"Holy shit." Ichigo muttered to himself as he met Gyomaru's attack. "You're a rabid animal!" He shouted at the kid, who grinned back with a wicked gleam in his bright blue eyes.
"Yeah, I know!" He said as Ichigo easily forced him back. Gyo had ferocity on his side, and there was nothing the substitute shinigami could teach him about the desire to kill. Gyomaru had that in spades. What he didn't have was skill, experience and the necessary speed. His shunpo was very good for a seventeen year old, but that wasn't nearly good enough to cope with someone like Ichigo. "Ow!" Ichigo trapped his sword and nearly disarmed the kid, but Gyomaru managed to hang onto his sword with a move that made Ichigo wince in sympathy. He could practically feel the strained muscles Gyo had just inflicted on himself. "Damn it!" Gyomaru's eyes narrowed and Ichigo smiled as he was suddenly reminded of himself. He was sure that was the same look he'd given Urahara, so long ago.
"That's enough for now." He said, lowering his sword. Gyomaru scowled but lowered his as Ichigo glanced at his watch. "Your new guards will be arriving in fifteen minutes." Ichigo was vague on the details, but there had been an attack on one of the Kuchiki clans allies just two days ago. Byakuya was tightening his security, and he'd used his position to get a few real shinigami watching over Gyomaru. The current guards were good, but only one of them had a shikai. Gyomaru was probably more dangerous than any of them.
"I hope Renji is bringing me cakes again." Gyomaru said brightly, sheathing his sword as Ichigo laughed. The kid had a sweet tooth as big as Yachiru. "Rukia's a total loss, she says I need to stop embarrassing my dad." Gyo rolled his eyes and Ichigo couldn't help but grin.
"Well, you do." He said, amused, as he slung his sword over his back. "Come on, let's go." Gyomaru scampered up the stairs and Ichigo followed more slowly, wondering when he'd ever had that much energy. His body had stopped aging at seventeen, but his mental aging seemed to preclude that kind of activeness.
So Gyomaru greeted Renji, Rukia and a cousin named Tatiya covered in sweat and dirt. Fortunately, he realized it and held off from hugging them.
"Hi everyone! Don't get too close, I stink something awful." He said with a wave, then looked at the boxes and bags they were carrying with bright eyes. "That's way too much for just cakes, but are there any cakes involved?" He asked and Renji laughed, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I got you some of those Brandenburg cakes you like from the English store. Actually, technically Byakuya got them for you, he gave me the money." Renji said with a smile as Rukia and Tatiya started taking their bags upstairs. "Give me a while to unpack, hey?"
"Oh sure, I can wait. Want some help?" Gyomaru offered, following Renji up the stairs. "Isn't this place neat? Have you ever been here before?" He asked and Renji shook his head. Ichigo followed behind them, pausing at the top of the stairs to look down into the foyer.
The mansion really was remarkable. Situated in the best part of town, it was absolutely huge, with a nearly three acre yard. It was smaller than the clan house in Soul Society, of course, but still massive. A family of servants lived here, tending the grounds, cooking the food and maintaining the building. The building itself was beautiful, with marble flooring, antique rugs and truly ancient paintings on the walls. Ichigo thought he recognized a few very famous artists, although they could be reproductions.
"It's been a while, Rukia. How have things been?" Ichigo asked, pausing at the door to her room. She looked up, giving him a small smile as she folded her clothing, carefully putting everything away.
"Not too bad. The Hiyomaru clan does seem determined to unseat the Kuchiki as the most powerful clan, though." She said with a sigh and Ichigo nodded sympathetically. That was what he was hearing, and apparently the aggressiveness had coincided with the ascension of a new clan leader. Someone with Alexander the Great tendencies.
"So Gyomaru really is a target?" Ichigo asked. He'd been wondering how much danger the boy was really in. Rukia nodded, frowning slightly.
"Honestly, brother is afraid they might try to use Gyomaru to discredit us in some way. It wouldn't be hard to force him into something rash." Ichigo frowned. He thought perhaps Rukia wasn't giving Gyo enough credit. He was crazy, but he really did seem to care about his father and clan. "Or they might try to arrange an accident for him." Rukia's tone was very grim and Ichigo winced. "He will be a powerful leader, someday."
"If he can stop burping in people's faces!" They both started and turned as Gyomaru bounded into the room, grinning. He had changed his clothing and taken a quick shower. "You think I'll be a powerful leader? That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" Gyo lifted Rukia off her feet, giving her a hug. The smaller shinigami yelped and pounded on his shoulder.
"Let me down! Gyo!" He carefully set her back on her feet, smiling as she scowled at him. "I see you still have your appalling energy. Won't you ever grow up?"
"I'm only seventeen." Gyomaru protested. "I should enjoy it while it lasts, ne? Why was I here again?" They both watched as he paused, trying to remember. "Oh yeah! We have cakes and Renji's making some tea. Who wants snacks?"
"I would, actually." Ichigo replied. He was interested in Brandenburg cakes, he'd never tried them before. In fact, he hadn't tried many English sweets in his life. It would be a new experience. Rukia smiled, shaking her head.
"I'm fine. Go enjoy yourselves." She gently shooed them out of her room and Ichigo followed behind Gyomaru as he led them to a sunlit parlor. It was beautiful, with a massive skylight and dozens of cushions on the floor. They all had pretty golden tassels, and Ichigo took a seat, smiling as Gyomaru immediately ate one of the cakes. He took one, examining it for a moment.
"Huh." The cake was two colors, cut into quarters with jam layered between. The outside was coated in marzipan. Ichigo tentatively took a bite and found that it was sweet enough to satisfy Yachiru. He found it a little cloying, but Renji poured them tea and that helped quite a bit. In fact, the dark English tea went very well with the little cakes.
"So Ichigo, has he bitten you yet?" Renji asked, pointing his teacup at Gyomaru, who grinned back. Ichigo blinked at him, surprised. "He starts fighting dirty when you disarm him, just warning you."
"Well, what else do you do when you're disarmed?" Gyomaru asked, with fairly good logic. "You're just sore about that time I kicked you in the nuts." Ichigo almost choked on a bit of cake as Renji winced.
"Why'd you have to remind me? It was hours before I got my feeling back!" He complained. Ichigo just listened as the two talked, remembering someone else who had kicked him in the nuts once. He hadn't enjoyed it a bit, but it had been very typical of Grimmjow. It was strange, but Gyo was reminding him more and more of the insane arrancar.
"So now that you guys are here, are we going to the mall? I want to get some new clothes." Gyo said brightly and Renji laughed as Ichigo tried to imagine what clothes the little lunatic would buy.
"Well, your credit card has no limit so why not?" Renji said agreeably. "And I bet Ichigo here has been keeping you so busy you could use a break."
"That is a good idea." Ichigo said, getting surprised looks from both of them. "It's definitely possible to overtrain." He'd learned that, over the years. Renji laughed, taking a sip of his tea.
"This from the guy who learned bankai in a week! You were practically the definition of overtraining." Renji said and Gyo looked at him, bright eyed and curious. Ichigo shrugged.
"That was an emergency. And I hope Gyo doesn't need to know bankai in a week, because that would mean we've all fucked up somehow." Ichigo pointed out, which made Renji grimace a bit before biting into a cake.
"I would love to learn bankai in a week." Gyo said brightly. "But does it involve some kind of hideous torture? I'm not down for hideous torture." Ichigo winced to himself as he remembered Urahara's training.
"Pretty close." He admitted. "I think we can take our time." There was no rush, and he was just getting to know the kid. He didn't want Gyo to leave the living world too soon.
"You have definitely mellowed out. I guess that's what happens when humans turn forty. Well, I'm done, have you finished, you bottomless pit?" Renji poked Gyo in the side, and Gyomaru inhaled one final cake before chugging his tea.
"Now I am! Let's go fetch Rukia and get me some new threads." He said with a grin. "And get you some new threads too. We need to be matching in style!" That made Ichigo slightly apprehensive. What was Gyomaru's idea of style?
As it turned out, Gyo actually had very good taste. It appeared he'd taken after Byakuya in that area, and the outfits he found for himself were both expensive and well fitted. The one he liked best, though, was a white jacket along with tightly tailored black jeans. He wore it with a black silk shirt beneath the jacket.
"I look great like this, don't I?" Gyo turned around, checking himself out from all angles in the mirror. "My butt looks awesome, don't you think?" Ichigo choked a bit as Gyo turned and flaunted that butt at him. It did look amazing, and his reaction to that was a little disturbing. But he simply couldn't help it. "Aren't you gonna try on that stuff you picked out?"
"Huh? Oh, right." Ichigo snapped out of his daze and went into the dressing room. It didn't take him long to come out, and Gyomaru wrinkled his nose at the sight.
"They need to be tighter. You've got a great ass too, Kurosaki, you should flaunt it." Gyomaru said firmly, making him blush.
"Have you been noticing his ass, kid?" Renji came out of his own changing room, looking… different. Ichigo had to struggle not to giggle.
"Bright purple really doesn't suit you. And those gold chains make you look like a pimp." He said, making Gyo laugh and Renji look slightly hurt.
"Here, wear these with it! It'll be the crowning touch!" Gyo handed him his sunglasses and Ichigo winced as Renji put them on. The blue and pink hearts did add the crowning touch to a very demented picture. "You should totally get that and wear it to a captain's meeting. Dad would plotz!"
"Yeah, no, I do have to live with Byakuya you know." Renji handed back the glasses and looked at his clothes regretfully. "I like them, but Ichigo's right, I look like a pimp. Oh well." He went back to the changing room and so did Gyo. Ichigo looked down at his pants for a moment, then went to find a tighter version.
Maybe Gyo was right. He did have a very nice body, perhaps it was time to flaunt it.
The next time they trained, Ichigo decided to move it to the grounds of the manor. Renji and Rukia were both watching as they practiced.
"So the object of this exercise is simple. You have to knock off my hat." Ichigo said firmly, pressing down the hat a bit farther. It was silly, maybe, but Urahara's training had worked. He was going to go with it. Then the hat was suddenly knocked off his head. "HEY! I wasn't ready, you brat!"
"Well, you said to knock it off!" Gyomaru said with a wide grin and Ichigo glared at him before picking the hat back up. It was white, with little pink stripes. Not really his style, but it had been on sale for a dollar in the bargain bin. He didn't wear hats in general so he wasn't going to waste money on it.
"Right." He pushed the hat back down and took a ready stance. "Now we – DAMN IT!" The wind suddenly picked up and snatched the hat off his head. Ichigo cursed and tried to grab it as Gyo laughed.
"So how is this hat thing working out for you?" Gyomaru asked, highly entertained by the spectacle of his trainer trying to retrieve his errant headgear. Ichigo caught the hat and regarded it balefully for a moment before tossing it at his student.
"On second thought, you can have it. It's totally your style." He said and winced as Gyo immediately put it on, then added his pink and blue sunglasses. "Awful, just awful… are you ready?"
"I was born ready!" Gyomaru did take a moment to snap his glasses back into his pocket, though. Ichigo was amazed by how much he seemed to love the things. He certainly protected them better than Renji managed to protect his glasses. "Rar!"
The fighting began in earnest then, and Ichigo found that Gyomaru's flash step was improving. It was probably just the steady practice with someone over his level, but the teenager was showing improvement in all areas. Except one.
"Oh come ON!" Gyo winced as he shook his left hand and Ichigo struggled not to laugh. He'd just tried a low level kido and had it backfire nicely. "That hurt. I think I have a blister." He muttered then yelped as Ichigo attacked him. "Bastard!"
"Do you think an enemy will wait for you to recover when you blow yourself up? I don't think so." Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he forced Gyomaru back, using his full power and skill on the teen. It wasn't really fair, but Gyo was holding out, if just barely. Then Ichigo got a surprise. He swung at the teen expecting the boy to dodge, but instead Gyo leapt up, resting a hand on Zangetsu's edge and giving him a blinding roundhouse kick to the face. Ichigo hit the ground hard and rolled, slamming into a wall with stunning force. He gasped for a moment then blinked as a hard hand gripped the front of his robe, lifting him up. For a moment he stared into feral blue eyes and felt a strange sense of déjà vu. He was absolutely certain Gyomaru was going to punch him, but then the boy blinked, the grip on his collar loosening.
"Wow, how did I do that? Are you alright?" Gyomaru let go of him and Ichigo caught himself, steadying himself against the wall.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo said, wiping his face with one hand and feeling a little shaky. He hadn't expected Gyomaru to get the better of him like that, and it was a bit shocking. "Are you okay?" He grabbed Gyo's hand, fully expecting to see that the bloodthirsty boy had cut himself on Zangetsu. But to his surprise, there was no mark. "How did you do that?" He stared at the unmarred skin, surprised and a bit shocked. Gyomaru was also looking down at his hand, and flexed it, making a fist.
"I don't know. That was weird." Gyomaru sounded a bit lost and Ichigo looked up to meet troubled blue eyes. "It just came to me, and then I wanted to hit you." His breath caught as Gyo confessed that. "I don't know why though." Blue eyes met brown and held, and for a moment Ichigo felt that déjà vu again. He could almost see green marks beside those blue eyes –
"Are you guys both okay? That was freaky, Gyo!" Renji called and they both flinched, pulling away from each other. Ichigo swallowed, wondering if he'd imagined that moment of attraction.
"Did you cut yourself?" Rukia said, businesslike, as she seized Gyomaru's hand. He didn't resist at all, looking dazed as she checked his palm. "That's strange. You should have hurt yourself quite badly, grabbing his sword like that. Be more careful Gyo." She gently scolded him. "Injuring yourself won't help your training at all."
"Huh? Oh, right. I'll be good Rukia." Gyomaru said, then grimaced, pulling his hand away. "I'm hungry now. Is there something to eat?" He said, changing the topic. "Like, a steak? I want some meat!" Ichigo couldn't help but snicker. Gyomaru often had cravings, usually either for meat or for sweets. Rukia sniffed, shaking her head with a small smile.
"Just don't tear it apart with your teeth like last time. That's why we have forks and knives." She said before leading them back into the house. Ichigo blinked as his own stomach growled. How long had it been since lunch? Long enough that he was a bit hungry, too. A snack would be welcome.
However, Gyo needed more than a snack. His teenage appetite saw him ravening through a large salad with pickled ginger and tinned salmon, then polishing off a nice sized steak with rice on the side. Then he licked the plate, to Renji's amusement and Rukia's disgust.
"Yeah, the civilizing Gyo project is meeting with poor success – ow, Rukia, don't hit me!" Gyo stuck his tongue out at her and Ichigo smiled, just watching the byplay as he sipped his tea. "You're just jealous that I can lick off a plate and look sexy doing it, and you can't."
"Sexy? You think that was sexy?" Ichigo said, blinking. Licking off a plate? Sexy? Gyomaru gave him a grin.
"Well, no, but check this out." He licked his plate again, and Ichigo's breath caught as he made the movement astonishingly catlike. It was also slow and sensual, and he had no problem imagining that tongue in other places. Everyone was staring, he vaguely noticed, as Gyomaru removed even the smallest specs of food from his plate. "And if you think that's awesome you should see what I can do with a pickle." Gyo added as he came up for air. Ichigo just stared, feeling like his face had to be as red as his hair.
"You're going to give us all nosebleeds, kid. How can you be a virgin and such a horrible tease?" Renji asked and Gyo just shrugged with a grin.
"It's a gift. So what's up for tomorrow? I heard something about going to the zoo? I want to see the panthers!" Gyomaru said with a small, astonishingly catlike growl. "I love cats." He added and Ichigo smiled as he remembered the other cat in his life. The one that had died much too soon. He didn't know what it was about Gyo that always reminded him of Grimmjow, but that feeling was not going away. If anything, it was getting stronger.
Maybe someday he would understand what it meant.