Battle

Despite agreeing with Grimmjow when the Arrancar had declared the real reason Ichigo came was to fight rather than rescue Orihime, in truth he'd come to fight two, perhaps three, specific people. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and perhaps Aizen. He wasn't interested in anyone else….unless Orihime was abruptly put in danger again. After he'd finally got home, he went up to his rooftop after he was healed and sat there, looking up at the sky. He was tired of fighting and sick of battle. Even against the hollow in his head, everything was a goddamn battle and he was tired of it. Hey King… Too tired even to startle, Ichigo merely turned his head a little to one side with a low sigh. Yes, Shiro?

If yer tired, I kin take over.

As nice as that sounds, we'd be killed almost immediately.

Err….wha?

They've got someone or other monitoring reiatsu and reiatsu changes in the city. Do you really think Mayuri's division wouldn't notice our reiatsu switching from mine to yours? That fucker's been looking for an excuse to dissect us since he saw us masked in Hueco Mundo and me 'losing control over my inner Hollow' doesn't strike you as the absolutely perfect reason to tie us up, strap us down, and cut us up alive for his amusement?

I could hide in Hat-n-Clogs' basement. They can't track us down there.

And when you get bored and want to leave, then what do we do?

Go to Hueco Mundo. I can open a portal t'there, y'know. I'll find ways to amuse myself. So whaddya say, King?

All this fighting must've made me crazy- sounds like a plan. As long as you hand control back to me when I ask for it, we have a deal.

I will, King. I promise.

Rising with another sigh, he got up, dusted off his pants, and headed over to Urahara's to give this deal a test run. Once there, he gave a short explanation to the goofy genius, got the hit to the forehead with his cane that shoved him out of his body, and once in the training area Urahara called his basement he promptly handed over control to Shirosaki and went to 'sleep' deep inside his own head. On the outside, Shiro experimented with their shared body. It was strange to have the time and permission to really feel it, and having his King's express approval made it all that much sweeter. He tested his reflexes and abilities, marveling at the way his- well, their- body worked. Yeah, he had permission to use this body now, so it wasn't just King's anymore, it was Shiro's too; it had always been Him and I, Me versus Him, two separate people that didn't get along, but now they were together and a whole. They had finally become a Them, just like they should have from the beginning and it was good. "How does it feel to stop fighting at last, Shirosaki?" Startled by Hat-N-Clogs' appearance, Shiro nearly tripped over himself trying to turn around too quickly. "Uh….pretty good, actually. Why d'ya ask?" The look the former scientist gave him was speculative, almost searching. "The luxury of being able to stop fighting is not one that Hollows, or Soul Reapers, are usually allowed to know. It is what makes humans so strong and the basis of spiritual life. Living inside Kurosaki-kun's head has given you time to review his memories, I'm sure, so you know he has battled, fought, lost and won since he was a child. But when his mother was with him, he could rest."

Here the blond man took off his hat. "After she was killed by Grand Fisher, Ichigo stopped having time to rest from the battle. He was constantly either in battle or preparing for the next one. This wears on the human soul in ways you cannot imagine. When the battle stops, as it has right now, it is incredibly healing. You have become the support Ichigo has missed since his mother died, someone he feels he can rely on to fight for him when he cannot or refuses to. Rejoice in this peace and joy, Shirosaki, because the gift he has given you is one he will not give to any other even when he has no choice unless it is forcibly taken from him." The hollow was quite for a moment, then made a split-second decision that would probably come back to bite him in the ass later but would be worth it. "I gotta go think. I'll be back in a lil' while, Urahara." Ripping open a gargantua, he hopped through. It took less than five minutes for Grimmjow to hunt him down and pounce on him (though he wasn't hard to find since he was standing still and flaring his reiatsu like a beacon) yelling a war cry. Shiro, now that he knew what peace was, was reluctant to give it up and simply deflected the Arrancar with a skillful hand. At Grimmjow's furious exclamation, he blinked his gold-on-black eyes and crouched next to the half-buried panther.

"I ain't the King, an' th'King's the one ya want. He's sleepin', gettin' some healin' done in the Inner World. Now what I came ta talk ta ya about is this special luxury humans get that we don't that makes 'em better than us. An' since it has to do with battle, I figure ya of all people oughta know about it…"

The next time Ichigo met Grimmjow, he was confused at the distinct lack of hostility but, remembering the saying, didn't look a gift lion in the mouth and let Grimmjow curl up next to him on the bed and purr like a truck engine until they both fell asleep. It was nice, really, really nice, to set the battles aside for a time and just relax.

Anger (Set in the 'Romance' Universe and set after Romance)

In the six years Ichigo Kurosaki had been working in America, none of his coworkers or patients had reported ever seeing him display anger. It was guessed that it had something to do with why, when asked, he would flatly state that the years of his life between moving out of his house and getting his doctorate and moving here (a three-year stretch) did not exist and would not be mentioned. The main complaint about Dr. Kurosaki was that he had 'dead eyes' that scared many of the younger and older patients. The only life or fire seen there was only the reflection of his lighter flame when he lit a cigarette or the cherry of his cigarette showing in his eyes. When this was mentioned to him, he only smiled sadly and said there was nothing he could do about that. It had something to do with the years that didn't exist, or so the other doctors and nurses guessed. There was one other thing about him they happened to notice, though. If his patient happened to have blue hair, or any shade, either natural or dyed, he was sometimes seen with a momentarily softer expression, and every once in a while, if that patient with blue hair was also being difficult, a tiny spark of life lit his eye for a split second. And this led to more speculation, which led to the theory that if anyone would ever make Ichigo angry, it would be a blue-haired punk with a bad attitude. The result of this theory was that when one such blue-haired punk was brought in, after being shuffled through five other doctors who he refused to let treat his stab or gunshot wounds, they gave up and sent Ichigo in. It was always assumed that if Kurosaki got angry it would be not only scary as shit, but quite possibly dangerous (or even lethal). After Ichigo entered the room, there was a moment of silence followed quickly by yelling that bordered on screaming and a few ominous thumps. The shouting reached a maximum pitch, then the voice that was yelling broke and it got all quiet again. Ichigo emerged an hour later stripping off bloodstained gloves- with a grin on his face and life in his eyes such as they had never seen before.

The boy he left back in the room, a teenager who'd been into bad shit most of his life, was shaking where he sat, eyes wide and awed. Pulling himself up, but being careful of his new stitches, he leaned in the doorway to watch Dr. Kurosaki go and a sort of loopy smile twisted his lips. "Y'know," he said softly, "I think he mighta known my dad. He buggered off after he got m'mum pregnant, but that man right there knows him, I think. An' from what he said, if I'd found my Pa about six years ago like I'd been plannin' ta, I think…he mighta been my Dad too. I dunno why he's here, but he oughta be back in Japan keepin' my Pa in line. God knows Grimmjow needs somebody t'do that." Flexing his hand to test his mobility, the boy bit his lip. "He needs ta smile more," he muttered, looking in the direction Ichigo had gone. Making up his mind, he strode off after the orange-haired man. He needed to get out of the gangs before they killed him, or so Dr. Kurosaki said, and he'd promised he'd try. He was an orphan anyway and he needed someone to help him out- if he did some real fast talking he might get a home, a life, and a way better Dad out of this. They did let single doctors adopt teenage kids, right?

Meeting

"His name's Grimmjow Jaggerjack and he get severely offended if you get it wrong. He's a skilled fighter and will challenge you to prove his skill if you show even the slightest doubt. Highly rebellious, though extremely disciplined. Being aggressive or dominating is something he views as a threat and he will attack if you do either." Despite listing all these things to his boss, he could tell the moron wasn't really listening to him. Sighing, Ichigo tucked the file back into his stack and watched the braided-pigtail wearing captain stride into the room to interview this new recruit with all her usual arrogance and penchant for barking orders. Then he settled in and waited for the fighting to begin. He hadn't gotten into this organization to do paperwork and run after fools, but this was the duty he was on until he made up for the incident with the training captain, an irritating man by the name of Byakuya Kuchiki, who had subtly prodded and mocked Ichigo and his lineage until he'd gotten fed up and demanded the captain fight him man to man if he doubted his ability so much. This subsequential mopping of the floor with the captain that followed the challenge had impressed his superiors, but made them wary of him. Called him a potential loose cannon and demanded that he prove his ability to follow orders and keep his temper before they'd ever let him on a battlefield. Thus, here he sat, gritting his teeth and growling as his current boss ignored any and every thing he told her, belittling his hard work and generally giving him full cause to fantasize about slipping his combat knife between her ribs or dragging it across her throat. He could do it easily, he knew he could- she, stupid bitch, discounted him as a threat and never paid him a speck of attention. She'd regret that someday when he decided this job wasn't worth it and snapped.

Better, he decided as he heard resounding thuds that meant someone was getting thrown around, he would just refuse to follow her anymore, or to offer her help. He'd ask to be assigned to Kenpatchi- lord knew that man needed someone to help with his paperwork and at least the man would listen to what he had to say, even if that was only because the man was after his ass and thus paid attention to any and everything Ichigo did, said, and wrote. It might be worth it. Even with the size of the man's hands and the frequent ass slaps. Just as he turned to go, the door opened. "Oi, Ichi! I just finished forcibly takin' Soi Fon's captaincy from 'er so I could get you as an assistant, don' go runnin' off just yet!" Half-turning, he narrowed his eyes at the blue-haired stranger. "Oh? Well make me a better offer than Kenpatchi, 'cuz if you can't that's who I'm going to." The new captain of squad two stepped up to him, raking his hair back with one hand, which did absolutely nothing to get it out of his face. "No random ass slapping, I promise not to harass you during work hours, no snatching you up for steamy make-out sessions unless you've already given me the okay, and I swear on my black soul if you tell me 'no' I'll obey immediately." Ichigo eyed him for a moment, then turned around fully and offered his hand. "Welcome to the stealth and intelligence force…Captain." That was, quite frankly, a promise that he wouldn't have to put up with the shit he'd have to avoid if he worked under Kenpatchi, and if need be he could always kick his superior's ass…again.

"First order of business has to do with you. It'll be a pleasure workin' with ya, Lieutenant Kurosaki." Okay, maybe he wouldn't have to kick this one's ass after all.

Lost (Set in the Gargoyle universe and set after Gargoyle)

Climbing up the stone at dangerous speed, once he was just barely high enough he launched from the rock and glided, searching desperately for his clan or his mate. His clan had been looking for a place to properly celebrate the solstice with their mates for a night of dancing, eating, and loving when a storm had surprised them- the gargoyles had been scattered every which way by the terrible winds that carried them off, and the four human mates traveling with them had been carried off when their horses spooked from a bolt of lightning. Calling at the top of his voice, he was surprised but hopeful when he was hailed from a high castle perched on a cliff; perhaps some of his clan had found safe haven there. Landing, he saw gargoyles there, but none he recognized from his clan. Dropping into an all-fours crouch so he could run faster if he needed to, he begged to see the leader. A massive male that had been named Goliath came forth, and he explained about the storm that had torn apart the flight. Hopping up onto the battlements, he gestured in the direction he'd come from as he finished, "Some of us have taken human mates and they were with us, but those useless horses bolted and I can find neither hide nor hair of them! My own mate, Grimmjow, was captain of the guard so I do not doubt he can take care of himself, but if he gets injured again there is no Mage to heal him out there. Please, please help me find them!" The second-in-command, who he surmised was also the leader's mate, protested that humans were worthless and they should not help strange ones; Ichigo snarled at her and his wings snapped out. "I do not care if you think humans are unworthy or not, Grimmjow is my mate and not yours, and he protected us from your humans when the Scots staged a day raid- he refused to let them into our aerie to destroy us as we slept almost at the cost of his own life! You will not insult my mate in front of me, wretch! I do not need your clan's help, and I will not accept it! If I ever see a Scottish Gargoyle again I will attack on sight!" He spat. "May your children know the pain I have known."

Such was the worst thing a gargoyle from one clan could wish upon another clan, as any warrior had endured horrors and tragedies that they wouldn't wish upon their worst enemies. To hope that children would know such suffering was cruel indeed. As he launched himself from the battlement, roaring at the top of his considerably loud voice for his clan and his mate, Goliath closed his eyes as his mentor came up to them both. "It is quite a curse he's put upon our eggs," the old one murmured sadly. "Ya shouldnna provoked 'im, lass. He an' his mate have had seven children, four eggs an' three babes; ya canna achieve such a thing without great love. Your and Goliath's love has lasted less than a Rookery Hatching, but theirs has lasted much longer and will continue in that manner for centuries to come. They are immortal, aye, but their children are not, and he has suffered more than even this old dog ever could. I think we'd best try and mend this rift before it gets any bigger, lad, lest he curse our children's children to suffer tragedy as well." Goliath nodded, not looking his angel of the night in the eye as he ordered search parties to look for both the Irish gargoyles and the four missing humans on horseback. Then he himself took off after the orange-haired stranger. Following the roars, he was soon flying above the powerful immortal, and called down an apology for his mate's harsh words. She had been mistreated and insulted by humans in the past and held poor opinion of them.

Ichigo did not answer, but angled his wing so the larger gargoyle could ride his updraft more easily. Catching a bright flash of sky blue, Ichigo immediately dived and wrapped himself around his mate, crying and laughing and refusing to let go as he kissed the man over and over passionately, raining his lips over the humans' face. Goliath circled overhead politely to give them time together and kept his eyes on the horizon not only to look for the missing gargoyles, but so as not to tempt himself to watch. He had always struggled to understand male mated pairs, and he'd never known a gargoyle that mated with a human, so it was hard not to stare and try to see what they saw in each other. He supposed it was enough to know that they had been separated, lost to one another, and now they were found. Should that have happened to him and his own love, he would probably have been doing the exact same thing Ichigo was doing now… ravishing his mate senseless and demanding he never get lost like that again or he'd skin him alive.

Noise

Laying in bed and unable to sleep (as per usual since his hollow started whispering to him- even though he'd officially won the title of "King" for good, he just couldn't stand to fall asleep anymore unless entirely exhausted) was when Ichigo heard something he never had before, though he had a feeling he probably should recognize it. Curious about these strange sounds, he listened closely and decided after careful deliberation that they were coming from up on the roof. Opening his window, the sounds then got much clearer and the teenager blushed cherry red to the roots of his hair when he realized he did know those noises- the slight slap of skin on skin, heaving pants and moans, and a rhythmic grunting that matched the slick sound of flesh moving against flesh. It was the sound of someone jacking off, and most likely with a slicked hand for better friction judging by the tiny sucking sounds he could just barely catch. A particularly mangled groan caught his attention, and it sounded like a strangled name. That wasn't what so interested him, though- he knew that voice, just like he knew that noise; Grimmjow Jaggerjack was masturbating on his roof! Could his life get ANY weirder? Supporting his head in one hand, which was covering his face, he let out a little irritated groan of his own and the noises stopped.

Massaging his temples with two fingers, Ichigo scrunched up his nose and eyes to try and lessen his headache. "Fuck my life, this shit never seems to get any better. I need to get hammered, high, and laid before I lose my goddamned mind." After a moment's thought, he grimaced. "Maybe I'd just settle for some sleep; hangovers are hell, drugs completely corrupt your body, and screwing random strangers gets you diseases that can kill you. Yeah, sleep sounds good…if I could just fucking get some. But no, the fucking nightmares keep me up for days at a time, and when I do get to catch a couple of hours a hollow or a random Arrancar or Grimmjow shows up and I have to get up and go fight and then I can never get back to sleep. Fuck. My. Life." Dropping back inside his room but not bothering to close the window, Ichigo closed his eyes, flung out his arms to drape them across the bed, and sighed. There was a rustle of cloth, the creak of wood, and then suddenly there was a warm body covering his lower half and something was rubbing sensually against his crotch. He hissed a little, about to open his eyes to see what the hell was happening, but he was shushed by a soft voice and with another rustle of fabric something was tied gently over his eyes. Becoming alarmed at this, he reached up to take it off when large, warm hands caught his and brought them down to press them against a hard, male chest. "What- who-" he was shushed again, softness that he had to presume were lips skimming over his cheek and down to his own mouth to prevent him from saying anything else.

The warmth, which blanketed him completely when the hard body covered him and pulled the blankets up around them, lulled him into a light dozing state. After he fell into a coma-like sleep, the male on top of him purred and started rubbing their crotches again, attending to his still-rock-hard arousal now that the younger wasn't awake to shy away from it. Grimmjow nuzzled the teenagers' throat, licking at it to savor the incredible taste of the tanned skin and immersing himself in the scent and feel of Ichigo. He rutted against the firming erection under him, and completion for them both came quickly. Oh, it was so much better then jacking off on the roof. Sure, he was bathed in Ichigo's reiatsu there, but this let him smell the shinigami's arousal and taste his sweet human flesh, touch his warm body and drown in his presence. He wondered briefly if he had the balls to stay the night and still be here, wrapped around the orange-haired boy like this, when they woke, but quickly decided waking up to a getsuga tensho would be spectacularly unpleasant and untied his obi from over his bedmates' eyes. He would've left it just in case doing so would make Ichigo attach fond memories to it, but unfortunately his hakama already hung low on his hips and they'd fall off completely if he didn't use the obi to keep them on. He didn't notice, as he left through the window, one slightly dazed brown eye opened just enough to see who had given him such comfort and caught a flash of Grimmjow's bright blue hair. Ichigo fell back asleep with a little smile, thinking it might be nice to do that again.

Wild (Best Friends universe, before Best Friends)

Grimmjow had never known, until he was thoroughly scolded and trounced by another, older panther, that there was any difference between him and Ichigo. Yeah, his fur was darker and he was just a little bit smaller, but he was growing! They both had sharp teeth with strong jaws and they both had claws and two ears and two eyes and four legs and a tail and whiskers; color didn't matter, so what made them different? They pounced and hit and played the same, so he didn't understand why the strange older male had sniffed him and then started punishing him- what the hell had he done wrong? The sharp scolds between bites and swats seemed to center around his association with "the foul lion cub", who he at some point figured out must be Ichigo. Ichigo was the only cub he played with, so he must be the "lion", whatever that was. When he limped back to the den his mother and Ichigo's shared (reluctantly) Ichigo's incredible concern for him and immediate attention to his wounds made it impossible for him to be angry at him. When he heard what had happened, Ichigo looked just as confused as Grimmjow had been, but he also looked guilty. When the other cub asked why, he said he felt bad that some strange adult male had attacked Grimmjow because of him. Sitting, he looked at himself, then at his littermate, and asked what made them different if they were both cubs. It took their mothers much time to explain that Ichigo was a lion and Grimmjow was a panther and thus they would be much more different from each other when they were grown. It was difficult to get the concept across because they were of the opinion that as long as the both had paws and claws and teeth and tails, they would never be so different it should matter.

The next day, however, the three others learned exactly how aggressive little Ichi could get when someone in his pride had been harmed by an outsider. He trotted into the den looking incredibly proud of himself despite the claw and bite marks that littered his body that would later be impressive scars in adulthood, including the near-loss of his left eye and complete shredding of half of that ear. Laying down to lick his wounds, which Grimmjow quickly started helping him with, he announced that he'd gone and hunted down that mean male that had hurt his best friend and had trounced him back so bad that stupid adult wouldn't be able to run or hunt for a week. Cleaning the eye wound, which would heal (thank the Sun) but forever bear a nasty scar, that was when Grimmjow silently vowed he would trounce anyone who ever tried to whup him again (with the exception of his mother) so Ichigo would never need to feel he had to avenge or defend him again. He would be strong and he would be fast and he would be wild, just like Ichigo was. He wouldn't let himself be anything less, for the sake of his littermate and his pride.

Animals

Ichigo never knew what possessed him when he did shit like this. His house, though large, was not occupied by numerous humans, but rather by numerous creatures. Two dogs, a horse, three snakes, a monkey, a centaur, a phoenix, a unicorn, and several shape shifters. He had just added a were-panther to the list. Honestly, what was wrong with him? Most of the fantastic and mythical creatures that lived with him had been around so long he couldn't remember a time without them, and this one kept threatening to rip his throat out so he had to keep him in a tight magical binding that suspended him by the scruff of his neck. "Oi Nel, mind helping me out over here, ya fuckin' Clydesdale? I need someone tall, strong, and able to handle a snarlin' were-panther that's lookin' ta kill me. How's everything on the home front been since I left? Shiro bust anything else up?" Nel danced over, cheerful as always, and snatched up the panther to hold him like a child would a house cat, dutifully ignoring his howled threats and snarled promises. "No, he behaved today, and Byakuya has been keeping everyone else in line with Zangetsu's help. Welcome home, Itsygo!" Running a hand through his very orange hair, what had drawn most of these creatures to him because it made them assume he was a creature as well, he sighed and leaned against the flank of the albino horse that had trotted up beside him. "Yeah Shiro, I know, I promised to ride you when I got back. I hadn't expected to have to drag a struggling, dangerous were-panther home in magical bindings." The horse stomped with a hard snort, lowering his head almost to the floor to nudge Ichigo's jean-clad legs. Grabbing onto the white mane with a yelp to stay upright, Ichigo glared. "Fine, fine, I get the picture! Great Shiva, alright already! I'm indulging you, now stop being so impatient!"

Watching the bastard who'd tried to collar and tame him argue with a horse had quieted the transformed panther for a moment, but witnessing the horse actually demand vehemently to be ridden had actually stunned him speechless. The centaur holding him giggled at his gobsmacked expression, then started carrying him off somewhere. She explained as she went, "Itsygo is his legal owner in the city, so if Shiro-kun wants to go out for a run he has to have Itsygo riding him so they don't catch him and try to sell him to the horse traders again. The last time they tried that, Itsygo beat them up so much and so bad nearly all of them were in the hospital. Ever since, Shiro makes him ride whenever he wants to run." Carrying him into a strange, airy room done in blue, she set him down but stayed blocking the door. "Now behave mister big kitty, or I'll send one of the shape shifters in to settle you down. Itsygo will be back in a while and he and Zangetsu will make you their offer then." Climbing to his paws, he let his voice rumble in curiosity. "The same offer they make all of us," she answered in that impossibly high happy voice, "that we can stay here as long as we want but just one or two conditions. It's different for everyone- mine are not to kill anybody on purpose when they offend me and to stop tearing predator animals apart with my spear. Oh, and not go outside the property in the daytime without a glamour anymore, that was added recently when I did it four times in one week. The "red tape" Itsygo had to get through to keep me and the others safe took four months to go away, so he had to give me a new rule. He did that to a couple others too, especially when they got so mad and fought so much they almost destroyed the house."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Come to think of it, Renji and Kenny are still on probation for that incident." Still looking like she was mulling something over, she left, for some reason leaving the door open. He was tempted to make a run for it, but he knew he couldn't outrun a horse like Shiro and he would make that magic-user human angry if he had to hunt him down, so instead he climbed up on the soft nest that was set on a metal frame off the ground and curled up to rest. He'd had a long day, after all. He was lightly dozing when the human returned, peeking in cautiously around the doorframe. He approached the bed and lay down next to the panther happily, then started petting him, all without saying a word. There was a strange look in his eye, almost like the look the panther had seen in the eyes of panther females at mating time or males that had smelled a females' heat. His stroking hands had just started to venture lower, towards his tail, when there came a sharp "Goddamn it Kon!" from the doorway. As 'Kon' scrambled off the bed, holding his hands up defensively, the real orange-maned human was striding into the room, his (apparently customary) scowl in place. "Sorry, sorry," the imposter said, and the were-panther knew immediately why he had not spoken previously- he might look like Ichigo, but he sounded nothing like him. "I just wanted to meet the newcomer." Ichigo's scowl deepened. "You just wanted to jump his bones before he could protest, more like. You do this every time! Out, you pervert, before I let Zabimaru have his way with you to make up for when you posed as Renji and had your way with him."

Kon 'eep'ed and dashed from the room, leaving behind an exhausted-looking Ichigo who walked over to the chair next to the bed and sat in it. "Look," the magic user sighed, "I'm no prison warden- I'm not gonna make you stay if you don't want to. If you do, you'd have three rules to follow- don't go killing the prey creatures in my house, don't hunt outside in the daytime unless it's absolutely necessary, and learn to control your shifts so you stop shifting in front of the humans, some of whom would want to strap you to a steel table and dissect you alive to find out how you're made. Stay or go, it's your choice…scooting over to make room for me, however, is not. That's my bed and I want on it. I'm tired, damn it." Chuffing his amusement, the massive blue-furred panther shifted and squirmed a little to make a human-sized open space in the bed, which Ichigo promptly climbed into. Plastering his body against the big cat's, presumably for warmth, he muttered a thick "goodnight" and buried his face in the abundant chest fur, falling asleep almost instantly. Looking down at the human, the panther's eyes softened and he licked the bangs back from the younger's forehead. Maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad after all, Grimmjow thought fuzzily as he allowed himself to succumb to the lure of sleep as well.

Run (Pet universe, set after Pet)

Running wasn't really one of his favorite things to do, but Grimmjow had found himself doing it more and more often ever since he'd bought his lizard hybrid. Running away, particularly from him, seemed to be about all the orange-haired male did, when he wasn't snatching a bite to eat (which he did on the run) or catching some sleep (usually high in a tree where Grimmjow couldn't get at him- the much lighter Ichigo could go high onto branches that would snap under the larger human's weight). He couldn't figure out why Ichigo didn't want to get to close to him. It was one night he discovered what might be the reason Ichigo was so fond of running. He had been sitting out on the patio, beer in hand as he stared up at the moon, when a fearful whimper caught his ear. It seemed to come from up in the tree Ichigo was resting in tonight, and his eyes snapped up to the long orange mane he could see through the leaves. The dangling tail twitched, then snapped with agitation, and a louder whimper was heard, followed by a frightened whine. One of the arched feet (with a poison spur where the human heel would be, as Grimmjow had quickly found out) twitched, like a dog that dreamed of running in its' sleep. Wordless cries of panic and fear, mixed in with the occasional guttural "No!" came from the sleeping hybrid, and Grimmjow recalled the shopkeeper pulling him aside to explain that Ichigo had been one of the rare few that had been forced to live wild to survive his young formative years and hadn't been taken in by Urahara until he was nearly fifteen. Though he understood German, Italian, Japanese, English, and Common, he hadn't been able to speak, and his beautiful green-white-and-red scales were marred by more scars than even soldiers bore. He shied way from touch and got violent when boxed in, eyes reverting to the gold-on-black that meant he had become wild again if scared and particularly if he was grabbed roughly, and he had always been afflicted by horrific night terrors.

Unable to even imagine the kind of horrors his pet had most likely been forced to live through, Grimmjow got up and went to the base of the tree. "Ichigo. Ichigo, wake up!" A shattered cry that sounded very much like a sob hit him like a right hook to the gut, and he started climbing up the tree. When he got as close as he could to Ichigo's branch, he caught the thrashing tail and called again. "Ichigo, it's me, Grimmjow! It's only a nightmare, wake up!" With a much louder cry of terror, the lizard bolted upright, eyes flashing open to display gold-on-black as he turned to Grimmjow. Unsure how to calm him in such a state, the human tilted his chin up and held out his arms in a submissive display meant to assure the animalistic side of Ichigo that he was not aggressive nor an enemy, and gestured towards the ground. Ichigo growled, but Grimmjow just started climbing down, feeling the eyes on him watching his every move as he dropped down. Unfortunately, he was too distracted by Ichigo's state (which could result in someone's death if he was provoked while like this) to pay much attention to his landing; the leg he'd broken as a child took his weight at a bad angle, sending him down with a low grunt of pain. Laying on the ground and trying to regain his feet, he cursed when he failed and collapsed again, pounding the ground with his fist in frustration. A hiss from above quickly drew his attention back to his pet, who had descended to the branch right above the ground. The hiss seemed to be more of an inquiry than anything, and Grimmjow replied, "I hurt my leg on th'way down. I can't get up." Ichigo's brows drew together as he frowned.

After a moment's hesitation, the still-wild Ichi dropped down to the ground, his talon-like feet digging into the soft grass, and he approached Grimmjow warily, obviously ready to retreat at any second. Grimmjow forced himself to remain unthreatening, and after a moment Ichigo picked him up entirely, his strength apparently much more than his slight size implied. He carried Grimmjow into the house, setting him on the couch and crouching in front of him to get a good look at his bad leg. A careful inspection revealed that it was simply the old injury acting up, and after a few moments of licking to soothe the irritated flesh Ichigo clambered up to sit on the couch as well, leaning his upper body against Grimmjow's. He nosed at the human's neck, briefly pressed his lips to it, and then settled almost fully against his companion in a show of trust Grimmjow had been beginning to think he'd never earn. The cerulean blue eyes softened immensely, and he relaxed into the lizard's embrace in an equal show of trust that had him almost purring against his human. Burying his own nose in the orange hair, Grimmjow hugged Ichigo close to him and hoped that starting today or maybe tomorrow when they woke up, Ichigo would maybe feel safe enough that he would stop running all the time. Now that he had an idea why Ichigo did it, he really, really hated the hybrid's tendency to run and run and run all the time.

Protect

Nobody seemed to get that Ichigo wasn't allowed to accept help unless that help was in the form of training of one kind or another. He was the Number One Guardian, protecting was written into the makeup of his soul somewhere, and he couldn't- wouldn't- change that for the world. Being the protector of others meant you weren't allowed to be weak and you only required help if you were weak; whether it be temporary or not, it was weakness and that was not to be borne. Training to become stronger was allowed, but only because it didn't show weakness, only a desire to be stronger so if greater threats than you had previously faced came along, you'd be ready. He wasn't allowed to cry, or lean on other people emotionally, and he sure as hell wasn't allowed to be protected by somebody else. Why couldn't they just understand that? Why couldn't they accept that was just the way things were? Going hand-to-hand with Grimmjow after their swords had somehow tangled so hard they couldn't disengage them from each other, he threw the man through a wall by his foot in a move he'd practiced countless times with his crazy-ass father, and when he realized it he just had to facepalm and laugh. "Oh my god, the crazy bastard's trained me too well! And I was trying so hard for his 'Good Morning Surprise Attack Of Love And Bitter Tears' not to affect my fighting style, but there I go, using the counterattack without thinking. I can't believe he's gotten to me this much!" Grimmjow, who had climbed from the rubble right around the beginning of the second sentence, had both eyebrows raised so high they nearly touched his hairline. "What the fuck, shinigami?" Ichigo laughed again. "My, uh, Sire, he's a crazy fucker. Attacks me every morning, evening, and randomly during the day, and he likes to surprise me in the shower with a roundhouse kick to the ribs at least once a week. Crazy fuck."

Grimmjow's eyebrows actually did disappear into his hairline at this point. "Your Sire does that? Jesus, Kurosaki…you do know that madness runs in families, right?" Ichigo nodded, face still hidden behind his hand. "That's why I'm terrified to sire any offspring, just in case I turn out as batshit insane as my Sire. That's sorta why I'm so damn suicidal in battle. If being a protector wasn't written into my very being…" Now Grimmjow tilted his head to one side, his expression curious. "It is? Shinigami and humans have it too?" Ichigo blinked. "Have what too?" The Espada came close, laying his large hand over Ichigo's heart. "A Directive. One single word or idea that's written so deep into a being that it's all they know and to resist it is futile. All Hollow have one. Until they get to about Adjucas the Directive is 'Eat', but once they get to Adjucas they get a more specific one. Mine was 'Evolve', but after Aizen made me an Arrancar it changed and I'm not sure what it is now. But the way yer talkin', it sounds like yer Directive is 'Protect'." Ichigo considered for a moment, then smiled grimly. "Yeah, that sounds about right." Grimmjow seemed less inclined to fight now, wrapping an arm around the teen's shoulders with a sigh. "Y'know," he said conversationally, "I think I jus' completed my Directive- I'm pretty sure it was Find Mate With 'Protect' Directive. An' now that means I gotta new one- dunno exactly what, yet, but it prolly has somethin' ta do with you 'cuz I'm pretty sure yer my Mate." Ichigo stared at him for a moment, then groaned loudly. "If I am, you better take damn good care o' me, Jagerjaques, or I'll be kicking your ass to kingdom come." Grimmjow touched their foreheads together and grinned. "Oh, I will, Protector."

Serve (Rider Universe, set before Rider)

Fighting his brothers Zaraki and Shiro in their daily sparring matches, Grimmjow crowed his victory when he disarmed them both, sitting down to catch his breath and drink some of the ambrosia that had been set out for them with a shit-eating grin. (He'd never really understood that human phrase; from how it smelled, shit had to be nasty, and he couldn't figure why in hell's name anyone who had been made to eat shit would be smiling in the first place.) His long cat's tail flicking behind him, he declared to his brothers, "I am King of this sparring match!" Shiro scowled at him (completely unaware that he resembled his human twin, Ichigo Kurosaki, who looked exactly like him in all but color at that particular moment) and snarled, "Nobody'll evah be King o' me- well, 'cept maybe Pops- an' if there evah is it sure's hell won' be you!" Irritated at this refusal to acknowledge his victory, Grimmjow pounced on him again and they got into more fisticuffs, Zaraki snorting at their foolish behavior as he uncorked a bottle of their Uncle Shunsui's famous red wine and started to gulp at it. Though lords of very different animals, they all were similar in that they were, well, Lords of animals. Zaraki owned the Wolves, Grimmjow commanded the Big Cats, and Shiro ruled the Reptiles; though among the scaled creatures he seemed to prefer the lizards best, in battle he relied heavily on the venom of the snakes. All three were sons of Zangetsu, god of the sea and lord of horses.

Zangetsu, however, was one of the more unorthodox Gods- as his sons had been waited on hand and foot since their birth, he believed they were rather spoiled. Though his wife, an Egyptian goddess named Pantera, was of the opinion that they were no more spoiled than a human noble would be, she did agree that they could become stupid and corrupt if they became too dependant on servants and too detached from the Human Realm. Thus, it was decreed that Shiro, Grimmjow, and Zaraki were to be made to serve their time among humans as servants of one kind or another. As always, the boys made it into a competition, this time of who would be able to serve their employer or master the best. To make things fair, they would have to choose a venue where none of them had the advantage- when their mother suggested they be working horses, which was their father's domain and thus neutral ground, they agreed. Zaraki, who was the horse equivalent of a Clydesdale, suggested they do manual labor such as pulling carts or plows- however, this would be unfair because of Shiro and Grimmjow being slighter in size than him. Racing was suggested, but horses of Zaraki's size were not allowed to race for safety reasons and this was dismissed as well. Hesitantly, Grimmjow asked his father about something he had heard talked about briefly when one of his unknowing worshippers had called upon his help, something called a 'rode-ee-oh' and when it was explained, all agreed it was an appropriate arena for their competition, as each could play to their strengths.

In their first years as rodeo horses, they learned quickly their new masters didn't care about anything but results. They were taken care of by stable hands and it was somewhat more irritating than it had ever been because they really couldn't do it themselves, which really pissed them off. Grimmjow became known was the most violent horse in the rodeo, a vicious biter and a kicker strong enough to bust apart most of his stalls and throw riders with ease- though most were reluctant to ride a second time after suffering from several nasty bites after they were bucked. Shiro was the fastest, using his speed to his advantage to toss riders left and right and literally chase them out of the arena. Zaraki, big and strong as he was, used his weight to dislodge the tiny riders and when he bucked, it was with enough force to give most of the humans whiplash they would have to be medically treated for later. The three ruled the rodeo from the horse side- until he came. An orange haired rider the exact copy of Shiro's human form, but with more color, fast on his feet and stronger than any human they'd met up to that point. He rode often and hard, almost like he was trying to escape or forget something, and when he had the incredible nerve to put himself in Shiro's saddle, the albino obliged his obvious desire for a challenge.

It was the first time Shiro had lost so badly he had to acknowledge that another had won Kingship.

Zaraki had been the next to fall beneath the stranger's boot heel, the strength he was so proud of crumbling at the young man's determination and sheer willpower. His persistence to not let Zaraki dominate him had completely eclipsed the horses' competitive spirit. It took him much longer to approach Grimmjow, but when he did Grimmjow broke under the cowboy just as his brothers had, except perhaps it was a little quicker. Something in that boy made them, Gods though they were, want to submit to him; it made them want to serve him. They wouldn't understand until much later that it was their otherworldly senses warning them; all three could unconsciously tell that Ichigo Kurosaki wore make up to cover black and purple bruises that he was not happy to bear, and it subconsciously prodded them to offer their submission to soothe him. Their conscious minds fought this urge violently, making them even wilder and more untamable under the young rider, but it eventually got to be so strong that they weren't doing it for themselves anymore; Ichigo liked a challenge, and liked a fight, so the only reason they tried so hard when he rode was to please him. This, too, they would remain ignorant of until several months after regaining their natural human-shaped forms.