnoitra's curiosity was too big to ignore. A good long ten minutes later the long man turned up, car roaring and by no means tried to be quiet. He left the door open after stepping out from the vehicle. His one eye went back and forth between the kid and Grimmjow.

"This smells trouble." He said seriously.

"Help me load him in the car."

"Hell no. That…" He said pointing at Ichigo. "an' those.." he continued, this time pointing at Grimmjows shoes. "are not coming anywhere near ma truck."

"It's not my fault that you took your dick wagon."

"Heey Mr. Smart Guy, I never thought that I would have ta collect a corpse. Ya kind of left that detail out when ya called."

"Stop whining like a chick and take his stuff. I'll take off my shoes."

Grumbling to himself Nnoitra grabbed the duffel bag from the bench and threw it, not so gently in the back seat. Grimmjow carried the kid bridal style and got in the passenger seat. He held him close to his body as he closed the door.

"Oi! What the fuck did I tell ya about your damn shoes?"

"Shut the fuck up and drive. If you're lucky he won't puke again."

The engine roared to life and Nnoitra drove away from the park and out on the road.

"Where to?" He bit off.

"My place." Grimmjow answered without hesitation.

"Dump him at the freaking hospital!"

"We are heading to mine. Don't be such a heartless bastard."

"Che."

~~xxx~~

Everything ached. His head was pounding, his body felt battered and sore. He wanted to open his eyes to confirm where he was because he could feel that he wasn't lying on the cold ground anymore. If he had been kidnapped by the three thugs it would just be too much. Since he felt warm and cozy, it was easy to believe that it wasn't the case, but where was he? Damn eyes, open! They didn't budge as his brain decided that he should stay in the darkness and mend some more.

A scent penetrated his mind, it was familiar and he decided that he liked it. He tired to open his eyes again and felt that it was easier this time. Only one of his eyes pried open but it was enough to notice a looming presence over him. That warm and cozy feeling vanished in an instant. Panic settled in as he really thought that the thugs had taken him captive. His arm shot out to protect himself from the danger. It made a hit with something hard that followed with a thump as somebody landed on his ass. He had really done it now. Ichigo hissed as his headache throbbed with his beating pulse. Looking closer at his surroundings, he noticed that he was on a couch in an unfamiliar apartment. Almost not believing his eye, he saw how the blue haired bastard from the day before, sitting on the floor rubbing his cheek. What was his name again? Gri… something. Ichigo opened his mouth but no sound came from the throat. He tried to clear it but started coughing instead. "So-rr-y."

~~xxx~~

The kid was sorry. He hadn't even done anything to be sorry for. That right hook wasn't much to brag with but he had to admit that it had felt a little. The main reason for him to be sitting on his butt on the floor like an idiot was that the kid rose from the dead after twelve hours in his living room and waking up just as he was to put something cooling on the swollen eye. It would have made anyone startled. Grimmjow ignored the apology and rose from the floor.

The necklace that the orangette desperately clutched in his hand when Grimmjow found him had been placed on the living room table meanwhile he rested. The kid found it almost instantly and brought it to his chest, hugging it there for a moment before putting it securely around his neck. It seemed to be something important to him.

It had been a smooth ride back from the park until Nnoitra took the last turns too sharp and too fast. Just after parking the car outside his apartment, the kid had woken up for two freakin'seconds, only to puke in the car. Oh boy, his friend been furious, shouted extremities and curses. When Grimmjow had told him that waking the whole neighbor hood up wouldn't make the puke disappear, he and the kid had been kicked out. He hadn't heard from Nnoitra since. The man would probably be pissed for a while.

His find in the park was in much need of water judging from his voice. Grimmjow went to the small kitchen which practically was in the same room as his living room. He had a small bedroom next to the bathroom, where he could fit two wardrobes, a night table and a queen sized bed. A bigger one could have been something that he preferred but the limited space made it impossible. He didn't mind though, it was big enough when one was living by himself.

Grimmjow handed the kid a glass of water and the ice pack to cool his eye. Neither of them said anything, mainly because he had no clue of what to talk about, he barely knew the guy. The kid looked as if he was in great pain, which he probably was. While his find sipped his water Grimmjow reheated something in the microwave. The blunette returned quickly with a steaming bowl of soup and set it down on the black table in front of the couch. A package of pain killers was fished out from his back pocket to be put next to the bowl.

"Eat first before taking those." He ordered. The kid looked suspiciously at the food and at Grimmjow. He wasn't trusted yet it seemed. With a sigh he said; "Look, it's not poisoned so try it. It's my own recipe, you might like it."

Grimmjow watched how the kid tried to sit up but hissed as he did so and Grimmjow helped him up the last bit. The soup was carefully tasted and it soon was devoured completely. He tossed back two pills and swallowed them down with water.

"Thanks." Ichigo whispered.

"No problem."

"Did you see if there was a bag anywhere?"

"You want it?"

"Need my phone."

"There's a little problem with it… Found it in your jacket and your screen is busted." Ichigo groaned. "Don't worry it's probably just the glass, you should be able to use it if you use the speaker phone, but it will need some charging first."

Grimmjow helped the boy to put the charger in a jacket and plugged it in the phone to be able to use it. After putting it on it was noticeable that it was the glass that had shattered. Stupid fragile Iphone, Ichigo muttered under his breath and scrolled through his contacts. Grimmjow chose to give him some space. He could see the pained look the kid was giving his phone as he tapped on the screen. It was brought to his forehead in nervousness and the one on the other side picked up fairly quick, though no one said anything.

"Shinji?" Ichigo croaked pathetically.

"Ichigo… what's the matter?"

"Got in some trouble…"

"What kind of trouble?" Shinji answered seriously.

"I was kicked out and then I got jumped in a park."

"I'm gonna kill-"

"Shinji, please, calm down. I'm fine, I promise… I just need a place to stay for awhile."

"Where are you?"

"At some guys place."

"Don't you even know where you are…?"

"Haven't gotten to that part yet. Can you pick me up?"

"What a stupid question, of course I will. That's a given."

"Uhm, okay… wait a second." Ichigo lifted his eyes from his phone and looked at Grimmjow. "What's your address, erhm…Gri-?"

"Grimmjow. Why would I want to tell your little buddy where I live?"

"I can hear you, you know."

"So I can get the hell out of here."

"Seems legit. Gimme the phone." Ichigo handed his phone to Grimmjow who explained the way to Shinji on the other end.

Grimmjow hadn't really asked what had happened, but the curiosity was getting the upper hand. It must have been something, with the way his friend had sounded on the phone. Leaning against the small kitchen table, Grimmjow eyed the kid for a moment, which was holding the ice pack to his eye, still seated in the couch. The pills seemed to help some since he didn't scowl as much as before.

"Stop staring." Ichigo said annoyed.

"What really happened to you?"

The orangette sighed and fiddled with the pack in his hands, finding it extremely interesting. "My relationship ended, I got kicked out and some punks jumped me when I tried to endure the night in the park."

"Some fucking bad luck then."

"Wrong place at the wrong time."

"Keep that on your eye though."

"Yes, mom." Ichigo said sarcastically. "Patched up a lot of people before?"

"Maybe I have."

The room fell in that awkward silence again. Fuck I need a smoke, thought Grimmjow. If only the kid could leave so that he could have one. He bounced his leg up and down to relieve some of the nicotine withdrawal. Ichigo shot him an annoyed look and he couldn't care less. He watched as the kid pulled out a shirt from his bag to put on his bandaged upper body while holding the ice to his eye.

"I need to use the bathroom." Ichigo said suddenly. Grimmjow pointed at the door from where he was leaning. Ichigo let a small sigh escape his lips and he watched as the boy rose carefully from the couch and with support from it took painful steps forward. The small apartment was quiet enough to let him hear how the youth relieved himself, flushed the toilet and washed his hands. As on cue, his door bell rang persistently. Grimmjow went to open the door begging that it was the kid's friend and not Nnoitra coming to force him to do some stupid shit since he ruined his car. He only managed to open the door a fraction before a blond girly dude tore it open and stormed in.

"Just come barging in." Grimmjow muttered.

"Ichigo!" The stranger exclaimed and flung himself straight at the kid.

"Get off me. It hurts damn it."

"Sorry, I got too excited." Shinji took a closer look at Ichigo after calming himself down a bit. "Who did this to you?" He turned his head to glare at Grimmjow. "Was it you?"

"Hell no. I only saved his unconscious ass."

"Shinji, stop arguing with him, he did nothing wrong. I want to get out of here. Please?"

Shinji glared some more at Grimmjow before agreeing with Ichigo. "The car is outside. Bag?" Ichigo pointed at the duffel on the couch. The blonde grabbed it and went outside to wait for Ichigo.

"Thanks for everything." Ichigo began. "Don't know if I ever can make it up to you though. Here." He gave Grimmjow his ice pack back.

"You should watch out for Nnoitra, he's pretty mad about you puking in his car."

"I can't stand the taste of blood so I couldn't help it." Ichigo shrugged and headed for the door.

"Wuss." Grimmjow teased.

Grimmjow followed after the kid out through the door. He sat down on one of his two chairs outside on the small patio. Finally he was able to have that cigarette so he lit one and took a well needed pull. His gaze stalked the two men as they got in to the car. The orangette leaned his head back in the seat with his eyes closed, his body probably hurt like a bitch and he should be exhausted. Accidentally he got eye contact with the dramatic blonde who still wore a glaring look at him. Note to self: 'Don't save kids in danger, you will only get unprovoked shit for it anyway.' After the car pulled out from the parking lot, it was as if he never had the boy laying unconscious on the couch. The only reminder left behind, was the ice pack in the kitchen.

TBC

AN: I'm working on the frat leader, but it goes slow. I'm super busy at the moment with school and when I have free time my brain needs vacation from thinking. I really try though, ideas float around in my head, but I can't get relaxed enough to type them down. It sucks. I've proof read this chapter a lot and there's probably things that's still strange.

~BIAE