Bleach 1. Sing a Song of Summers Ago

**Chapter 1: Sing a Song of Summers Ago**

The distinct calls of seagulls echoed overhead as the sea below sang in rhythm with the summer breeze. Light blue stretched for miles overhead; the sky enjoying the warm weather just as much as Earth's inhabitants were. A single boat sat in the blue-green waters as it rocked gently with every push and pull of the ocean. The beach was able to be seen a few miles off towards the east, but it was only a small spec compared to the wide expanse of water.

Six year old Ichigo Kurosaki slowly saunters towards the railing at the front of the boat with his hands clamped behind his back and a wide smile matching his wandering eyes. His chocolate brown eyes darted between all the new sights the ocean brought to him, and he mentally snapped pictures of anything new he laid eyes on so he could explain everything in detail to his father when he returned to Japan.

A gentle breeze blew once again and Ichigo raised his arms and let the cool air flow into his shirt and cool the sweat dripping down his back. His hair danced in the wind; and the young boy held in a giggle as the fine strands tickled his sensitive neck. With an almost giddy expression, Ichigo closed his eyes and, with is arms still in the air, started to turn in circles while the air twirled around him in delicate patterns as if his partner in a waltz. To Ichigo, _this_ was as close to heaven as he needed to be.

With a quick lurch of the boat, Ichigo's eyes opened in alarm as he lost his balance and his body pitched forward. He quickly fell towards the nearby railing that separated him from the edge and the swirling waters below. Ichigo gasped as he saw the metal railing come towards his face at an alarming rate of speed, and he closed his eyes to ready himself for the impact.

After a few seconds had passed Ichigo noticed his body was no longer moving. Gently, Ichigo cracked his right eye open and was met with the sight of silver only centimeters away from his face.

"You're a klutz."

Ichigo smiled as the familiar voice spoke behind him. The small fist clutched Ichigo's white button-up shirt tightly and pulled backwards, making Ichigo's body come away from the dangerous obstacle that was once in front of him. With a smile, Ichigo turned around and tucked his hands into the deep pockets of his black dress pants. A light flush decorated his fair skin, and it darkened as his eyes landed on his best friend's figure next to him.

"Starrk-chan?" The orange-headed child smiled sincerely at his friend. "Thank you!"

His lazy companion scoffed and turned his head away from Ichigo's innocent figure. "Yeah."

Starrk was only a year older than Ichigo was, and they had met a few months ago through their parents while they were visiting on business. After seeing Starrk sleep through the danger alarms on the boat going off, Ichigo had decided that this guy was certainly someone he needed as a new friend. He had laughed at Starrk's sleeping habits, and in turn, Starrk had found humor in Ichigo's bright orange hair like any normal person would. They pinky swore they'd be best friends that day, and they both upheld their promise. They were the perfect partner's; total opposites in almost every way. Ichigo picked the blue Popsicle and Starrk picked the red, Ichigo like vanilla and Starrk preferred strawberry. Their opposite personalities made them all the more better for each other. Ying and Yang, you could say.

Ichigo suddenly gasped, and with a quick turn the young boy took off for the front of the ship. Starrk pivoted on his heels and watched his friend run away from him, and with a content sigh the older boy slowly walked after the overly excited boy. A few men started yelling about the cleaning job on the deck, and out of the corner of his eye Starrk's father appeared looking tall and dangerous. He clearly stood a good two feet higher than most of the people on board the ship, but he looked even taller standing next to Ichigo's mother, who was at least four feet shorter than him. Starrk had inherited most of his traits, both physical and personality wise, from his father.

Starrk finally caught up with Ichigo as the younger boy wrapped his arms haphazardly around the railing at the very front of the ship and pointed out to the sea.

"Look!"

A few perky dolphins swam by, jumping out of the water and screeching loudly to one another. A few droplets splashed water onto the deck because they were so close to the ship.

"Ichigo! Be careful next to the edge like that!" Masaki Kurosaki warned her son as she came closer. Following closely behind was Starrk's own parent, looking dark and ominous.

Ichigo turned around and locked eyes with his mother. They were the spitting image of each other, orange hair that could be seen for miles away, and eyes that twinkled and smiled like every moment were the most amazing thing to happen to them.

"Yes, Mummy!" Ichigo turned back around, but Starrk still faced his father. Adrik Coyote, top CEO of three oil companies in northern Europe. Filthy rich, good looks, and a new trophy wife every two weeks. Adrik Coyote was the definition of greed, and was the worst type of person to befriend. Starrk, unlike Ichigo, had to deal with being the son of such an important man, and had to live without knowing who his real mother was.

Starrk's dad turned sharply away from him and walked back the way he had came, but Ichigo's mom offered the other boy a kind smile and a small wave.

"Good evening, Starrk-kun. Are you doing all right?" This woman practically glowed without the aid of any lighting substances. Her smile could have lit up all of Japan, Starrk concluded.

"Yes."

_'Keep your dignity, boy. The Coyote family's better than any other family on Earth, and don't you forget that. Never submit to anyone, ever.'_

It was a lame excuse for his rudeness, but it was the only one Starrk could come up with then. He felt horrible when he acted this way to Ichigo's sweetheart of a mom.

Masaki reached down and flattened Starrk's messy brown hair down, but it sprang back up anyways. She laughed at that.

"You watch after my son, okay? He's not as strong as you are yet, so he needs a little help. I'm sure he'd never admit that though." she giggled to herself.

_'No matter what, you only take orders from me kid. That's how the Coyote family works, always has, always will.'_

"I'll try." he managed to get out while getting rid of the ridiculous sayings from his father in his head. Masaki nodded a thank you, and followed the trail where Adrik had marched off to moments ago.

"Wow..." Ichigo whispered in wonder as the mammals swam off into the water. His eyes sparkled and the orange-headed kid looked like he had just seen the single most amazing thing on Earth. Starrk had to admit, though, that the dolphins were kind of cool. Although it wasn't a first time for him, being at sea that is. He had been born and raised in Italy; having only recently moved to Japan within the last year and a half. Plenty of times his father had taken him to the expanse water the stretched along the peninsula. Ichigo, on the other hand, have been withheld from that experience until now. Starrk figured it was because of mommy Kurosaki being so protective.

It was ironic, though, that she would be so protective of her one and only son, but would still bring him onto a boat full of predators. Ironic that she would let one of those predators become best friends with Ichigo, and even more ironic that she didn't seem to care, even if Starrk was alone with her son. The current issue was poking into Starrk's cheeks at the moment, but he hid it well. Ichigo had never noticed his elongated teeth, but that would probably change as he got older.

Starrk sighed, being a vampire isn't the easiest thing in the world to do.

"Starrk-chan, you okay?" Starrk almost jumped away from Ichigo as he finally zoned back into reality and noticed Ichigo only inches away from his face; looking into his eyes with concern and a frown marring his tan face.

"Hm." Starrk nodded. The mix of heat and the brightness of the sun was making him sleepy, and without alerting Ichigo, Starrk began glancing around for a nice spot to take a power nap.

"Starrk-chan is sleepy." Ichigo observed with a sad tone. Starrk kept his eyes on the ground-for good reason. As soon as the brown headed man got the nerve to glance up, he was met with the overly disappointed face of his best friend.

"You shouldn't be too surprised; I'm always looking for a nap."

"But still!" Ichigo threw his arms up dramatically to prove his point. Starrk laughed as Ichigo's bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

"I have a bad feeling, Starrk-chan."

Starrk looked up at this and searched Ichigo's face. Ichigo looked genuinely afraid, his eyes wide and his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"You have bad feeling 'bout what, Ichi?"

"Ichi-_chan_!" Ichigo corrected with his hands sitting angrily on his hips. Starrk nodded in apology, and egged Ichigo to continue. As Ichigo sat on the cold, wet wood of the ship, Starrk leaned against the railing; looking off in the distance but still completely aware of what the younger boy next to him was doing.

"I just feel like," Ichigo paused and brought his hands to his lap and started to wring them around each other. "I just feel like something bad's gonna happen today, something really bad. Can't explain it." Ichigo frowned and bit his bottom lip softly. Not only did it feel like it was going to happen today, if felt like it was going to happen soon. Sickeningly soon.

This seemed to stump whatever conversation the two were having. Starrk was zoned out, thinking about what Ichigo had just confessed to him. Ichigo was too worried to say anything right now, and he was looking at a few of the crew members scrub the deck.

Suddenly, Ichigo stood up and started looking around for his mother. Ichigo's sharp movements caused Starrk to stir, and with it he heard something. Something strange, something off. Ichigo seemed to almost be in tears, and the young boy took off after some thought.

His feet caught on slick spots a few times, and Ichgo had to keep himself from falling. Something was happening, is happening! And he needed his mom. Ichigo slammed on the breaks.

He also needed his best friend.

Ichigo turned backwards and, with a sigh of relief, noticed Starrk making his way closer to the orangette. His curly hair was bouncing as he took long strides, and the frown marring his tan face wasn't unnoticed by Ichigo, even when he was so distressed. Ichigo didn't like seeing Starrk unhappy.

Neither of them spoke as the took off again, Ichigo still leading them down the narrow wooden strips. Ichigo figured either Starrk believed what Ichigo was talking about easily, or he had felt the disturbance too. He figured it was the latter, if not a mixture of both.

The two kids rounded a corner, and a scream echoed. Ichigo held his breath. The scream had been his.


	2. Doomed to A lifetime of Yesterdays

**Chapter 2: Doomed to A lifetime of Yesterdays**

Have you ever felt like a huge chunk of your life was missing? Like something horribly important happened to you, but you just couldn't put your finger on the memory?

Ichigo Kurosaki could say this about a lot of things.

Technically July 15, 1994 was his birthday, but Ichigo had been struck with amnesia after getting out of his three year coma. The nine years he had already lived vanished and were forgotten. Doctors were stumped; no one could figure out what was happening to him.

So Ichigo lived a normal life and forgot about everything and everyone else but his family. They were the only thing he knew now anyways.

"Ichi-nii, breakfast is ready!" Ichigo's ten year old sister happily exclaimed while setting plates on the table. The soft clink of the china was a familiar sound, and Ichigo walked quietly into the kitchen and sat down in his normal spot - farthest away from the window. His other sister, Karen, was already at the table with her head in her arms as she tried to get a few more minutes of sleep before school.

This was how most days started. Yuzu would cook breakfast and get everyone ready, while Ichigo and Karen did what they could. Their dad was off doing something 'job-related', and most days they woke with him gone. Sometimes he wouldn't come back for days. They were use to it now. Karen put her head up and yawned before rubbing her face in an attempt to wake up better. She blinked her eyes a few times and then groaned and wished for more sleep again.

"Here you go Karen-chan." she placed a plate with bacon, eggs, and toast in front of her twin and the did the same for Ichigo and herself. They all ate in silence, but Ichigo couldn't find his appetite. Instead he pushed the eggs around on his plate over and over again, trying to eat the food as best as he could so he wouldn't upset his sister.

Ichigo finally decided to give up, and instead dumped his remaining food and washed his plate off. After washing both of his sisters' plates, which earned him two very happy smiles, Ichigo shooed his small siblings out the door with their backpacks and lunches. Yuzu gave him a kiss on the cheek and Karen gave a nonchalant wave as they exited the house and started walking towards the middle school down the road. A smile crept on Ichigo's face as he watched them disappear over the bend. They were the only two people he had, really. His dad didn't count.

As Ichigo went to close the front door and get ready for school himself, he found it impossible to close. Glancing back, Ichigo jumped as an unfamiliar face stood inches away with a foot in the door holding it open.

"What the fuck?" Ichigo jumped back to get away from the person, but the other male made no movement as he calculated the area. Ichigo's gulp could have woken the neighbors.

The man's eyes were blood red, the large pupils almost hiding that fact. A few gold speckles were among the crimson, Ichigo only caught this fact because of the glare from the light on his eyes. Silver hair swept over his face, and the unblemished fair skin reminding Ichigo of an albino of sorts. Ichigo's knees gave out as the red eyes locked on him, and a sound of pain came from his mouth as his back hit the linoleum flooring. The silence of the room had to have been the most unpleasant silence Ichigo had the pleasure of sitting through.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." it wasn't a question, it was a statement. A happy sigh blew through the white man's lips as he gazed at Ichigo quivering on the floor. "You look more delicious than I imagined."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. What the hell was this guy saying? How did he know his name? If Ichigo hadn't been so terrified, he would have voiced his questions out loud and had them answered. The orange head was pissed with himself; why the hell was he shaking like a girl on her first date? He was a man! Not a submissive little bitch.

"What do you want from me?" Ichigo was proud. His voice hadn't shook like he had thought it would.

"Hm?" the other man swept his hair from in front of his eyes so he could see better. "What do I want from you?" Ichigo cringed as the man laughed fluidly. The sound was ominous and dark, causing Ichigo to tense in fear.

The air seemed to part as the man made his way in and flowed over to his prey on the floor. He had an evil smile, Ichigo thought, and it had to be the scariest looking thing he could ever remember seeing.

"I want what everyone wants from you. I want your blood," he paused as his red eyes rolled back in his eyes as he licked his lips sexually. "I want your _power_." the man's voice was only a whisper now as he held his self in check. He could smell Ichigo's heartbeat pump the blood in his veins faster in fear, and his canines extended.

"There's a boy. You don't want this nasty ol' blood anyhow, trust me." he let his finger trace the prominent vein on Ichigo's throat. "Just hand it over to me and we all walk away happy."

This time Ichigo knew he wasn't going to be able to move. Even as the man's mouth came centimeters away from his neck, Ichigo just clenched his body tighter and watched with horror as the unthinkable started to unfold. Closing his eyes as tight as possible, Ichigo waited for whatever the man was going to do with him; what he would do with his _blood_ of all things.

"Shirosaki." a new voice this time. Smooth and rich, the sound rang in his ears and the man above him stopped licking his neck. Hesitantly, Ichigo cracked open an eye. How many people were going to invade this morning? Was there some sort of beacon above him saying, HELLO CREEPS! COME TO MINE! If so, he really wanted to switch it off before an army came.

A tall man with messy brown curls stood in his doorway, a large black trench-coat covering his suit underneath. Unlike the other man, this guy had brown eyes like himself, and also looked a little less threatening. A little.

The light haired man leaned away from Ichigo with a smile. "Ah, your guard dog has arrived. Where ya been Coyote, I thought you were just gonna hand him over ta me with the time it took you to get here."

"But I am here nonetheless. If you don't mind, I would rather you remove yourself from Ichigo before something bad happens to you."

The man named Shirosaki stood and cackled. "Protective lil' mate, aren't ya? What will you do now, hm? Since I almost drained your favorite little dog till he was dry. Are you upset?"

Slowly but surely Ichigo released the breath he had been holding. Shirosaki strolled away from him at a pretty slow pace, _finally_, and Ichigo sighed with relief. Whoever this other man was sure had saved him. Although Ichigo's heart was still beating out of his chest he decided it would be better to ask then to be silent.

"Um..." Ichigo cleared his throat nervously. "What in the world...?" never mind. Ichigo just couldn't muster up enough of his thoughts to produce a legit sentence. Deep inside his mind Ichigo was screaming at himself. To run, to yell, God forbid, to do something! His mouth stayed agape as his body froze completely. He was screwed.

"Ichi-chan?" the tall brunette man cocked his head sideways in confusion, almost as if he were still waiting for the downed man to say something to them. After noticing Ichigo's frozen state, however; he turned his head to the side with a grim look and shot Shirosaki an evil glare. Ichigo's mind flashed.

He had heard that before. His mind reeled as the realization hit him, and then he saw white.

_A boat?_

His heart stopped, but before Ichigo could look around his memory any longer an angry voice shattered his temporary serenity.

"You have no right to enter this household! You knew I was here, so either you had some balls, or you didn't care. Either way, this is unacceptable. I'm in the right mind to tear you into pieces and burn what's left of you."

"C'mon, Starrky. You sure are scarin' your lil' guy over there. Don't you think headquarters would be a better place for a conversation like this?"

The brunnette looked up and raked his eyes over Ichigo's form for what seemed like the millionth time in the short period he was inside the young man's home. Shirosaki whistled loudly, which caused Ichigo to jump at the sudden sound. He cussed himself for being so weak and scared. The only thing Ichigo wanted right now was to melt into the uncomfortable wooden flooring. To get away in any way possible.

"Sure is terrified. I must've scared the shit outta him."

Ichigo jumped again as the pale man was shoved roughly into the wall by the other man invading his house. A picture Yuzu had drawn fell from the impact, and the frame shattered on the floor close to Ichigo. The pretty yellow flower fluttered to the ground; Ichigo's eyes almost hypnotized but the swaying movement. The swaying...

_A boat...on the ocean?_

This time Ichigo saw the large, aggressive waves of the ocean beating at the sides of a boat. He had almost tasted the salt from the water, but was dragged out of the short memory once again when a cold finger touched the center of his forehead.

The brunnette now in front of him, touching him, smiled sincerely as he gazed into Ichigo's cloudy eyes. "You always were bad for daydreaming. I would think now isn't the best time for this however."

The tip of the man's finger started to glow a bright blue color, and Ichigo couldn't hold his fear in. What the hell were these people? What were they doing to him? His mouth moved as if to make a noise of protest, but to no avail. He was still frozen in fear, shock, whatever you wanted to label it as.

"It was nice seeing you again, Ichi-chan. I will be watching over you. Sleep tight."

Ichigo could feel the pull of his memory being sucked from inside of him. It was the worst feeling he could ever remember being put through, having your memory torn from you. The only thing Ichigo wanted to do was to pull the man's hand away from him and demand answers without anyone touching anyone's memory. Of course, complications stopped this from happening.

"How do you know me?" Ichigo spit out in the last seconds of consciousness. The other man's eyes widened in surprise as Ichigo finally spoke, only to have the light teenager pass out in his arms with a frown marring his tan face.

"I'm sorry." he laid Ichigo down on the nearby couch and turned to Shiro, who was looking very smug.

"What a good guardian angel you are."

Starrk flipped the color of his jacket up and gracefully walked over to his friend, who really counted as more of an enemy to him. Without blinking his eyes, Starrk landed a large punch square on the man's jaw, which caused him to recoil and cuss in pain.

"Shit, _shit._ Why'd ya hit me, motherfucker?" a pale hand massaged the already healing area. He bit his bottom lip. "You suck."

"And you almost drained the single most important person to me; the only thing keeping me alive."

The pale man scoffed. "Sure, sure." he said it as if none of this had been a big deal in the slightest.

Both men pulled their hoods over their heads as they walked into the rays of the rising sun. Shiro hissed and pulled his dark shades over his eyes, noticing Starrk do the same beside him. A few late school boys ran down the sidewalk, not even noticing the two mysterious men walking in the opposite direction. Starrk could have laughed. If he hadn't put Ichi out, the orangette would have been doing the exact same thing now.

Starrk looked into the brightening sky. _Ichi-chan..._

When Ichigo awoke he was laying on his couch, uncovered, and about six hours too late to make it to school. He wondered what his friends were thinking about his absence. The couch groaned in disapproval as he sat up and scratched his head.

He looked around groggily, and briefly wondered what had kept him from getting to school. He remembered eating with his sisters, well not eating, and seeing Yuzu and Karin out the door, but after that Ichigo couldn't remember anything. An ungentle throbbing took over Ichigo's senses and he grabbed at his temple as the onslaught of pain wracked him suddenly. The bright light in the room only made the migraine worse.

Ichigo gulped two familiar pink pills with a swig of tap water. For as long as he could remember, he had been having these migraines. Doctors said it could be something about his amnesia, but Ichigo really couldn't tell for himself. To him, it wasn't even that big of a deal.

As the pain medication finally began to fight his migraine, Ichigo glanced over at something laying on the floor. Yuzu's picture?

"What in the world happened?" the glass shards reflected some of the light pouring in the window. Carefully, Ichigo swept the pieces up and dumped them, but not before giving Yuzu's picture a nice new place on the fridge.

"Tired..." the young man whispered to himself. For some reason, he felt as if he was being watched. However, the feeling only lasted a moment before he was pretty much dropping from exhaustion. He practically melted into the couch as soon as he lied back down, grabbing a few feather pillows and cuddling them like he always had. They were cool to the touch, and within seconds Ichigo was teetering on the edge of sleep.

To him, nothing important had happened today at all.


	3. Much like suffocating

**Chapter 3: Much like suffocating**

Ichigo, Karen, and Yuzu were eating dinner in silence when the front door jumped open. Ichigo was surprised, at the very least, to see the haggard form of his father taking off his wet coat and hanging it on the rack with the others. Yuzu and Karin had similar looks of their faces, and Yuzu squeaked before grabbing a plate of curry and putting in in front of the only open spot at the table.

Isshin Kurosaki was a terrifying man and a horrible excuse of a father. If anything, Yuzu had been the one taking care of the whole family. Ichigo worked part-time at an art studio down the road, and that paid for most of the food and supplies the kids needed, but the quieter twin cleaned, cooked, and kept everyone in line while their father was out on his excursions.

The orange headed teenager cleared his throat as the awkward tension filled the room. They were all waiting to see if the worn looking older man would actually sit and try to converse with his children, but as the dark haired man turned for his room he knew his father didn't have any plans to associate with them tonight.

Ichigo let out a breath as his dad disappeared into his room. Yuzu looked heart-broken, and Karin looked pissed. Everyone attempted to eat some more, but after finding they lost their appetites, they dumped their plates and wrapped the leftovers for tomorrow.

"Come on Yuz, don't make that face." Ichigo pinched her cheeks and pulled them up to make her lips twist into a smile. A real laugh bubbled up and Ichigo smiled as it lit up the depressed room.

"Alright brother. What do you want to do?" it was a question with two messages.

_What do we do about dad _and _I'm bored, what do you want to do?_

"We do nothing. There isn't much we can do." Karin shrugged. "It's late, Yuzu. We should get ready for bed."

Yuzu quickly noted the time, and agreed with her sister. Before leaving the room she put on a stern face and told Ichigo that he better make it to school tomorrow. He smiled and told her that he wouldn't be sleeping through his alarm for two days in a row.

As soon as the girls we out of view Ichigo doubled over and hissed out in pain.

Ichigo's body felt like he had gotten ran over by a large truck, and then hit again. Maybe a third time. He shoveled some pills down his throat and closed his eyes in a wince as his migraine fought back full force. He had waited for almost two and a half hours for those pills. Not wanting his sisters to know about the pain he was in, he withstood the unbearable pulsing from multiple places on his body and put on a smile until they ran out of sight.

"Shit." he grasped at his head and pulled his hair to distract himself from the pain. Turning off the light and then gently sitting on the couch, Ichigo took some pleasure in the fact that the dark light eased the pain a bit. Biting his lip, the orange head rode out the pain as best he could.

Starrk watched sadly as Ichigo underwent another fit of migraine pains. If only he could get closer to him and tell him the way to relieve the pain, but unfortunate circumstances kept him at the same distance he had been at for years. Since he had went into the coma, Starrk had been watching over his love. Not only did his body ache for Ichigo, but his heart as well.

Ichigo's scent wafted through the wall, and Starrk licked his lips as the smell hit him. Sunshine, happiness, love, _mate_. It was beautiful. He wanted more of it, _hell_, all of it. Claiming Ichigo had been his goal for years. The supernatural beings had to undergo the tiring trials of finding their other half, their soul mate. Most searched their whole lives without finding their fated mate, and died unhappy and alone. Starrk was one of the lucky ones.

Starrk had been fated to the fiery young man since they had met on the boat all those years ago. Masaki had known they were the perfect fit, and as soon as Starrk got in the vicinity of Ichigo, his body had screamed at him to do something. Ichigo's mother had been arranging marriage propositions with his father before they had gotten attacked. Now Masaki was dead, and Ichigo's didn't even know who he was. Isshin...

Starrk snorted; a very un-vampire like thing to do. Isshin on the other hand hated him like nothing else. It was expected, however, and the feeling was mutual between them. That was another obstacle keeping him from Ichigo, even though the younger orangette held no love for his father. He didn't feel like stealing away the puppy of an angry wolf. Starrk bit his lip, but not hard enough to draw blood. He was growing impatient.

Starrk jumped as his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. Without taking his eyes off the beautiful berry on the couch, he pressed the cold case of his Iphone to his ear.

"Starrk." he answered in his usual tone. He tried to be as quiet as possible, but when Ichigo's ears perked up trying to detect the sound, Starrk figured he needed to get out of range to finish the call. Without making any sudden movements the dark vampire descended down the tall oak and melted into the shadows without blinking.

"_Visitin' the berry are ya?_"

"Why the hell are you calling me, Shirosaki?" Starrk started walking towards his house now, knowing this was going to be a interesting call. He glanced back at Ichigo's house on more time while Shiro cackled over the phone.

"_I figured you were. That, however, is not the reason I called."_

Grabbing his pack of cigarettes out of his pant's pocket, Starrk sighed in relief as the nicotine flooded his system. Smoke bellowed out his mouth as the annoying voice of his friend echoed over the phone.

"Do tell, then, what caused me to sit through another session of your voice? I'm afraid I've heard quite enough for one day." he glanced over as a group of intoxicated teenagers stumbled on the opposite sidewalk loudly. One of the scantily dressed girls fell onto an expensive looking car by accident, and, just because his luck was like that, the cars started to blare it's warning signal loudly.

"_Sure seems lively where you are. Well, anyways, it seems like daddy wolf found our hideout today."_

"You've got to be shitting me." angrily dragging his hands through his hair, Starrk groaned in annoyance. They had been trying to stay away from their enemies for as long as possible. Seems like the alpha had become wise, though, and found the hiding hold they had been housing themselves in.

"_Tha's what I said."_

"What's Aizen doing about this?"

Shiro laughed. _"He's waiting for his Prima, of course. I suggest you flash here before he starts draining the human population. He's pissed."_

"Be there in a second." he ended the call quickly and stuffed it back into it's home in his back pocket. The air around Starrk clenched as he drew forth his power, calling it forward while clenching his fists. A clear picture of the throne room took over his mind.

Every vampire was given one talent at birth. Starrk had been born with the helpful ability to transport from any location to another within seconds. His friend, Shiro, could mold into the shadows. Of coarse some talents were repeated, but it was really rare to meet someone who had the same talent as you.

Starrk shook his head to clear it. Again he pictured the throne room.

"Teleport." with that command whispered the air began to shimmer once again, this time more violently. Starrk was sucked through the vortex, and as he traveled through the shimmering space, Starrk cussed his luck once again. Life sure is a bitch.

He was dying, Ichigo was sure of it. Sometime during a peak in his pain, Isshin Kurosaki had vacated his room and was now sitting on the chair adjacent to the couch Ichigo was immobile on. His father was out here, sitting with him while he underwent the pain? It seemed too crazy to be real. Maybe he was hallucinating. The older man seemed to be in deep thought, his forehead drawn in on itself causing deep lines to form. Ichigo snorted. His dad looked really old when he did that.

It was uncomfortable, being stared at like that. Ichigo wanted his dad to go crawl back into his room or something. The air shifted as the older man ran his hand through his messy brown hair. Ichigo turned his head away from his dad, an act he did a lot, and prepared himself for whatever degrading speech his father had for him this time.

"Is there anything I can do?" his gruff voice was almost unfamiliar to Ichigo.

The orangette shook his head, which only caused his head to hurt worse. Stupid move, Ichigo.

"I have someone I want you to meet tomorrow. After you get out of school, will you come with me?"

What? What the hell?

"Oh, uh who is it?" curiously Ichigo looked over at his father. Isshin glanced away, not meeting Ichigo's piercing gaze.

"I can't tell you. You'll see tomorrow."

"O-okay?" his father nodded at him once before heading back upstairs in a blur. Something seemed shifty about this _person _he was apparently meeting up with now. That was the first time Ichigo had held a conversation of any sort with his father in months, and it was over meeting someone? Yeah, something was up. He was sure of it.

The next morning was good. Ichigo had awoken with the migraine dissipated, and feeling almost at 100%. School had been good. All of his friends had asked where he had been, and Ichigo gave the excuse that he slept in. It was lame, he knew, but that was all he remembered.

His father was waiting outside when he got home, keys in hand.

"Drop your stuff off and get in."

Ichigo did what he was told, all the while staying silent. He needed to observe, needed to see what underlying message he wasn't getting. Nothing came up.

After thirty minutes of driving the scenery of trees and greenery was almost tiring to look at. Every bush looked the same, and every tree blurred in his vision. He was tired, dammit.

Ichigo was just about to ask if they were almost there when the car stopped moving. They had pulled over on the side of the road behind a pretty thick throng of pine trees, that way they'd be hidden from view of traffic.

"Where are we going?" despite his manliness, Ichigo couldn't help but start to feel worried. He didn't like being out here in the middle of the woods like this. No civilization for miles.

"Just wait." farther and farther into the woods they went, until Ichigo was almost doubled over with exhaustion. He dad seemed to be fine though, not out of breath or anything like that.

Finally they stopped moving. Ichigo took to leaning against a nearby tree while catching his breath. The older, more in shape man whistled loudly, causing a few resting birds to fly off in surprise. Ichigo was on high alert. Nothing happened.

"Ah, there you are." his dad's voice surprised him, though he couldn't figure out why. Next to his dad was a tall, totally ripped man with vibrant teal blue hair. He was wearing a pair of jeans that were dipping dangerously low on his hips, but the line of his underwear wasn't visible. Commando? The thought made the teenager blush thirteen shade of red.

"Ichigo, this is Grimmjow, and Grimmjow, this is my oldest son Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo reached out to shake hands with the larger, and very attractive man. He had a strong grip with lots of authority. _Must be someone important,_ Ichigo thought to himself as he released the hand.

"Alright, let's head somewhere more comfortable to chat. Your place, Grimmjow-san?" his father asked in a light and cheerful tone. Ichigo hadn't heard his dad sound so happy, so hopeful. He could only imagine what his role in this play would be, and all the roles he made up didn't make the situation any better. He followed his dad and the other man name Grimmjow back farther into the forest, until they found a nice cabin peak over the hill.

Now it was time for that 'talk'.


End file.

Bleach, Angst, Romance