This chapter ended up as strange as it was informative XD Enjoy!

The clothing disc was pulled from his alabaster chest and tossed away as they reached the bedroom, and the human was tossed onto the bed with a yelp. The Queso de Cerdo was upon him with a pounce and a mouth full of frightening teeth captured the other's. They kissed ecstatically as two of four hands roamed snowy white skin before cupping a smaller, bare package. With a chuckle, the human pressed his feet to the blunet's broad chest and pushed. The alien allowed himself to fall backwards on his rump to see what the human was planning to do.

Shiro reached for the clothing disc centered on his master's chest and gripped it. Grimmjow grunted and stopped him, making Shiro scowl. "You never take your clothes off when we do this!"

Grimm said nothing and kissed him; obviously trying to bypass the oncoming question.

The albino pushed him away again. "Get naked, Grimm."

The alien sighed and gave up on trying to kiss the question away. "Did you ever think that there was a reason I never get naked with you when we do this?"

Slim arms crossed. "It can't be because you're self-conscious about your body; we bathe together after all... Wait a second. I don't think I've even ever seen your dick! Why are you hiding it from me?"

A cocky grin formed. "I wouldn't want to scare you."

"Oh, har. I ain't impressed. Take your clothes off or we're both going to bed unsatisfied."

The grin faded and Grimm diverted his eyes. He seemed to think really hard about it. He sighed after a while. "Just... promise not to touch it."

Shiro scoffed.

"Shiro..." he growled.

"Alright. I won't touch your dick..."

Grimm stared at him but then huffed and scooted off of the bed. Shiro sat up and crossed his legs to watch. He gripped his pelvic guard with all our hands, two in front and two in back, and gave a tug. It made a click sound and the two halves separated. The back half was set on the floor, but Grimm held the front piece in place. Shiro opened his mouth to complain but stopped when Grimm removed the disc on his chest, and the gel cloth receded to expose a chiseled chest and abdomen. He eventually dropped it as well.

White eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

The blue alien shift nervously as Shiro stared at his length which he had made to rest, limp, on the mattress in full view. It was a little longer than Shiro's forearm, and thicker than his wrist. The flushed head was a little flatter than his own. At first Shiro thought - after he peeled his gaze from the extra-terrestrial length presented before him - that Grimm didn't have balls, but he leaned closer and noticed the large pouch between his legs that joined his thighs (which made Shiro wonder if it made it uncomfortable to run).

"How on Earth have you been hiding this monster from me all this time?!"

"I tuck it between my legs when we bathe."

Shiro scooted closer and reached around to grabbed the sack, and felt the sizable testicles they housed.

Grimm gritted his teeth and hissed. "You promised."

"I promised not to touch your dick. Your balls are fair game." He grabbed the sack with both hands and began massaging it with his thumbs. He could feel the tennis-ball sized testicles they carried. Suddenly, the Queso de Cerdo's ignored length reached up and wrapped around Shiro's wrist. "Waah! It's grabbing me!" He stopped his massaging and grasped it back with his uncaptured hand.

"UGH! Grrrsss!"

The growled protest went unheard as Shiro explored his length, running his fingers over the the soft, veined, flesh and marveling at the strength and firm grip it had on his arm. He took notice of the anterior vein and traced it as it corkscrewed along with the shaft, earning more growls and hisses.

He looked up to Grimm. The alien was as tense as a bow, and the veins in his neck and arms were popped out. Large hands clenched and unclenched into fists and his eyes were screwed shut. Shiro watched him flinch and growl as he danced his fingers along the sensitive flesh. "Is it really that sensitive?"

"Yesssss~" he hissed. "Hah! Grrrssss!"

Shiro bit his lip and retracted his hand, though he still couldn't free the other. "Grimm, you can let go now. I won't touch it anymore..."

His eyes opened to show only slivers of boiling blue. His cock slowly loosened but then he growled and it tightened again. His hand darted out and roughly grabbed Shiro by his jaw, and dragged him into a harsh and nearly-painful kiss.

"!" Shiro wrenched away when a sharp tooth dug into his lip and before he could form a word of protest he was pushed to the mattress with a warm mouth latched onto his member and clawed fingertips at his entrance. He looked up when Grimm's mouth left him and saw the lust addled alien suck hurriedly on two fingers. They met eyes and the digits dove inside to find his prostate. They dug into the bundle of nerves, but his claws didn't rend the sensitive flesh within.

Shiro's cry turned to a moan as his erection was engulfed once more. He arched and speared his fingers through wild blue locks as Grimm sucked on him hard and abused his pleasure button. He couldn't stop the shudders he had at the thought of all those dangerous teeth cradling his length. Grimm growled sending delicious vibrations up his shaft and his lower half rutted against the bed as if trying to give his monstrous length release by using the soft sheets. Squeaks and creaks sang through the air from his rough movements despite there being no springs in the bed's design.

"Ah! Grimm, I- I'm coming. I'm coming! Aah!" The mixture of different sensations sent him over and he shot his load into Grimm's hungry mouth as he screamed in pleasure. The sex-crazed Queso de Cerdo swallowed quickly, slurping up every drop before pulling away and lapping at the reddened head. Shiro laid there for a while, basking in the afterglow. After a few pants he lifted his head and peered at the bluenet who leisurely lapped at his withered dick with low animalistic growls. "G-Grimm...?"

Grimmjow slowly opened his eyes on an especially slow upward lick. He released the human's flaccid cock and moved to settle on his elbows. A growling purr came forth from his throat.

The albino was still panting from the harsh treatment and taxing climax. "That was..." he swallowed thickly, "dif-different."

He growl-purred again. "You only have yourself to blame; I told you not to touch it."

"Um... why?"

He shrugged and licked Shiro's limp member one more time, seeming to be wishing for more of Shiro's spunk. "My people have... hostile libidos and hyper-sensitive genitals. Something our government did to all of us over the course of a century I believe. To make us breed more since pregnancy rates were always low, and trying alter us to become pregnant easier and faster resulted in a 100% mortality rate in tests."

"So they- what - put something in the water?"

"Something like that."

"What happens, exactly?"

"Ah... continued stimulation to the genitals causes us to go into a rut and mate with the first being in arms reach and we won't calm from the rut until we've climaxed one or three times."

Shiro squinted and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You mated with me?"

"No, I stopped myself from actually doing it." His fingers touched Shiro's hole. "You're still so tiny down here; I'd've ripped you apart."

"But... you calmed down."

Grimm grunted as he lifted up and dragged Shiro down until he was snuggled under him. "Let me explain something to you. Humans and the different human products we have on Alma are one of our biggest exports. Like around our part of the universe. 10 of the 15 other civilizations, species, beings, whatever love the exports. Namely human semen, and for a variety of reasons. The Cerebros, for example get nutrients they need from it when consumed in a large enough quantity. However, for my people its like a libido calmer. Drinking it calms us from rutting for a few hours. Which is wonderful when all you want to do is go to the fricken' market without taking or being taken in the middle of the road as we aren't allowed to wear those protective covers on Hueco Mundo."

"Wait. How the hell does drinking our semen stop you guys from going sex crazy?"

Grimm scratched his chin. "The theory is that by introducing semen to our system, it tells our libido that there's no need to rut anymore and for a few hours we don't have to be mindful of our cocks."

"Why don't you just drink each other's semen?"

"Doesn't work, it just makes the rut worse, but that's probably because we're introducing more of what we already have in us. Actually, for all I know anyone's sperm works the way yours does, but there's no real reason to test it since yours is easily attainable, not that Cerebros would just hand over their own semen for taste tests anyway." He looked to Shiro. "Any of that make sense?"

He nodded.

"Good."

Shiro shifted so that he could splay his hands on Grimm's chest. "So...? Do you want to 'mate' me?"

Sharp teeth formed a grin. "Mm, definitely, that's why I'm always stretching you out."

"You could always try fisting."

Grimm cocked his head.

"You don't know what fisting is?"

Grimm shook his head.

The albino crossed his arms. "Look it up. I don't want to explain it."

Grimm huffed and rolled off the small human. "Computer. Bring up the Earth's internet." A little floating orb popped out of the wall and projected a holo-screen in front of them. Shiro snickered at the rainbow colored Google logo displayed before them. "Search for 'Fisting'." A bunch of results came up. "Translate."

Shiro blinked when the familiar English words turned to an unfamiliar squiggly text. "Can't you read English?"

"Yeah, but that takes more brain power. Don't worry, I read fast. I'll be... 'fisting' you in no time."

Shiro flushed at the wording. "Alright. But... we probably shouldn't do it tonight though; I don't want to have to make up an excuse for why I'm walking funny for my aunt and uncle."

"Hmm, you have a point. I'll just have to do it when you get back." He pressed a kiss to his forehead and continued reading with one arm holding the human close like a teddy bear.

An hour or so passed by. Grimm was murmuring softly to himself, and Shiro was dosing off when there was a knock at the door. As an automatic response, they both muttered, "Come in."

Grimm looked up after the one who knocked entered and lurched to his feet. "Captain," he addressed and gave a different sort of salute. He closed his eyes and bowed his head at a gentle angle with left hands curled into fists over his heart and right hands behind his back.

Shiro lifted onto his elbows so that he could study the Captain as it was honestly the first time he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting him. He appeared to be a little taller than Grimm, though his muscle tone was the same. He had a human shade of fair skin and slightly wavy brown hair falling just past his chin and a neat, close-shaven goatee. His grey eyes drooped in a perpetually sleepy way.

The taller Queso de Cerdo lifted a gloved hand. "Don't stand on my account, I only wanted to invite you to join me in my room since you did not yesterday on the day of rest." He cocked his head in a considering and appreciative manner. "You've treated me with a rather nice sight."

Thinking that the Captain was talking about his nude state, the human blushed and placed a hand over his crotch.

"Ah, I wasn't talking about you, young pet," he told Shiro and focused on Grimmjow who was still standing next to the bed, also very much in his birthday suit.

He grew a blush of his own and put a hand in front of his sizable package, which effectively did nothing until the shaft coiled up behind the cover. The Captain grew a small smile and lifted his gaze to Grimm's face. "I must decline, sir."

"And I must insist. Don't be mislead, I'm am not inviting you for merely personal matters, I also have some news and orders to relay to you."

Grimm grunted. "In that case, I will join you. I only ask that you allow me a moment to don my uniform."

The Captain nodded and exited to give him some privacy.

The bluenet sighed and let his hand drop and his cock uncoil. He turned to recover his clothing disc.

"Does that guy... like you or something?" Shiro ventured a guess.

His cock coiled again as he placed the disc on his breast and the gel tendrils spilled out to conceal him. The obscenely large bulge left int the cloth was concealed by Grimm's usual crotch guard. "Captain Starrk's been trying to court me for the last two Alminian years. It's flattering, really, but also a bit uncomfortable since he is my superior. I wish he'd go after one of the others."

"Well, I understand why he wants you; you're hot. Like H-A-W-T hot," Shiro complimented. "Oh, don't mention to Ichi that I spelled it that way. He'll throw a dictionary at my head."

He smiled at the human as he recovered the other disk and pressed it to his navel to form skin tight pants. Shiro tried to scoot off the bed, but Grimm scooped him up before his bare feet brushed the floor and carried him from the bedroom.

The Captain was waiting for them outside, lazily lounging against the wall opposite the door. He bobbed his head in greeting and began walking down the hall. They followed.

His room wasn't too far away, as they reached it in a few moments. The inside bore the same layout as Grimm's though instead of a bed there was a pile of large cushions. Grimm pulled one from the pile and settled on it a foot away from the pile.

The brunet's eyes sparkled, knowing that Grimm was trying to put some distance between them, but allowed the bluenet his space and flopped gracelessly on the pile.

"So," Grimm started, "by 'news', did you mean news from the home world?".

"Yes, and if you don't mind, I'd prefer to speak in our mother tongue."

Grimm's eyebrows furrowed and he looked to Shiro who turned to straddle his lap. "Don't worry, I'll just catch up on the nap I was slipping into earlier," Shiro told him and rested his head on Grimm's shoulder and Grimm wrapped his arms around him.

"Are we able to freely send transmissions back to Hueco Mundo?" Grimm asked. Since Prince Byakuya could speak with his parents back on Seireitei now, it should be the same for his home world, however their government kept a tight lid on such things as that.

Starrk sighed. "Sadly, no. The government is still against that, but they still send us news, as per usual." He sent the bluenet a steady gaze. "They sent news that Zardula was chosen for the 'annual breeding program'."

Grimmjow flinched. News like this usually didn't bother him, but Zardula was his home city; and also his little brother's current location. Starrk calmed his worries before he could speak them.

"Your brother's name did not appear on the breeding pair lists, so he didn't take part in it. Perhaps he's established himself with another so he was exempt from it, or maybe he was sick. Either way he seems to have been saved from experiencing that horrible event."

Grimm released a sigh of relief at that. The breeding programs was one of the reasons he'd joined the military; to get away from them that is. An army of enforcers will seize a city for six months, and either force it's unpaired inhabitants into breeding pairs or simply shove a large amount of them into darkened rooms with not a stitch of cloth to protect their intimate parts so that they fly into ruts and form breed pairs (or sometimes polymorous breeding 'pairs') that way. It was a horrible and frightening experience, at least according to all the stories, that is. He wished his brother could've joined the military to escape that fate as well, but he couldn't pass the physical tests.

"I'm glad he was spared that fate, but I really wish I could get in contact with him. See if he's okay. Maybe meet with his mate if that is what saved him from the program."

"Hopefully they'll allow communications between here and Alma and let us speak with our loved ones. I would like to speak with my little brother as well..."

"You'll probably be able to speak with him sooner since Vrka wasn't chosen this year."

Starrk nodded. "While you were confined to your room earlier," he murmured, changing the subject, "the Prince gave me note that you have been chosen to embark on a task."

"Hm? What task?"

Starrk yawned and rubbed an eye. "Are you aware of the virus currently ravaging the continent across the ocean?" He continued when Grimm nodded. "In a few days, you are to travel there to procure two victims of the virus and bring them back for the Cerebro scientists to study."

"Why me?"

Starrk chuckled and sent him an amused look. "What an absurd question... 'Why me?' Your training and successes in stealth and infiltration made choosing you a no brainer."

"But your skills surpass mine."

"And I have a problem staying awake unless it's to fly my ship."

Grimmjow nodded the truth in that statement. "I'll assume that I'll be briefed more when preparations are made?"

Starrk nodded.

All three head's lifted and faced the door as it whooshed open and the three boys entered the room. Shiro sat up when he noticed something creeping in with them.

"Koma!"

"Woof!"

The albino stood and his butt immediately made nice with the floor when he was tackled by the excitable 200 pound pooch. He didn't mind, his nimble fingers finding the spots Koma loved to be scratched in and attacking them with fervor. "Hey boy! Hey! God, it's been forever, how ya been?"

"Arf arf!"

"That good, huh?"

Hanataro was one of the three who'd entered, and his eyes grew large. "You can understand him?" he asked.

Toshiro popped him over the head. "Of course he can't! He's doing the same thing Karin and Yuzu were doing."

Shiro shoved at the dog, and Koma took the hint and let the human get off the floor and settle on his knees. He continued to lavish the dog with attention, telling him, "I'm going to steal you away, that alright with you? Maybe I'll take you to town if you're up for it."

Koma barked happily and licked him.

"A town? Can we go?" Rikichi asked looking to Starrk.

The brunet shook his head. "Perhaps when we've occupied it, but not now."

Shiro looked to Riki who had become crestfallen from that answer. "I could bring you back a souvenir if you'd like."

"What's a souvenir?" Rikichi asked.

"Um... when some one brings gifts back when they go on a trip."

"Oh! Master Starrk used to brings gifts for us all the time when we were too young to be on the ship," Riki told him. "Yes, I'd like a souvenir, please!"

Shiro grinned at him and looked to the others. "Do you two want anything?"

Toshiro shook his head but Hana nervously twiddled his fingers. "Um... Ichigo shared these yummy red candies with me a while ago, could I have more of those? Or even another type of candy?"

"Sure thing."

"Was there something you needed?" Starrk asked on a yawn.

"It's nine-thirty, Master," Toshiro informed him. "You always take your baths at this time."

The Captain made a face. "Is it really that late?" At their nods he sighed and lurched to his feet. "What a shame, now that we had official matters out of the way I'd hoped to begin wooing you, Grimmjow."

The Lieutenant managed to stave off a blush as he followed them from the room with Shiro and his dog behind him. They exchanged goodbyes with Starrk and his young pets before leaving for their own room. The kids were sad to see Koma go as he happily followed Shiro and Grimm.

"What did you two talk about," Shiro asked after a while.

Grimm shrugged, and tugged the human closer as they passed by some Queso de Cerdo workers. He glanced at the band on their arms and saw that they were ensigns; a rank below him. The fact was cemented when they paused to salute before continuing on their way. "We spoke of happenings on our world mostly."

"Like what?"

"There's this annual... thing that my hometown was chosen for and I wish I could contact my little brother."

"Huh... I never expected you had siblings. What's his name?"

"Pantera."

Shiro stopped in his tracks. "Seriously?"

"Yeah..."

"Like seriously serious, your little bro's name is Pantera?"

"Yes. Why is that so unbelievable?"

Shiro cackled. "Cuz our cat's name is Pantera."

Grimm wrinkled his nose. "That's that little white creature I've seen running around right? I don't like it. It's prissy and stuck-up; nothing like my brother. It doesn't deserve his name."

Shiro let out another laugh. "Just call her 'Demon' like I do."

"Gladly," Grimmjow said with a curt nod. Shiro asked about information on his brother next, and he smiled as he opened the door for them. The albino turned his disc and his pants turned to mid-thigh length shorts as he settled back on the bed. He tapped the mattress and Koma leaped up and settled next to the human and rolled on his back for a belly rub. The bluenet switched into his usual night clothing disk and settled his body on Shiro's back, relieved that he didn't have to hide his endowed nether region from him anymore. With a purr he rubbed in against the other's bum earning a low groan.

Koma whined at him and he smirked at the dog and stopped so that the human could focus on petting and scratching his belly.

Grimm called for the projector once more and ordered it to display a picture of him and his brother the day before he left to come to Earth.

Shiro's eyebrows rose. "Oh my god... your brother's adorable."

Grimm nodded in agreement. It wasn't that his brother was young, no he was 22 in Alminian years (18 in Earth years), he just had an air about him that made others want to hug and protect him. His hair was blue like Grimmjow's but he wore it long and wavy, the locks reaching his rump. His eyes were a golden color that made the happiness in his warm smile shine brighter. He had a physique and height comparable to Shiro's and was less tan than Grimmjow who stood with an arm on his shoulder in the picture. Both wore sarong type skirts on their lower halves with the light gray and gold fringed cloth knotted in front of their groins so that their thighs slipped out from within the cloth and the excess from the knot covered their reproductive bits. Pantera's four small hands were clasped in front of him and his and Grimm's tails were entwined in a loose knot in front of them, that showed how close they were.

"Everyone thinks he's cute... had to tell off more than a few guys who were making him uncomfortable with their advances while I was home. Hope he's alright."

"Can't you call him?"

"Nope..."

"Can he call you?"

"Nope."

"Interstellar letters?"

Grimm laughed at that. "No."

"That's a shame..." He rested his head on Koma and got a slobbery lick on the cheek. "Heh heh." He scrubbed his cheek. "Well if you do get in touch with him, make sure I get to meet him."

"Alright, but he doesn't have you language downloaded in his mind, so you won't understand each other."

"That's why you'll be there to be our translator."

Grimm scoffed.

Ichigo was awakened early the next day for his milking. It went faster than before, what with him not fighting it anymore, and he found that he didn't feel drained and in need of a nap afterwards. He was already half dressed, he just had to slip on his jeans and shoes before his brother got to the house. He'd just reached the top of the stairs out of the basement when heavy pounding at the door made him jump. The sound was so foreign both now and even before the aliens had come as they never really got visitors up here. His blood went cold remembering his aunt's threat from yesterday and he peered through the peep hole.

Ichi sucked his teeth and groaned in annoyance: Nnoitorra was on the other side of the door. He almost wished it had been his aunt.

"Yo! Open up!" he shouted and pounded on the door thrice more with his nearly bony fist.

"What is that sound?"

Ichigo jumped again and whirled around to see Byakuya gracefully descending the stairs. "Nnoitorra," the oranget told him as he reached the last step. "The guy we told you about yesterday."

His lips pursed. "I shall call Renji."

Ichigo grunted in disagreement and opened the door before the Prince's antennae could twitch out the message. Byakuya flinched and stepped into the shadows so he wouldn't be seen. "What are you doing here?!" Ichi demanded as he glared up at the taller human.

Nnoi had been sneering but that turned into a triumphant smirk as he lowered his fist and looked Ichigo over. Ichigo looked him back over in turn, his hands braced on the door frame, blocking the taller's entrance. "Heyah, cutie. Missed you yesterday," he greeted and stepped a foot over the threshold. "Mind if I come in?"

He scowled and placed a hand on the other's chest before giving a rough shove, sending the lanky male flailing backwards. "Yes, I do." He stepped out the house and shoved him again so that he was off the porch. "Get off my farm, Nnoitorra."

"Ah, c'mon, babe," he murmured as he caught his balance on the dusty ground and looked back to the crossed oranget who was stepping off the porch. He rushed forward and grabbed Ichi around his waist; narrowly missing getting a fist to the face. He rubbed his hands over Ichi's sides, reminding the oranget that he was wearing naught else but the gel cloth in a skin tight boxer brief form and a graphic tee; he must've been a real feast for the eyes for the spiky-haired bean pole before him.

Nnoi leaned close and Ichigo wrinkled his nose as he leaned away. "Your breath stinks! Have you been drinking already?"

"One or two, nothing bad."

The intensity of Ichi's glare doubled at that fact, especially knowing that Nnoi had undoubtedly drove to their farm. Drunk drivers had a special spot on his "Go to Hell" list.

Nnoitorra seemed to understand the searing glare and backed away with his hands up in a surrendering position. "I'm not drunk, I swear. See?" He held his hands out to his sides and touched his index fingers to his nose with the practiced ease of having done many sobriety tests.

Ichigo scoffed and looked around as he began slowly reciting the alphabet backwards."

"Z-Y-X-W-V-U-T..." Nnoi droned.

Ichi's eyes landed on the pretty little black Mercedes-Benz parked next to the car Shiro had dragged in the day prior. Despite the slight distance, he could see the slight layer of dust and dirt marring the bottom on the doors and all of what he could see of the undercarriage.

"...S-R-Q-P-O-N-Mmph!"

Ichigo turned and looked. Shock turned into triumph at what he saw. Grimmjow had crept up on the annoying human and captured him. One hand appeared to hold Nnoi's twiggy wrists behind him and a large hand covered practically his entire face leaving only his right eye visible for Ichi to see the fear and confusion in it. Grimm's other two hands were planted on his hips as he looked over the human he held from his spot behind him.

"Is this the Nnoitorra human that hurt you, Shiro?" Grimm asked making the oranget notice his brother as he stopped next to the Queso de Cerdo. Grimm reached a hand out and rubbed a thumb over the bruise on his cheek.

"Yeah," Shiro told him with an absolutely mischievous glint in his haunting eyes. "Rough 'em up for me, yeah?"

Nnoi's eye widened as Grimmjow laughed. "No, no. I think I'll give him to Szayel," he announced as his hand crept from Nnoi's face and wrapped around his neck. He turned the human so he dangled off the ground by only the hand grasping his neck. "I think that'd be a fitting punishment." He set the human on his feet but kept a tight hold on him.

Nnoi gasped and gripped the large male's wrist. His eyes widened more as they went over Grimmjow's extra arms, and sharp teeth, and he shivered upon seeing his tail lashing behind him. "What the Hell are you?" he hushed.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, alien to your world and master of the human you decided to fuck with yesterday." He brought them nose to nose. "I don't like others fucking with what's mine." He secured Nnoi in a headlock and headed for the house with the twins following close behind.

Byakuya was still in the foyer waiting for them as they entered. Grimmjow bowed slightly making Nnoi bend awkwardly. "Your Highness."

"Lieutenant. Why have you brought that human in here?"

"I was going to give him to Szayel. Penance for harming my pet and touching yours."

His topmost eyes opened and closed. "Very well." He looked to Ichigo as the he approached and fended off the hand the oranget reached out to him with, with a gentle bat. "Bathe."

Orange brows came together. "What?"

"That human groped you with his filthy hands. Go bathe. Now."

Ichigo's brows remained together as he rounded his master and headed up the stairs. He reached the bathroom just as Wonderweiss approached him with a pile of folded clothes with a fresh clothing disk in his arms. He almost asked how the Cerebro had know he'd needed it, but clamped his mouth shut when the word "Telepathy" popped up in his head. He thanked the younger quietly and slipped into the bathroom.

He undressed quick before hopping in the shower. The shower rained down on him at his usual preferred temperature, as it recognized his fingerprint when he touched the touchscreen. He initially wanted to take a quick shower, but that changed quickly; showers were just so relaxing to him. Eventually, he found himself singing quietly to himself.

~Maketakunaishi.
Nakitakunaishi.
Warattetai kara.
Movin. Movin.~

He ended up singing the entire uplifting song before finally shutting the water off and sliding the frosted partition to the side. He managed to not scream upon seeing Byakuya there, lightly resting against the sink with his hands crossed on his belly and his eyes closed. They opened when Ichi addressed him.

"That was your other language."

It hadn't been a question but Ichi still replied, "Yes." He murmured his thanks when a towel was held out for him and stepped out of the shower.

"It was a rather lovely song. What was it about?" he asked as the human began dressing.

"Oh, um." Ichigo had been noticing the prince's odd fascination with any sort of music some time ago. Every time he hummed or whistled, he'd have the Cerebro Prince's full attention. "It's mostly about living a care-free, easy life." He fixed his jeans and headed out the bathroom.

"Fanciful," was his only comment to that as he followed Ichi towards the bed room. The oranget froze with a low "Oh," and Byakuya asked him what was wrong.

Ichigo turned to him with his hand up, showing his hi-tech brace. "I can't wear this there."

Just then Grimmjow trumped up the stairs. "There you are. This is for you." Before they could question him, he gingerly grasped Ichi's arm with one hand while two more disengaged the brace. Ichigo hissed in pain, but the pain quickly subsided as the new brace was fitted on him and the cool pressure returned. "The scientist apparently has been working on a new brace for a while."

Brown eyes studied the upgrade. It looked a lot more normal compared to the old one. The dark, leather-esk material and bulbous, semi-pliant ribbing was traded out for a material close to that of an ace bandage and straight, flat splints. He nodded his appreciation. "Alright well, I'll go grab my inhaler and shoes, and I'll be outta here."

x~x

A sharp elbow hit his side and he groaned and woke up. "Ow! Shiro!"

The elder laughed at him. "Wake up, we're here."

Ichigo rubbed his eyes and righted his seat so he could glance out the passenger side window. Their uncle's shop loomed over their truck, casting a shadow. It was on a large lot where the house was behind it with a nice patch of grass between the back of the shop and the front of the house. They left the warmth of the truck and rounded the closed shop to enter through the gate on the side of the lot.

"Ichi-nii! Shiro-nii!"

Shiro laughed and caught the excited girl as she propelled herself towards them. "Yuzu! It's been forever!"

She giggled as she wrapped her legs around him and snuggled into his neck. "I saw you last week!"

Both young men froze but then let out nervous chuckles. "Right... right," they said.

"Where's Karin," Ichi asked as he relied mostly on his unwounded wrist to transfer the petite thirteen year old to his own hip. "And what are you wearing?"

The little girl was kitted out in cheer-leading gear of gray, blue, and white. Her pleated skirt reached just above her knees with leggings that went to her ankles, and the sleeveless top was worn with a long sleeved shirt underneath for warmth. Muddy black sneakers covered her feet.

"It's my cheer-leading uniform; I'm gonna be the cheerleader for the football team," she announced happily. A frown came over her. "Karin got mad at school today so she's in the basement on her drums, blowing off steam." She hopped down out of her orange-haired brother's hold and grasped his uninjured hand to drag him to the house. "C'mon, Yoru-oba and Kissy-oji are waiting for you both!" They could already smell the sweet scent of baked goods as they approached.

Ichigo wasn't surprised at all when he was put into a smothering hug once his feet were out of his boots.

"There's my carrot-topped nephew!" Yoruichi cheered as she crushed him in her excitement.

"Ow, ow, ow! Auntie, my wrist!" Ichi groaned when he found that the appendage was wedged between his chest and hers.

She let go quickly and gasped when she saw the damage. "What happened?"

"Oh! I, uh... uh..."

"Didn't we tell you?" They looked over to see Karin as she ascended the stairs leading from the basement and stood in the doorway. The tomboy was still in her uniform - a white dress shirt with a blue and gray striped tie, a navy skort, and white socks - with her head phones around her neck and her drumsticks and music player clutched in one hand. "He was being stupid and fell off the roof."

Yuzu humphed. "He wasn't being stupid! He was being a hero and saving Pantera."

Karin scratched her head and shrugged. "Pantera's a cat; she can take care of herself..."

The boys looked at each other in surprise, but went along with it; it seemed the aliens' fore-sight when manipulating their sisters' memories had been on par.

Yoruichi separated them before a full argument started between the fraternals and went to give Shiro a hug. "None of that matters. Ichi is fine now, and I'm sure he won't be climbing on anymore roofs anytime soon. Right, Ichi?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said quickly.

She smiled. "Oh wow, your hair's gotten quite long!"

Ichi touched a lock; it was at his nose now. "Yeah. Mind giving it a cut?"

Byakuya was formulating plans and going over information when a transmission from Seireitei was brought to his attention. He made the projector peek out of the wall opposite of him and display the image of his father before him. He was without the circlet on his brow.

"Hello, my son," he murmured with a slight bob of the head.

Byakuya returned the polite gesture. "Hello, father. What urged you to call me this day?"

The look Sojun gave him was that of confusion. "Today is the day of rest for you as well, is it not?"

He shook his head. "We took ours yesterday as it was the fourteenth day from when we first made landfall."

"Ah. Forgive me, am I interrupting anything?"

"Nothing of consequence father. Was there anything you needed?"

"I merely wished to talk to you, and perhaps your intelligent pet."

"Alas, he is not here."

"Hm? Where is he?"

"In the nearby town, visiting his family with his brother."

His father's carefree look turned stern. "Is such a choice wise?"

"I foresaw no problems with allowing him to do this. Quite the opposite in fact. A problem would've occurred had i not allowed him to visit town, as his aunt was threatening to visit, and according to him and a recording we had of her, she is a force to be reckoned with." He picked up his data screen rod from the cushion next to him. "I also made sure to activate the camera on his collar as a precaution. Shall I check on him now? It's been two hours so he should've reached the town by now."

Sojun nodded with bewilderment plaguing his countenance. "Two hours? They live so far away?"

"Yes they are very isolated, but that's why this is such a good base for us."

He opened the proper program and another projection appeared next to his father, though this one was 2-D, much like an image on a television screen. At first there was very little to be seen, just a healthy looking potted plant next to a mechanism and the obstruction of Ichigo's chin dangling over the collar. Upon turning up the volume, he was delighted to hear music playing, probably from the mechanism they could see. A tuft of orange fell past the collar.

"Thank so much for cutting my hair, auntie."

There was a laugh. "You're welcome."

A young girl bounced into frame as a new song started. "Ichi-nii! Dance with me to this song!" she begged him.

Byakuya made the tiny camera dislodge and float so that he could control the view point. He turned it to look to his pet to see that his hair was short, and spiky just like Shiro's. The woman whose lap his head rested upon was a interesting sight for the Cerebros, they'd never seen a human with those colors until then.

"What an exotic looking human. Quite a beauty," Sojun murmured in awe.

Ichigo left her lap and dusted stray orange strands from his shoulders and went to stand next to the girl who Byakuya was sure was one of his sisters.

~But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright."~

They started to "dance". It wasn't very harmonious, how they both moved differently to the beat and words, more of a playful balter; balter being a word the prince had only recently learned. The girl waved around the strange mess of sparkly strands of plasti-paper she had in each hand in her dance as Ichigo focused more on hip and shoulder movements in his dance. It was all around very intriguing and enjoyable to watch.

The song ended and the pair bowed to those who applauded them.

"Ah, wait," another voice, presumably the uncle said. "I know what you should do. Yuzu come sit, and Shiro go up there with your brother."

The girl, Yuzu walked away to do as she'd been told, and Shiro took her place. A blond male went to the machine and pulled a smaller device resembling his pet's music player from a stand connected to it. He fiddled with it for a moment before putting it back and leaving to sit back down. There was a pregnant pause and then music started. The boys groaned as if annoyed but their smiles said otherwise. A beat began and they started to dance.

The king and prince both watched in amazement as the boys pulled off a complex sort of dance. It was choreographed and their movements were mirrored perfectly, and their expressions went from focused concentration to delight as the short wordless song played. Their movements matched up as the end of the song neared.

There was more applause when they finished, though this applause was louder and full of more praise which was well deserved. The pair bowed theatrically before Shiro took to a sort of fighting pose.

"Alright! Enough fun and games, I challenged you to a battle after you finished cutting Ichi's hair, auntie!"

"She's not done, I still have this long strand here," Ichigo said after he noticed it tucked behind his ear.

"Oh, yeah. I was going to braid that and put a cowrie shell on it," their aunt mentioned.

Ichi made a face. "Why?"

"Because I feel like it. Now, stop questioning me and sit down. I'll finish quickly so I can kick your brother's ass."

"Yoru-oba! Language!"

The camera was turned and the Cerebros saw the oranget sitting betwixt his aunt's legs again as she braided the aforementioned strand. When she finished she slipped and dark blue bead that appeared to be of cut crystal on the thin braid and then wrapped the end around a white shell. She gave him a playful but firm slap in the head before they both stood and followed the albino from the house.

Outside, all of the inhabitants of the house were waiting on the porch while Shiro and their exotic looking aunt squared up in the front yard.

"They're truly going to do battle?" Sojun asked. "Whatever for? Are they not family?"

"They're fighting for the fun of it, I suppose."

"Hmph, something only a Queso de Cerdo could relate to..." he muttered with a slight trace of disdain in his tone.

"No legs auntie! Those things are deadly!"

"I'd never kick you, and you know it. Only Kissy gets the kicks in the family."

The blond male made a pained face and rubbed his stomach. "And what wonderful kicks they are!"

There was a laugh and then a lull as the fighters got ready; staring intently at one another. Suddenly, Shiro rushed forward with a fist cocked back. A mocha-colored hand darted out and grasped it when it swung for her abdomen and she swung Shiro off to the side with enough force that he fell. The spry young man hopped to his feet and attacked again.

It went on like that for a while, Shiro attacking while his aunt batted away his attacks and gracefully dodged. She threw a few hits of her own from time to time but ultimately she was defensive while her nephew was offensive.

"C'mon!" Shiro cried as he was batted away again. "This is hardly a fight!"

She shrugged. "Alrighty then." She put out her hands for his next attack, but instead of batting him away she grabbed him. A yelp rang out as a pale body flew through the air and a low thud and grunt cut it off when he landed. Yoruichi flipped him onto his stomach and sat on his back before he could rise, and she slipped an arm under his throat. She pulled and he gagged and tried to get free to no avail.

"Ghk! Okay okay!" he cried, hitting the ground thrice.

She laughed in triumph and lifted off of him. "You should choose your battles better Shiro."

He stuck a blue tongue out at her. "Yeah, whatever, yah hag."

Their aunt put the heel of her foot to his head and ground it in. "Wanna say that again?!"

The uncle went over and captured her around her slim waist. He earned a squeal when he spun around with her to take her mind off of pummeling her insolent nephew.

There was a far off ding! sound and Yuzu spoke. "I think the cupcakes are done!"

Shiro jumped off the ground and rushed to the porch. "Whoo hoo! Icing!"

"You're so childish," Ichigo muttered and followed.

"Shut up, you know you're excited for Yuzu's cupcakes too."

"..."

Shiro cackled and turned around so that he could walk backwards into the kitchen. "Your silence speaks volumes, brother."

The oranget cracked a smile and shoved him.

As the young humans sat down to ice their cupcakes, Byakuya made the camera reattach itself to the collar to charge. It was annoying that it's power supply didn't last very long away from the collar, but it wasn't meant for long time use as pets didn't usually lead such interesting lives. He shut down the feed and returned his attention to his father.

"Shame we can't watch longer, but perhaps we can watch more once the camera is charged again."

"Indeed, I wish to see more of my pet's extended family."

"Might I ask why their sisters live there?"

Byakuya thought for a moment, but then realized he'd never thought to ask, and would have to rectify that later. For now he gave a hypothesis of sorts. "I'm not entirely sure, but they probably believed that it would be best for the girls to live with them in town after their parents perished; where they could go to school and be with other children their own age."

Sojun's eyes widened slightly. Sadness and maybe even pity shined in his eyes. "Their parents are no longer with them? How awful... when did such a thing happen?"

"Two years ago, when they were 15 in Earth years." That brought a conflicting thought to his mind: how did they receive the swords on their 16th birthday when their parents died the year before? Yet another question he had for his pet when he returned.

"So young!"

Byakuya nodded. "Indeed, they aren't even adults but they shoulder the burdens of being one. Though since we've gotten here I've noticed their... maturity, for lack of a better word, has lessened. Our appearance must've lifted some burdens from their shoulders despite the difficulties we've faced."

Sojun nodded, and then cocked his head as a thought hit him. "They children who live two hours from civilization. What is their government thinking? How did they protect themselves for so long."

Byakuya closed both sets of eyes. He would rather not tell him about this... "They had more than a few weapons."

A legitimate scowl graced his father's usual mellow countenance. "Children should not be permitted such things, let alone pets. Honestly, I wonder what goes through the minds of their leaders."

"To quote Shiro, 'We live in the middle of nowhere. Do you think if we got into trouble the police would be here in time to save us?'"

The scowl softened, but only just so. "Even more reason for them to be taken into some sort of parental custody. They should be living with that funny uncle and exotic aunt of theirs and going to school like their sisters. Do they even have an education?"

"Ichigo is rather well read, but sometimes I wonder about his brother."

His father must've noticed the hint of humor in Byakuya's tone, as he laughed. "Let's speak more on the humans later. For now let's get to things we didn't speak of in our previous transmission. How is my little sister, Rukia?"

It was getting late, and therefore getting dark, by the time they decided to leave. The "see you later"s were long, and full of hugs, or punches in Karin's case, and Shiro and Ichi eventually ended up in the car ready to drive off. They made quick stop at the store when Shiro remembered that the kids wanted souvenirs; they got Hana a stuffed bear that had chocolate in a pouch on its belly, Riki a bright green ball, and despite Toshiro not wanting anything, they grabbed a book about dragons for him.

They were surprised to see a familiar face as they exited the supermarket.

"Kurosaki twins."

Shiro grunted and Ichigo crossed his arms despite the bags dangling from them. "Hey Tersa," they chorused.

The friendly blond male was a flunky to Nnoitorra, and no the irony in that sentence was not lost to the twins. He was no taller than them, nor bigger in stature though the bulky jacket he wore made one wonder. He was an all around good guy, but they had a hard time liking him because of his weird admiration of Nnoitorra; they were quite sure that he had a huge crush on the lanky bastard. "By any chance have you two seen Nnoi around?"

The twins' eyes met before returning to Tersa. "Nope," they lied.

"Are you sure? He told me that he saw Shiro yesterday, so I'm sure he went to your farm."

"We've been here all day," Ichi told him. "He'll probably be back later, so stop worrying." He and Shiro walked by the fretting man, heading for their truck. "See ya, we gotta get home." They both got into their truck and started it up just as a familiar Mercedes-Benz pulled up next to Tersa and he hopped in.

The sky darkening even more and the interference to their crappy radio were the early warnings to the horrible thunderstorm they drove into. Shiro cursed and pulled over to the side of the road, refusing to drive under such conditions. The truck was shut off and the cabin light turned on to fend off the darkness.

The albino sighed and adjusted his seat back so he could get comfy. "Glad I decided not to bring, Koma; there's no way he would fit in here with us!" He shook his hair and stretched as much as possible in the small space. "Guess we'll be stuck here for a bit."

"Yeah, dang. I wish we'd brought the scramble board." Shiro grunted in agreement as the oranget thought over something to do. "Wanna play 20 Questions?"

"Uh... yeah sure. Can I go first?"

"Go ahead."

Shiro took a minute to think of his object. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Um... Is it organic?"

"Yup."

"Is it a plant?"

"Nope."

"Do humans have easy access to it?"

Shiro chuckled. "Yup."

Brown eyes narrowed. "It's a penis isn't it?"

"Damn... that laugh gave it away, huh? Well your turn."

"...Ready..."

They played on for maybe twenty minutes when Ichigo's collar began speaking to them, startling them out of their game.

"Where are you, and why have you stopped your traverse home?" the voice of Byakuya spoke through the speaker.

Shiro spoke in Ichi's stead. "Look out a window, Princey. There's no way I'm driving in this! I can barely see anything. We're sitting right here until it clears up."

There was a very long stretch of silence of which they began to think that the Prince had left, but then his voice spoke again. "I request that neither of you touch the operating parts of your vehicle for the next hour or however long it will take for you both to return."

They were sharing another look at each other when the truck hummed to life. Shiro made an unintelligible sound and reached for the keys to take them out Zap! and was promptly shocked by a blue current.

"Gyah! Ow! The hell?"

"I believe you were told not to touch anything."

The dashboard suddenly lit up in a way that was completely foreign to them; completely alien. The wheel compacted and tucked into the dash, leaving a screen in its stead. The stick shift retracted and a screen full of nothing but alien gibberish replaced everything from where the armrest would go (that was already missing when Shiro had dragged it off the side of the road all those years ago) to the radio and temperature controls. The face of Grimmjow appeared on the screen where the steering wheel had been.

"Sup, humans," he said, his voice sounded so clear that one would swear that he was sitting in the cab with them. The truck began moving on its own.

Shiro stupidly punched the image of the blue-haired alien. "The Hell you do to my truck?!"

Grimmjow didn't appear to be really looking at them, and the image of his head was angled slightly as if whatever was filming him was angled upwards at him. "I made it better."

"The Hell you did! I never asked for a fricken' transformer!" He hit the screen again. "Give me back my car! I put blood, sweat, tears, a year's worth of allowance and loans from uncle into rebuilding her!"

"Yeah and you did a good job, but she was lacking in some technological areas so I fixed her." He looked into the camera for a moment. "And quit punching the screen!" He growled when Shiro hit it again just to spite him. "Both of you just sit back, and relax; I'll drive home for you."

Ichigo was intrigued, and he was sure his brother was as well despite his grumbling. "How are you controlling the truck?"

"There's a wireless system connecting it to the cockpit of the ship. I just pulled up the program and hooked it up to the steering gear here. There are cameras for me to see and if you could read our language the screen between you both would tell you exactly what I'm doing on my end. Press what should look like a, uh... blocky ampersand."

Shiro found it first and pressed it. It changed to show them the control panel on Grimmjow's side. 20 dots representing the placement of his fingers moved about, though 10 moved in a way reminiscent of someone miming the action of moving a steering wheel.

"Impressed yet?"

"Yeah," Ichigo murmured.

"I never said I wasn't," Shiro grumbled.

They jolted as they hit an unseen pothole and Grimm cursed the horrible road when they hit another.

"Let's get back to our game since we'll be here a while," the younger twin suggested.

"Hm, yeah. Oh, I was about to guess your object. Uh... hm... Ah, it's a wheel ain't it."

"Yep, you got it."

"You two are always playing games together. What game are you two playing now?" Grimm asked. The twins took a moment to explain it to him. "Can I play?"

"Uh, sure, but make sure we'd actually know the object, or it'd be cheating," Ichigo told him.

"Don't worry, the object I've got in mind is definitely from this planet."

"Alright, then is it an animal?" Shiro asked.

"Nope."

"A plant?" Ichi asked next.

"Nope."

"A tool?"

"Nuh uh."

"A food?"

"Yes."

Shiro thought over his next question. "Is it hot?"

"Noope."

"So it's cold then," Ichi hazarded.

"Mm hm."

Shiro snapped his fingers. "It's ice cream!"

Grimm let out a bark of laughter. "Yah got me. That's actually a fun game. Who's turn is it now? Go easy on me, I'm still new to Earth after all."

Rain still fell as the prince exited the house to await his pet's return on the porch. The O/AT floated next to him allowing his father to look about the dark wet far with him. A flash of lightening struck the rod on the roof of the barn.

"This planet has such horrible weather," his father murmured, enticing a nod from Byakuya.

The lights from the automobile lit up the wet ground as it pulled up, and after a moment the lights went out as the rumbling from it stopped. The doors groaned as they swung open and the humans slid out. Despite the rain, they took a leisurely pace as they headed for the porch a few yards from where they parked. They laughed and carried on as they walked. Suddenly, Shiro gave Ichi a rough shove of the shoulder. The oranget faltered, but pushed back once he'd recovered. He received a harder push back, and then pushed Shiro to the muddy ground before making a dash for the porch.

Shiro recovered quickly, and the slick ground made his little brother slip, aiding him in catching the spry young man. He gripped the back of Ichigo's shirt and used his momentum to swing him to the side. The younger twin fell and the elder pounced.

"Are they fighting for fun again?" Sojun asked.

A mixture of screams and laughter erupted from the two humans.

"I would say so father."

The door to the home opened and Byakuya looked over his shoulder to see that it was Renji. The redhead guardsman gave a slight bow. "Shall I stop them, your highness?"

"No, they are playing. Let them tire themselves out."

The barn doors opened- one could tell from the line of light that escaped it -and very soon Grimm approached the tussling boys and peeled them off of each other. They then ganged up on the much larger male and took him to the ground and tried to get away. Hands whipped out and captured them both by the ankles and the bluenet lifted to his feet making the humans dangle helplessly. He slung them over his shoulders and approached the Cerebros.

"I believe that this one is yours," Grimmjow announced and deposited Ichigo before them. "Goodnight." He turned and headed back, revealing that his back was covered with wet mire upon turning around.

Shiro waved. "Night."

Ichigo let out a harsh gasp before waving as he fished out his inhaler and sucked down three puffs of medicine. He breathed deeply and gave a cough.

"Are you well?" Byakuya asked.

His voice was raspy but that fixed itself as he forcefully cleared hi throat. "Yeah, I just didn't take this as much as I should've." He put it away. He reached to grip Byakuya's sleeve since he was unable to hug the prince in his state. "How was your da- Aah!"

Renji grabbed him and yanked him away from the prince by his wounded wrist. "Don't touch the-"

Ichi's small fist met Renji's nose. "That hurts! Let go, you bastard!"

Byakuya was shocked to see his pet do such a thing, and so well that Renji actually staggered and took a step back to clutch his nose. Ichigo was holding his wrist to his chest protectively.

"Are you trying to break it again?!"

Renji composed himself but kept his hand over his probably bleeding nose. "I didn't break your arm."

"Maybe not directly, but it's still your fault! Don't touch me again."

"You do not have the right to give me orders, pet. I will grab you however much is necessary."

"Both of you you cease your squabbling," Byakuya commanded. Ichigo's harsh scowl turned to an apologetic look. "Go wash yourself, Ichigo."

The teenager nodded and quickly went into the house.

"I ask that you escort me to my room Renji Abarai."

The redhead bobbed his head and followed him into the house and to his room as ordered. The O/AT was powered down and his father's transmission was put back into the projector on the wall. The image of his father returned to the room before he spoke to his bodyguard.

"Your interactions with my pet have become more and more hostile as of late. Explain yourself. And please... speak freely."

Renji shoved a bloodied handkerchief into the pouch on his hip after the bleeding from his nose had stopped. "Sire, that human is hardly worthy of being owned by someone of your stature," Renji told him. "He's blatantly disrespectful, doesn't follow the laws and doctrines put in place for pets, and cannot be trusted. It's the same for his brother as well. And besides everything I've just said, they've done nothing but hinder our progress."

It would be a lie if one said that the prince was not deeply annoyed by the guardsman's accusations. "And what, pray tell, would you have me do?"

"If you truly wish to keep him, then perhaps you should at least limit his movement as well as the privileges you've bestowed upon him. To continue allowing him such freedoms will no doubt delude him into thinking he is free and therefore exempt from our laws."

"And who says that he is not indeed free."

"S..Sire?"

"He is my pet, Abarai, however he is still free until the time that I control this planet. I have placed limits on him where necessary, and these 'privileges' that I have bestowed upon him are no more than the chores he fulfilled daily before we came." His head cocked. "And what 'blatant disrespect'?"

"There are times when he doesn't refer to you by the proper titles, and he disobeys the orders of most of the personnel here." He bowed his head as he spoke his next words. "And, I saw you this morning when that unfamiliar human came to the house and he ignored your wish to call me to take care of it. I hope you'll forgive my spying.

Before Byakuya could speak once more, the door opened and Ichigo stepped in with his hair still damp and a towel about his waist. He scowled upon seeing Renji but that softened when his eyes landed upon him.

"Ah, forgive me, I forgot to have someone bring you a fresh disc," Byakuya murmured. He gestured to the screen where he usually dressed. "Yours are on the bottom most shelf over there."

"Thanks," the oranget uttered and went to the shelves after depositing his inhaler and something else onto the bedside table. Upon dressing in the usual boxer-brief style he retracted the screen and folded the towel over his arm. "Um, I'll just take this back to the bathroom."

"Come here," his master ordered. When Ichigo set the towel on the bed and moved to stand before him, a few feet away from Renji, he spoke again. "I want you to tell me why you seem to have a difficult time interacting peaceably with my guardsman."

He arms crossed and a scowl formed causing great wrinkles in his brow. The prince noticed the human looking up at Renji from the corner of his eye before it returned to him. "May I speak to him directly?"

After a moment Byakuya nodded and the human turned to face Renji and moved closer.

"You are such a jerk."

Renji's eyes widened then narrowed, and the prince and his father kept quiet to see how this would play out.

"Excuse me?" Renji growled. "This exercise is to settle our differences, not a chance for you to insult me."

Ichigo pointed. "Shut up, I'm getting to that and you're not allowed to talk right now." He dropped his hand and clenched it into a fist at his side. "You've been nothing but a jerk to me since we met. I'm not stupid, Renji, I can tell you think humans are a lesser species and in some ways, I admit it, you're right. Humans aren't telepathic. Humans are self-destructive and greedy. Humans aren't as technologically advanced as you, which I blame the dark ages for, by the way. However, that doesn't mean you get to downplay us, downplay me and my brother, like we're nothing but stupid animals! We're sentient just like you! We live and learn just like you.

And to top that off, whenever there is something I don't know or don't understand, you react horribly to it. I didn't know that you had to taste test the prince's food, and you reacted by accusing me of trying to poison him! I didn't know our father's gun was under the bed, and you reacted by almost putting my brother's arm in a cast! I don't know the laws and rules you have in place for your 'human pets' and you react like you gave me the book to study and I never read it. You treat me like I was raised to be a pet like Hanataro, but I wasn't! Why can't you be like the prince and give me time to slip into this weird role of being a pet? Maybe I wouldn't have such a huge problem with you if you did." He recrossed his arms and shrugged. "Till then, I don't even like breathing the same air as you."

Byakuya seemed unaffected by his pet's words on the surface, but inside he was intrigued and maybe even pleased at this new insight into the way his pet thought. "Are these claims true, Abarai?"

The guardsman huffed, but did not lie in his response. "Yes, sire, these claims are true in one way or another."

The oranget made a heavy sigh as he turned towards the prince once more. "Can I take a walk, master?" he asked.

Byakuya nodded and watched him take his leave. "I hope you'll take what you've learned today and mend the abrasive way you treat my pet, as well as all humans who will be under my control later. Take your leave as well."

He bowed and left as well, no doubt heading to his own room not too far away.

There was a long stretch of silence before it was his father who broke it.

"This is an interesting problem you are faced with, my son. It's not good to have such unrest in your ranks, even if it is between a pet and a member of the guard. How will you tackle this problem?"

"Separating them will allow them to cool their tempers for now, but later I may have one of the scientists specializing in mental health speak with them to see if anything can be done, but largely I don't think there's much I can do on such a personal matter."

Sojun nodded, accepting and processing the decision. "Very good. Now, would it be terribly selfish of me to ask that you call back your pet? I really wished to speak more with him."

Hooooly! This ended up waaaay long than I'd planned, and is split into two parts else this chapter became twice as long. XD I hope you enjoyed!

Just wanted to point out:

~Nnoi's hair resembles Bill's, the lead singer of Tokio Hotel. The lion's mane-ish hair style that he looks so wonderful in. God, I love his hair!

~The song Ichi's singing in the shower is Movin Movin, one of Bleach's many ending songs.

~The song Ichi and Yuzu dance to is Taylor Swift's Shake it off, because come on who doesn't dance like an idiot when that comes on? *looks around* Just me?

~The song/dance Ichi and Shiro do is called Electrika, because it looks awesome.