I am so sorry that I didn't update this story for such a long time! Anyways, have fun!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.
It was an awful day. It was raining, a cold wind blew and it was one of these days where you just want to stay at home and do nothing. A day where you would just like to sit beside your window and listen to the soothing sound of falling raindrops. Yet Ichigo wasn't aloud to stay home, he had to go to work. There he was, cleaning the floor in the wildcat department, frowning at the rain.
"Hey Ichi, what's wrong with you? You seem to be pissed." Grimmjow came out of the panther cell and took a seat on the bench.
"First of all, it's raining. And second, why do we have to come to work, I mean, who visits a zoo when it's raining?" Ichigo said with an annoyed tone.
"Well, we have to take care of the animals, that's our job. And what's so bad about rain? Are you a cat or something?" Grimmjow stood up and came nearer to his strawberry.
"I just can't stand it. My mother died on a rainy day." Ichigo continued cleaning the floor, and his tone was very serious.
Grimmjow now stood directly behind the orange-haired boy. Ichigo really seemed to miss his mother, and his mood was really down at the moment. He put his arms around the boy's neck and stared at the rain.
"Sorry, I didn't know that she died on a rainy day." Ichigo sighed. "But you know what, Ichigo? Rain can wash all those bad memories away. And don't you like the smell of it? I just love it." Grimmjow really gave his best to cheer up the younger one, but it just didn't work. He lightly hit Ichigo's head.
"Come on, don't be such an emo. Let's go out." The teal-haired man grabbed Ichigo's hand and led him out of the department.
"Grimmjow, what are you doing? We're gonna get wet!" Ichigo tried to go back inside, but Grimmjow was stronger.
"That's why I want to go out." Grimmjow grinned. They stood outside and the rain fell down on them. Now it was raining cats and dogs, and the two men quickly got wet. The teal-haired man looked up to the sky and enjoyed the feeling of raindrops falling on his face.
"Grimmjow, could you please let go of my hand? And I don't want to catch a cold!" Ichigo felt annoyed. Didn't he tell Grimmjow that he hated the rain?
The teal-haired man ignored the younger one. "Don't you think that rain is romantic?" A smirk spread across his face.
"Grimmjow, I know you're a pervert, but don't you think it's a little extreme to have sex in the rain?" Ichigo knew his lover very well. He was a horny bastard that would do it at every time and everywhere.
"Oh come on, Ichi, no one's around, so maybe we could just go behind that tree and…" Grimmjow couldn't continue his phrase because an elbow landed in his face.
"Forget it, I don't want to catch a cold, and I'm not in the mood of having sex now." The orange-haired boy went back to the wildcat department to fetch his stuff and headed to another department. He didn't want to see Grimmjow at the moment. First of all, he wasn't in lovey-dovey mode, and second, he was afraid that he would find out about his new job. Ichigo hoped that he did the right thing. He really needed the money to buy the apartment. But what if Grimmjow found out? Ichigo decided to give his best to hide it from him.
Suddenly an announcement came through the loudspeakers: "All employees have to come to the meeting room at five pm. Please be on time! I repeat…" Ichigo frowned. Now he had to go to a stupid meeting. He sighed and made his way to the elephant department, cursing at the rain. 'Romantic…yeah right. It only makes you wet and gives you a cold.'
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It stopped raining and this made the orange-haired cleaning force a little happier. At five pm he grabbed his stuff and headed towards the meeting room. He didn't see Grimmjow for a while, and somehow he missed him. Maybe he was a sex-obsessed bastard, but Ichigo loved that part of Grimmjow.
He opened the door to the meeting room and saw everyone already seated on chairs around a giant square table. Ichigo spotted Grimmjow who kept free a seat for him. He was glad that he wasn't mad at him because of that elbow he got in the face some hours ago. He sat down and smiled at his lover who was now smirking. Ichigo was sure that he was imagining some dirty stuff at the moment, he knew that smirk. He looked at the other employees in the room: Renji was beside a tall, handsome man with a severe face and long black hair. 'That must be Byakuya, Rukia's brother,' Ichigo thought. Matsumoto was hugging her beloved Hitsugaya who looked pissed, and there were some people that Ichigo had never seen before.
Suddenly Ukitake entered the room. "I'm glad that you all came, we can now start the meeting," he said, and everyone remained silent. He sat down and coughed. "As you all know, next week is the big zoo day. This means that hundreds of little kids and families will visit the Karakura Zoo. It is a very important event, and we want our visitors to feel happy. And our zoo has to keep its good image. So, does anyone have any special ideas which could make the big zoo day even better?"
Conversations went through the room and some people started getting excited. "Maybe we could do little games for our younger visitors," Kiyone suggested. Ukitake nodded his head and noted the idea on a paper. Many other ideas were proposed, and suddenly Matsumoto jumped up.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if all employees would dress up as cute animals, I'm sure that the kids would love that! Imagine Toushirou here dressed up as an ice bear, that would be so adorable!" she exclaimed, and hugged Hitsugaya with all her force.
Ukitake smiled. "That idea is really very good! I think we should do that. Does everyone agree?" he asked. All female employees were happy with that idea, and all the others didn't really care, as long as they got paid for the job.
"I'll get the costumes ready for next week, and if you have any other ideas, then please contact me. The meeting is over, you can all go home now," Ukitake said with a wave and left the room. All employees stood up and left, they were still excited about all the ideas that were proposed.
Grimmjow pulled Ichigo's arm. "Hey Ichi, wanna come to my place?" he asked with a sexy smirk. Ichigo gulped. He couldn't go over to Grimmjow, he had to prepare himself for his new job. "I'm sorry Grimm, but my dad wants me to come home right away, because tonight is…gaming night," the orange-haired boy lied. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "So maybe I can come to your place if you don't mind? I'm sure your dad won't say no if I join your gaming night," the teal-haired man said. Ichigo shook his head. "Sorry, only members of the Kurosaki family are allowed to the gaming night. I gotta go," Ichigo said and waved goodbye. Grimmjow stood there, all by himself, frowning. 'Stupid gaming night,' he thought.
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Ichigo sat in his room, deciding what to wear for his first night in Las Noches. Since it was a host club, it had to be something more classic, something handsome. He searched for a chemise, and he picked a black one. Then he took a pair of dark jeans, a black watch and some elegant shoes that he wore infrequently. He fixed his hair, checked his breath and left his room.
Downstairs his father and sisters glanced at the handsome young man. "Ichi-nii, you look good! Are you going on a date with Grimmjow?" Yuzu asked innocently. Ichigo had to lie again. He didn't want his family to know that he was going to work in a host club. "Yes, I'm meeting Grimmjow. I might come home late, so don't worry about me," he said.
"Ichigo, my dear son, I'm so proud of you, you look so handsome! But please take care of your shirt, I don't want to be the one who'll wash out some particular white spots from it! Hohoho!" Isshin exclaimed, preparing to kick his son. Yet Ichigo already gave his father an uppercut and glared at him. "Shut up you old fart, don't say such perverted stuff on front of Yuzu and Karin!" he screamed and wanted to leave the house, but suddenly Isshin threw something at him. He caught the object and noticed that it was his cell phone. "Remember, Ichigo, you should always have three very important things with you: your cell phone, money, and a watch! No go out and discover the beauty of making love!" the cheerful father added. Ichigo ignored that last phrase and left the house.
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Karakura downtown was full of people, and all the shops were still open. It was bright, and a lot of couples were on a date. Ichigo frowned at them and wanted to be at Grimmjow's side at the moment, but he had to go to Las Noches. After some minutes he went into an alley, and there it was, a white building with a signboard saying 'Las Noches'. In front of a big white door stood a giant man who looked pretty dangerous. Ichigo gulped; he didn't want to get in trouble with that bouncer.
"Hey you! You're Kurosaki Ichigo, right?" the big man said. Ichigo nodded. "Aizen is waiting for you in his study. Please come in, my name is Yammy." He showed the orange-haired boy a golden necklace saying 'YAMMY'. Ichigo nodded at him and entered the host club.
Inside all the walls were white. Ichigo had to walk along a long corridor, and the atmosphere was somewhat cold. On the sides there were lights built in the floor; Ichigo thought that these were unnecessary, because the whiteness of the walls already were some kind of light. At the end of the corridor was a door. He opened it and entered a chamber that looked like a meeting room: a big white round table in the middle, with a big plasma television on the wall. There were some other doors in the room, and Ichigo had no idea where to go.
Suddenly a door went open, and a man with silver hair, closed eyes and a sly grin came into the room. "Kurosaki Ichigo? Aizen is awaiting ya! Please follow me, won't ya?" the man said. 'What a funny dialect,' Ichigo thought. The orange-haired boy followed the guy into a small study where giant portraits were hanging on the wall. The only person he recognized on the pictures was Ulquiorra. Perhaps these portraits were the hosts from Las Noches.
"Ichigo, I am so glad you came," a voice suddenly said. Ichigo quickly turned towards the big desk and saw Aizen who turned his chair towards him. "I see that you're interested in the portraits hanging over here, don't worry, your picture is soon going to hang there too," Aizen said, smiling dangerously at the young man. "Now, let's come to business. Are you sure you want to start this job?" he asked. Ichigo thought for a moment then answered: "Yes, I'm sure." Aizen chuckled and got out a paper. "All you have to do is sign this paper, and then you're ready for your first night." Ichigo nodded his head. He walked to the desk, quickly scanned the document and signed.
Aizen pulled the paper towards him and put it into a drawer. The he pressed a button and smiled at Ichigo. "I just called the other hosts, I want you to meet your new colleagues," he said. "Gin, please bring Ichigo to the meeting room, I'll be there in a moment." The man from before bowed and opened the door. Ichigo followed him to the meeting room and sat down on one of the big white chairs. He turned his head and noticed that Gin wasn't there anymore. 'That guy's pretty sneaky,' he thought. Ichigo shifted around in his chair and thought that it was very comfortable. It could even turn. So he spun around and giggled a little. He didn't do that for a long time.
Suddenly several doors opened and people came in. Ichigo immediately stopped spinning in his chair and tried to keep cool. 'Hopefully no one saw that,' he thought. They all sat around the table and stared at the newcomer. Ulquiorra just glanced at him without emotions. Ichigo felt awkward in that moment and just wanted to disappear and never come back again. He didn't like the fact that all eyes were on him.
Suddenly Aizen came in and sat down on the biggest chair that was on the end of the table. "Good evening, my sweet ducklings," he started. Ichigo narrowed his eyes. 'Did he just say 'sweet ducklings'? How weird,' he thought. A guy with wavy brown hair and a beard noticed Ichigo's reaction and bent over to him in a lazy manner. "Just ignore the duckling part, he always does that," he explained. Ichigo nodded his head and sighed.
"We have a new member in our family! Please welcome our dear Ichigo Kurosaki," Aizen said, glancing at Ichigo with a smile. The hosts clapped and Ichigo felt embarrassed. Suddenly a pink haired man with glasses examined him. "Aizen-sama, he's gorgeous! Yet I think we still have to change some things, his clothes for example. Can I make the measurements for his suit afterwards?" the guy asked. Aizen nodded his head. "Yes, please do that, Szayel. Now, my dear hosts, we have to choose a type for Ichigo. Let me explain: each host has a type, for example, Ulquiorra here is the stoic type, Halibel is the cold type, Stark is the lazy type, Nnoitra is entertaining type, Szayel is the sophisticated type, Luppi is the sweet type, Zommari is the wise type, and all we have to do is find a type for you."
Ichigo observed all the other hosts. They were all handsome, except for that Nnoitra guy, he looked weird. And he was surprised that there was a female host. Suddenly Ichigo's phone started vibrating in his pants. But instead of his normal ringtone, something else came.
'Haha, well now, we call this the act of mating, but there are several other very important differences between human beings and animals that you should know about…'
Everyone stared at Ichigo with wide eyes. The orange-haired boy frantically took out his phone and pressed the red button. 'I'm sure that old fart did that, he's gonna die for this, now everyone is gonna think that I'm a weirdo!' Ichigo thought, turning red. He quietly apologized and smiled. Aizen chuckled and coughed. The hosts just ignored it, except Nnoitra, he giggled.
"And I'm sure that you don't have any experience of being a perfect host. That is why I have another task for you, my dear hosts. You have to teach Ichigo the basics, examine his character and then we can find a type. Today Luppi, Nnoitra, Halibel and Zommari have guests tonight, so the rest can help out our dear newcomer. The meeting is over, you can all go back to your rooms," Aizen continued and stood up, followed by the rest. Ichigo didn't know what to do and searched for Ulquiorra since he was the only one he knew.
Suddenly someone grabbed his arm. "Ichigo, please follow me, my name is Szayel Aporro," the pink-haired man said with a smile. Ichigo gulped. Something was weird about this guy, he just didn't know what. Szayel led him into a room with a big round bed in a corner and some portraits of himself and another blond, long-haired guy.
"Ichigo, please take off your shirt, I need to make some measurements for your new outfit," Szayel said. "You can take off your pants too, honey, that will make it easier for me." At first Ichigo was scared that this guy was going to push him on that round bed and rape him after he took off his clothes, but then he thought that he was exaggerating with his fantasies, and did as he was told.
The pink-haired man licked his lips after seeing Ichigo's nice body and smiled. "You really are one gorgeous subject, Aizen made a good choice," he said, coming nearer to the now half-naked Ichigo. The orange-haired boy started sweating. The guy was giving him the creeps. Suddenly two hands came from behind and touched his chest. Ichigo let out a shriek and wanted to punch the molester, but he stopped and remained calm; he knew that this was necessary for the measurements.
The thin hands went down to his waist and here Ichigo twitched. "Oh, how sensitive you are, my dear. I just adore your body, especially your sweet ass," Szayel confessed, and he gave Ichigo's ass a little slap. Ichigo let out another shriek, which made the pink-haired man giggle. Suddenly the door flung open and Ulquiorra came in, walking in a fast pace and slammed a book at Szayel's head with force. The pink-haired man fell to the floor and whimpered. "I hope you have the measurements. I'm taking Kurosaki Ichigo with me now. And please don't start molesting him, Aizen won't be pleased if he hears about this incident," the stoic man said, turning towards the door. "Kurosaki, put on your clothes and follow me." Ichigo picked up his clothes and glanced at Szayel, who was lying on the floor in agony. 'These hosts seem to be really weird…how did Grimmjow survive here?' Ichigo thought.
Ichigo followed Ulquiorra into another room which wasn't as creepy as the one from before. This one looked quite normal. "Kurosaki, I'll teach you the basics of being a host. Actually it is quite simple. All you have to do is be a gentleman and charming. Understood?" Ulquiorra asked. Ichigo nodded his head.
"Ulquiorra, thanks for saving me from that Szayel guy," Ichigo said. The stoic man just stared blankly at him. "Don't change the subject. And you're welcome. Remember when I gave Orihime-san a kiss on the hand? That gesture is very important. You have to make the women feel like a rose. So, let's train that," Ulquiorra said and held out his hand. Ichigo stared at it with wide eyes and blinked at the man in front of him.
"You want me to kiss your hand?" Ichigo asked dumbly. Ulquiorra sighed. "Yes, I obviously want you to kiss my hand," he said with his usual emotionless tone and look. Ichigo gulped and took the pale feminine hand slowly and pressed his lips lightly on it.
"Do you want the woman to think that you're a weakling or what? Show her that you're a gentleman, put a little more passion in," Ulquiorra suggested. Ichigo sighed and tried again. He imagined him kissing Grimmjow's skin, that skin he loved. He finally kissed the hand and looked up at Ulquiorra.
"Kurosaki, that was perfect. And that smile in the end, you should memorize that one. You certainly made a quick progress. Now let's continue with our program," Ulquiorra said, without changing his expression. For about half an hour the stoic man taught Ichigo how to stand correctly, think of expedient discussion themes, look and smile at a woman giving her the feeling that she's a princess and other useful things he should know about being a host.
"And don't forget, the most important thing is to make the woman feel like a princess, and not like trash," he added at the end. Suddenly the door slammed open and Szayel came in with a paper bag.
"Here is your new suit. The measurements should be perfect. Aizen wants you to put it on, and he wants to meet you in the lobby," the pink-haired host said, blinking at Ichigo. The newcomer took the paper bag and looked inside. 'That went fast,' he thought. He took out the content and widened his eyes. There was a black chemise, a brown necktie, a white suite, white elegant pants and shiny black shoes.
"Ulquiorra, this looks so…expensive! How should I pay for this?" Ichigo asked. "And how does that freak know my shoe size?"
"Szayel has a good eye for those things. And you don't have to pay, we hosts get all those clothes and accessories completely free," Ulquiorra answered. "I will leave you alone for now, don't be too late to see Aizen-sama." The stoic host stood up and left the room. Ichigo sighed and started changing his clothes. 'What have I got myself into?' he asked himself.
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Ichigo finished putting on his new outfit and contemplated himself in a mirror. He looked a lot older and more elegant than before. He left the room to find the lobby and wasn't sure where to go. So he went back to the meeting room and found a door which indicated that it was the lobby.
The orange-haired boy entered the room and peeked inside to see if anyone was inside. No one was there, so he slowly closed the door behind him and decided to investigate the room. The lights were dull, and there were a lot of white couches with small tables. A giant aquarium decorated the wall, and Ichigo took a look at them. On another wall there was a big plasma television, and beside it was a glass closet with DVDs on it. 'I'll check out their films,' Ichigo thought and went to the closet.
The first DVDs were some picture slideshows from the host club. Ichigo was sure that Grimmjow was on one of those. Then came some action and comedy movies and finally there were some films where Ichigo sweat dropped. 'What the hell? Mean Girls? John Tucker Must Die? Disney movies? Don't girls watch these movies? And aren't these people a little too old for that?' he thought, taking Pride and Prejudice in his hand.
"Ichigo, you shouldn't be snooping around like that," a familiar voice said into Ichigo's ear. The orange-haired boy let out a scream and quickly put back the DVD. Aizen stood behind him with that usual smile of his.
"I am so sorry, I really didn't want to, it's just that I was curious and…," Ichigo mumbled while turning red. 'Great, now my boss thinks I'm a complete freak on my first day of work.' He thought.
"It's alright, I hope you like our films. Now, the reason why I sent you here is because I have to make pictures of you," Aizen said. "We need them for the portrait and our catalogue. Kaname, please come in." A black man with sunglasses came into the lobby with a professional camera.
"Kaname is one of our managers and the photographer. Now, I want you to be natural and don't be nervous. Please sit down here," Aizen pointed on a white couch. Ichigo sat down and looked into the camera. He tried his best to look natural, but he was way to shy.
"Ichigo, come on, make that frown of yours, hate the camera man, hate him!" Aizen encouraged him while Kaname made the pictures. Ichigo deepened his frown and made a cool pose. After some minutes of flashing lights the photo shoot was over and Kaname left the room. Ichigo and Aizen sat on one of the couches, drinking a cup of tea.
"Ichigo, you should be model! And I love that frown of yours. I'll talk with the other hosts about your type. And the pictures should be ready by tomorrow," Aizen said, putting a hand on Ichigo's knee.
Ichigo started sweating. "Excuse me, but could you please put your hand away? That's sexual harassment," he said, frowning at the older man.
Aizen put his hand away and chuckled. "If I would get fifty yen each time someone tells me that, I would be rich by now!" He stood up and went to the door. "Have a good night!" He closed the door and Ichigo still heard a little chuckle.
"Holy shit, I'm surrounded by idiots! My new boss is a molester, the hosts are all freaks and I'm part of them! What have I got myself into?" Ichigo said to himself. He left the host club and headed home.
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At home Ichigo sat on his bed. He sighed loudly and stared at the ceiling. He really missed Grimmjow. He wanted to be by his side, enjoy his lover's heavenly service and simply feel his warmth.
'I hope my allowance is high enough so that I can buy a new apartment as soon as possible…then I can finally live a new life with Grimmjow…and no one will disturb us,' Ichigo thought and fell asleep with a smile.
Okay, finally finished. God, I think this chapter really sucked! And there's no smut! I'm sorry that I took so long to update, but I really had a busy time. But now I finally have vacation, and I have time to write in peace.
Oh and by the way, Ichigo's new ring tone is from the song The Bad Touch by The Bloodhound Gang. I just love that beginning, it really fits to Isshin. And I just can't make Aizen the super bad guy; I think it's funny when he's the big sugar daddy. So next chapter's about the Big Zoo Day! Hope you liked it, and please review!