Bleach 1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to a conversation between Blackstorm and I, this little idea was born and hasn't been willing to leave either of us alone, so I finally decided to give in and write it~ I hope everyone enjoys it and thank you for the inspiration, encouragement and the title, Storm~!  
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**Anyway, before you get started; This is rated M for a reason... like most of my stories, there is a good chance there will be violence/gore and more than likely some ideologically sensitive materials  
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**Now, enough of my crap! Enjoy~  
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Stumbling from the quiet little bar and out into the darkening street, two young men laughed as one tripped and nearly fell, pulling the second along with him. They righted themselves and continued down the street, one chattering noisily, his words slurred and boastful. A few minutes went by as they continued on their path, the second man nearly silent as he rolled his eyes at what the first was saying, before making a left into an even darker alleyway, the air cool and ominously still within the deeper shadows.

The more intoxicated of the two frowned curiously but when he turned his head to look at the hot little piece he was bringing back to his place for the night, his head spun precariously and he forgot what he was concerned about as he fought off the wave of nausea the action caused.

"Feeling alright there, big boy?" The smaller asked, his voice deep and husky but not nearly as slurred as it should have been for the drunken state he feigned.

"Ganna be feelin' better when we get back to my place. I'm ganna fuck that pretty little ass of yours so good." The drunken man replied, throwing his arm clumsily over the other's slim but strong shoulders, his breath foul and smelling of far too much alcohol.

"I bet you will." The smaller male mumbled a little disgustedly, letting his eyes wonder the area as the man beside him leaned against his solid frame for the support his wobbly legs couldn't seem to provide him with at the moment. Sometimes he really hated doing this, but only because of how disgusted he was with the men that pawed all over him like he was some prize they had won with all their terrible flirting and macho talk. Hah, what a joke, and to think; they thought they were the ones getting him drunk. But it was always worth it in the end. Even if he wasn't actually the one getting his hands dirty, so to say, the action brought him great satisfaction and it always led to a wonderful night of passion afterward.

He pulled to a stop, relieved when the sudden action didn't throw the larger man at his side off balance too badly. His partner wasn't going to be too pleased if the man couldn't at least make an effort to hold his own. "This looks good enough."

"What? Here?" The man slurred, slow to comprehend what he was being told before a lewd grin pulled at his features. "Didn't know you were that desperate..."

"I could never be that desperate." The smaller mumbled again, his tone scoffing as he carefully pulled a little wooden object from his pocket with gloved hands. The totem was carved with the symbol of an old legend, an old tale from a time when people believed in many gods, a different one for everything. This one, however, was the symbol for just one god; that of a death god, a reaper of human souls.

He slipped the object's leather cord handle around the victim's neck so that the carving faced inward, the symbol hidden against the man's chest over his heart. Ignoring the older man's babbling about who knew what, the smaller man stepped back, a loving and slightly apologetic smile curving his full lips to reach his kind and gentle eyes, though no trace of regret could be found in their warm, chocolaty depths.

"Sorry, love... He's a bit tipsy...He couldn't hold his liquor quite as well as I had thought..." The young man said quietly as a shadow separated it's self from the deeper, more natural ones of the alley, the moonlight catching and making his unnaturally bright hair shine like the dying sun still trying to cling to the horizon as he watched his lover reveal himself.

A man as white as the moon overhead came into view, separating from the black shadows surrounding him like something angelic stepping out of the pits of hell. His long, equally colorless hair was pulled back to keep the feathery locks clean. He didn't bother wearing dark clothing to help conceal himself and a white, beater tank top hugged his leanly built and muscled torso like he wasn't even wearing it. Baggy, grey shorts hung down passed his knees, held up by a black cloth belt around slim hips. The only color adorning his pale figure was the liquid gold of his strangely entrancing, inverted eyes, more hellish than angelic.

The intended victim spun about, looking from the handsome young man he had thought he was bringing home with him for the night to the colorless figure that edged around him, watching and studying him like a hungry jackal. A wide grin slowly stretched across a ghostly visage as the newcomer strode confidently to the side of the lesser drunk man.

"Nah, he'll do fine, Aibou. I was gettin' a lil' jealous a him puttin' 'is hands all over ya anyway." With that, the pale man leaned in to engage the slightly smaller, more colorful man in a passionate and possessive kiss that quickly tried to turn heated. A navy tongue danced with it's more naturally colored mate, fighting for dominance and mapping all it could reach before he was forced to pull away. Behind him, the intended victim of his unhealthy little obsession started fussing about in his confusion and growing agitation, his situation still not sinking passed the alcohol clouding his brain.

"Who the fuck'er you?" The bigger man asked, trying his hardest to sound intimidating, the the effect was lessened by the liquor weighing his tongue down, a scowl on his features as he stared at the newcomer with glassy eyes. "You cock blocking?"

"It don' matter who I am." The pale man snorted in dry amusement, the fiery gold of his iris' glowing and swirling with a hunger and growing dislike for the man before him. As he took a step toward his victim, the more colorful of the two smirked and calmly turned about, sticking his hands in his pockets and disappearing from the alleyway. His part of the job was done and now all he had to do was wait for his partner to return home for a night of well earned reward.

This victim would mark their sixth in half as many months as word of a new and devastating serial killer swept the city by storm. The first string of unsolved murders the city had seen in decades, every newspaper's headline spoke of the 'Shinigami Killer'. While the citizens scrambled and chattered nervously about divine judgment and homicidal neighbors, the police and investigative forces searched for the culprit, baffled by the stunning lack of evidence left behind even on the killer's calling card; the wooden medallion left around each victim's neck that had earned the murderer his or her name.

At nearly the same time, on the opposite side of the city with the moon high overhead, a sharp, curved blade sliced through the slowly cooling flesh of a fresh kill with precise and practiced motions. Unlike the famous killer from London that had originally perked his curiosity as a child and helped light the way for what he had become, it wasn't just organs that he harvested nor were his victims prostitutes.

The tongue was the first to be collected, placed safely in it's designated container inside a lined and inconspicuous bag. Next were the other more delectable parts. Muscle was cut away from bone, flayed and sheared by a professional's steady hand. Blood ran down his strong hands, dripping from long fingers and spreading out below the body to paint the sidewalk in the prettiest shade of deep and brilliant crimson.

A red river ran through the gutter at the edge of the street, disappearing into the sewers while he worked on opening the body up to continue his harvest. The smell of fresh meat lingered in the air and forced the man to inhale the scent deeply as would any predator faced with it's next meal, an almost manic grin curving full lips to reveal perfect white teeth.

Before the light of day could reveal what had happened, the man was gone, disappearing into the darkened night like a shadow, like a creature that had never really been there at all. Taking with him the fruit of his labor, he left a hollowed out and mangled carcass in his wake, leftovers for the scavengers to find and another homicide to confound the police.

The day after the most recent killing, in a quiet little neighborhood just inside the city's boundaries, the birds chirped and sang, filling the mid morning air with a fluid and pleasant melody as the citizens began awakening, giving away nothing of the busy activities from the night before. Too far from the opposite side of the town, the sirens that had shattered the still, predawn silence hours ago had gone unheard but not unexpected and at least one man was up and waiting, eager to start the day.

"Hey, come look at this!" Sitting on the edge of the plush couch, nearly falling off as he stared at the television, brown eyes widened and a slight smirk pulled at the man's features. This was not quite what he had been expecting.

The morning news played across the screen, the headline scrolling in big, bold letters about another murder. The images and video footage were considered too graphic to not be censored but there was no hiding the amount of blood soaking into the concrete of the sidewalk, nor the police officer retching on the edge of the screen, his face pale as another zipped up a body bag that looked far to empty and light to contain the corpse of the adult that it was claimed to hold.

"Wha'dya want? I'm tryin' a sleep..." Another man yelled back from somewhere down the hall, his voice distorted both naturally and from the dream he was trying to go back to.

"Hurry up! You're going to love this one, Shiro..." More footage of the crime scene played on the screen, the background eerily silent in the early morning, the few onlookers too busy covering their gaping mouths to utter a sound.

From the bedroom down the hall, sheets were rustled, a few muttered curses following before there was a thud. Sitting on the couch, the first man chuckled as he listened to his lover's cursing grow louder before the pale man stumbled from the room and into the hall, the dark sheet wrapped around his waist and dragging behind him. His white hair was tangled and messy as he stifled a yawn, rubbing at one inverted eye with his fist.

"This better be good, Ichi...ya know I didn' get any sleep las' night." Shiro mumbled, dragging himself down the hall and into the sitting room to plop down on the couch next to his man. He pulled his legs up on the cushions to stretch across the couch, letting his head drop into his lover's lap before finally directing his attention to the tv screen as long fingers gently ran through his tangled mane. "We get another pet name er somethin'?"

"Not quite...Seems like someone is stealing our spotlight." Ichigo answered. He couldn't help the smirk that curled his lips. Shiro was going to get a kick out of the news. He probably wouldn't be too thrilled at first, but he'd love the challenge later.

On the television, a woman in a business suit jacket and a matching, knee length skirt began speaking, an ambulance and several police cruisers in the background, lights flashing but sirens quiet. _"...the city was rocked by yet another murder early this morning, the culprit unknown. While details are still limited at this point, the police do not believe this incident to be connected to the recent string of homicides by the serial killer known as the Shinigami..."_

"Wha' the fuck?" Shiro all but bolted into a sitting position, his fatigue forgotten as he stared at the screen. "Who the hell's tha' punk think he is? Treadin' on my territory..."

Ichigo chuckled but covered it well before he spoke. "So that one wasn't you? I didn't think you would have changed your MO so randomly, not while we've been doing so well."

"Tch. Probably jus' some kid thinkin' he's tough, er a gang maybe. I bet he ge's caught and we go back ta bein' the headline wit'in the week." Shiro said, his voice nearly an indignant growl as he laid back down and made himself comfortable again, his head once more laying on his lover's lap.

"I don't know..." Ichigo continued running his thin fingers through ashen locks as Shiro drifted back off to sleep where he lay on the couch. "I have a feeling this guy knows what he's doing."

"Damnit...an' ya always gotta be right, don' ya." It was more of a statement than a question, mumbled in sleepy tones that made Ichigo smirk down at his pale lover.

Ichigo snorted a laugh in answer, twirling his fingers through the long hair splayed across his lover's shoulders and across his own legs. He tugged gently, letting his fingers massage the man's scalp while his nails just barely scratched in slow, sensual patterns.

A quiet groan rumbled against his leg while Shiro continued to lay unmoving, his eyes shut and his breathing nearly evened out in the sleep he was trying to fall back into. "Tha's not fair...Aibou..."

"Come on, Shi...I know you too well..." Ichigo purred out, a smirk on his pink lips as he continued his ministrations. He let one of his hands wonder, gliding down the well toned and smooth expanse of milky, flawless skin that covered Shiro's exposed back, his fingers splayed. "You can't tell me it doesn't get you going at least a little...the thought of having some real competition...a real challenge..."

"Didn' ya get enough las' night?" The albino asked, though his grin could be heard in his words. Ichigo was right of course. The idea of having someone nearly as dangerous as they themselves were lurking through the streets was nearly as big of a turn on as what the more colorful man was doing to him at the moment. The thrill of the hunt was all fine and dandy but where was the fun without another deadly opponent to play the game, another predator to stalk the same streets?

"Never." Ichigo smirked down at his lover and partner as the man rolled over to look up at him with gold on black eyes that shone with mischief and more than a little arousal.

A wide grin pulled at Shiro's startling handsome features, the expression somehow lewd, creepy and incredibly sexy at the same time. He slowly climbed to his feet, letting the sheet he had wrapped about himself fall to the floor and that was all the encouragement his mate needed.

There was very little foreplay involved, both on the verge of being too excited about the unexpected turn of events to engage in any. Ichigo stood from his place on the couch and before long had Shiro pinned on his back in the middle of their sitting room floor. The grin never left the albino's pale lips as he helped his man pull his shirt off to be thrown and forgotten somewhere near by.

"Ya even have time fer this?" Shiro asked, his golden eyes roaming the delicious sight his lover's toned upper body presented him with, his hands settling on Ichigo's slip and perfectly cut hips.

The orange haired man shrugged as his nimble fingers worked at the button of his slacks. "I've got about an hour until I have to be at the shop."

"Guess we better hurry." Shiro lifted Ichigo up, his hands anchored around the man's hips so that Ichigo could slip his pants further down his lean thighs. They didn't bother removing the clothing completely and Shiro none to gently plunged two fingers into the more colorful man's entrance.

Ichigo grit his teeth, his eyes squeezed shut as he arched his back but he couldn't help the moan that tumbled from his lips at the rough pleasure. Shiro spread his fingers as he pumped them in and out of the willing man straddling him, his azure tongue peeking out to run across his pale lips as he watched Ichigo's face flush with his arousal.

As his straining member brushed against Ichigo's own hard cock, he pulled his fingers from the man and almost roughly pushed Ichigo off him. Ichigo landed on his ass on the floor but he wasn't given time to process what had happened before Shiro had him on his knees, his face pressed into the soft carpet.

With a single thrust, Shiro lined up and was pushing his throbbing member into the other's tight, heated passage, groaning at the pleasure that coursed through his body. Ichigo cried out below him, pushing backward to force Shiro into action as the pale man seated himself. A quick and almost brutal pace was set, Shiro pounding into Ichigo from behind while Ichigo moaned and did his best to meet his lover's insatiable thrusts.

Neither could ever get enough after making a kill and it showed in the way they moved, the way the moaned and cried out in their pleasure as sweat dripped between pale shoulder blades and tanned hands clawed at the carpeted floor.

"f...fffuck–harder, love..." Ichigo grit out between pants.

Shiro groaned in answer, bending over his lover's back to nip and lick at the back of the man's neck while he complied, thrusting harder and faster. Ichigo pushed back against him, his knees sliding a bit where they were planted in the plush carpeting, his pants keeping him from spreading them any wider.

A warm hand wrapped around his neglected member and Ichigo sucked in a quick breath in his surprise before he released the air in a low, moaning sound. Long fingers stroked in time to Shiro's thrusts while the other pale hand forced him to rotate his hips, black painted nails leaving crescent shaped bruises along his tawny skin.

White flashed before Ichigo's vision, pulsing as Shiro's cock found his prostate. He didn't hear the pleasured sound the tumbled from his lips, but Shiro did and a smirk curled pale lips as the man thrust forward again, abusing his mate's most sensitive spot while he stroked the man's rigid and leaking erection.

A few well placed and strong thrusts later, Ichigo cried out as his orgasm racked through him and he spilled his seed across Shiro's hand and their carpet. The colorless male followed shortly behind as heated walls pulsed and milked his length and he came inside his lover as the two collapsed to the floor.

As Shiro pulled out, Ichigo rolled over, a smile on his face, to wrap his lean arms around the albino. He kissed the top of the man's head as his panting breaths returned to normal and Shiro snuggled close, his long white hair falling into his face.

"Ya gotta leave now?" He asked, an almost childish sulking pout in his lilting tone.

Ichigo chuckled and nodded but he left his arms thrown around the slightly more muscular man for a few more minutes before they both began climbing to their feet. Shiro grumbled unhappily but a slight smirk pulled at his features and he helped Ichigo steady himself while the more colorful of the two pulled his tight pants back up to once again settle around his waist.

Ichigo didn't bother looking for the discarded shirt, instead hurrying down the hall to their shared bedroom to quickly pick out a new one before he was rushing out the door.

The dark sheet again wrapped precariously about Shiro's lower half, he followed behind his lover and leaned out the open doorway to grab hold of Ichigo's hand before the man got too far. Ichigo spun around to look into the deep, swirling golden eyes that held him rooted in place. Those tantalizing orbs never failed to mesmerize him no matter how long they had been together. Shiro smirked again before leaning forward to give his stunned lover a quick and chaste kiss before he left for the day.

"No flirtin' wit anyone ya don' wan' ta die." He said playfully, his lilting voice quiet and teasing. Ichigo was his and always would be. He was hardly worried and really didn't care who the orange haired man talked to and flirted with so long as Ichigo continued to come home to him, but it was always fun to tease the poor guy.

"No killing anyone while I'm gone." Ichigo joked back, a loving smile on his face while he chuckled at his lover's antics. His attention was drawn back to the sheet still barely clinging to the man's milky hips as Shiro leaned against the door frame and crossed his wiry arms over his chest, the cloth shifting and slipping with his movements to reveal a neatly trimmed trail of ashen hair that lead to a rather noticeable bulge barely hidden within the blanket. "Go back inside before you give our neighbors a heart attack."

Shiro's lilting laughter filed through the morning air as Ichigo gently pushed him back inside, a slight flush of color showing on his cheeks. Shiro peeked his head back out the door again for one last kiss before the more colorful man spun about and jogged off toward his car, already running behind. The albino closed the door and disappeared back inside their shared home, walking down the hall to change into real clothing so he could begin doing the few chores that needed taken care of for the day.

Ichigo made the drive to the small cafe he worked at in record time. Luckily the streets were still cleared out as the few awakened citizens buzzed about what the news had broadcasted this morning. He parked his car around back and rushed through the employee entrance, pinning his name tag on as he went. He clocked in a minute late and smiled as his young, red headed coworker greeted him with a cheery and bit too loud voice.

He was surprised to see that they already had a few guests, including one who had yet to place an order. A man that Ichigo had never seen in the cafe before sat in the far corner booth, up against the front window and out of the way from where most of the customers had gathered. He was so engrossed in his newspaper that he didn't hear Ichigo approach him.

Ichigo stood beside the booth for a few moments, waiting to be noticed and acknowledged as he watched the curious man. He wore a plain, black T-shirt that was neither too loose nor too tight and a pair of simple, faded blue jeans. His severe brows were creased in an eternal scowl that seemed to somehow suit the man and would have made anyone else look permanently pissed off. His hair was cut short and styled in a chaotic mess that made Ichigo wonder if he had actually styled it all or if it was natural and the color it's self was so very strange and unique that it couldn't have been real. The orangette guessed the man's natural color must have been blond for the pale blue to take so well and look so vibrant, yet it too seemed to suit the man somehow.

Finally, Ichigo cleared his throat and peered over the man's shoulder until he spotted the headline of the article the man was reading. He ignored the gruesome, black and and white photo of the victim, noting that Shiro had done quite the number this time. But having gotten used to seeing the 'Shinigami' killer make the headlines months ago, he didn't give any outside indication that it meant anything to him even though he couldn't help the stirring of pride and nervousness that bubbled in his gut.

"Kind of crazy that the police haven't caught them yet, isn't it?" He asked the man, finally gaining his attention.

The stranger grunted before he folded the paper up and set it aside. "What a waste." The man's voice was deep and grating even as he spoke in a quiet tone to match the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the cafe.

Ichigo was startled as eyes as blue and deep as the oceans themselves were turned his way, hardly able to register the words the man had spoken. The man's penetrating azure gaze quickly gave Ichigo a once over that seemed to tingle as if those stunning eyes could see right through his clothing before a single blew brow quirked just slightly and the man turned back to face the empty booth in front of him. He spoke again, a single word and it took Ichigo a moment to process the request.

"Oh, r-right." He hurried off to bring the man his coffee. There was something different about this man, about his customer. Something powerful and caged swirled in those endless blue depths that passed as human eyes. Ichigo could almost feel that hungry gaze as he walked away.

His words came back to Ichigo as the orange haired man poured a fresh cup of black coffee. It had been such a simple statement, something that could have meant anything but something about the man's gruff tone made him wonder if he should be taking them at face value.

This man was more than he seemed, more than he let on and Ichigo knew he wouldn't be able to leave him alone. He was drawn to the bigger man and he knew exactly what that meant. A smirk tugged at his lips, one that would match his lover's when he got home that night to tell the albino of the news.

With the coffee poured, Ichigo all but sauntered back to the booth the blue haired man sat alone in. He might as well get started now, Shiro would get a kick out of it. Placing the coffee on the table beside the man, he slid in across from him and waited for those crazy blue eyes to turn away from the paper once again, pinning him in their depths.

"I've never seen you in here before. Visiting for business?" Ichigo asked, his tone light in friendly conversation as he made small talk with the stranger. Again, those too blue eyes raked over his form quickly, appraising him in a strange way that almost made him uncomfortable at first. Or maybe it was just because of how very depthless the man's gaze seemed.

"Something like that." The blue haired visitor said, a lazy grin stretching across his handsome features before it was gone, replaced by his impassive expression once more.

Ichigo let a charming smirk show openly as he spoke again, careful to keep his tone neutral and friendly, making it impossible to distinguish any real motive behind his seemingly harmless questions. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"A couple months at least." The man said, raising a single blue brow at the bold red head sitting in front of him, his untouched coffee cooling where it sat on the table beside him.

Ichigo nodded at the man's answer, his chocolaty eyes bright and alert as he leaned back in his seat. A couple months sounded like plenty of time to him.

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**So~ What does everyone think? Let me know if this is worth continuing please~**


	2. Chapter 2

**...this took forever to finally write... but it seems whatever was making writing impossible for me is gone now, so hopefully I'll be updating more regularly again~**

**Enjoy! **

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Long, almost delicate fingers slipped from his own entrance to reach between them and grasp hold of the base of Shiro's cock. Rising on his knees, Ichigo panted as he slowly lowered to impale himself while he looked down into the heated, lust heavy gaze of his lover. As he came to a rest, Shiro fully sheathed inside him and twin moans erupting from both men's throats, Ichigo leaned forward to capture lily white lips in a nipping, heated kiss before he arched his body and rose again, only to seat himself in a swift and aggressive motion.

"D-damn..." Shiro arched his back away from the mattress, his head tilted back and his hands anchored on the slim hips undulating above his own. "Wha' brought this 'bout?"

Ichigo seated himself again, drawing another moaning curse from the albino he rode. The more colorful male kept his balance with one hand planted beside Shiro's head, the muscle of his arm corded and taut to hold his weight while the finger's of his other hand tangled into the feathery mane spread across the pillow and pulled, aggressively exposing Shiro's throat while he ruthlessly abused himself on the man's cock. He leaned forward, his lips grazing the shell of his lover's ear while their panted breaths mixed in the air between them.

"Shut up and keep fucking me." He growled out, his voice a husky and sexy baritone that forced shivers down the pale man's spine.

"Ah shit..." Golden eyes rolled back in pleasure as Shiro attempted to switch their positions so he could pound his godly lover into the mattress properly but Ichigo had other ideas. The hand fisted in his hair tightened as Ichigo yanked on the locks, forcing him to stay on his back, his head tilted and throat bared. The planes of his toned abdomen stretched and tightened as he thrust upward, timing himself with Ichigo's motions and forcing panting cries from the more colorful of the two.

The bed creaked in protest but the noise went unnoticed as the two continued, their sounds of pleasure and passion drowning all else out. Ichigo rose on his knees again, leaning low over the pale chest of his lover to sink his teeth around a pert, faintly pink nipple before he lowered once again. The hands grasping his hips tightened, black painted nails digging into his smooth skin as Shiro growled out a moan.

Ichigo's fluid movements hitched as he rose and fell, his moaning voice rising in pitch as the heat in his belly grew to a raging inferno. The arm holding his weight up collapsed and he allowed himself to sink against Shiro's muscled body, his other hand still gripped into white hair in an almost desperate hold to force Shiro to stay below him.

"Shi...so close..." He moaned into the side of his lover's milky neck where he licked gently before once again biting, surly leaving a dark mark behind to contrast off Shiro's colorless skin.

The sharp pain drove Shiro insane as he felt his own release nearing. He removed his hands from Ichigo's hips in favor of wrapping his arms around the slim man's shoulders while he pounded up into his tight heated entrance, Ichigo still struggling to keep up his swift pace. Before long, with a few more thrusts, Shiro's black nails scraped red lines down Ichigo's bare back as the heated entrance he thrust into constricted and pulsated around his hard length, milking him while Ichigo cried out and spilled himself between their abdomens.

The albino followed just behind, coming hard into the man above him and giving a few more, shallow and languid thrusts before finally falling still to pant below his lover. Ichigo's hand finally loosened in his hair as they enjoyed their blissful release and Shiro wrapped one long leg around the back of Ichigo's knees before rolling them over.

Ichigo gave a slightly startled and surprised yelp but smiled up at Shiro, the albino's golden eyes sparkling and shining in his sated pleasure. The more colorful of the two was captured into a deep and passionate kiss, Shiro's tongue peeking out to run across his bottom lip before he pulled away and settled himself comfortably between Ichigo's outstretched legs, chin resting in his palm and his elbows to either side of Ichigo's waist.

"So ya ganna tell me wha' had ya so excited now?" Shiro asked, his lilting voice still rough and husky from the unexpected but much enjoyed romp. He had been caught off guard and literally thrown to the bed after Ichigo had gotten home from a long day at work but he sure as hell wasn't complaining.

Still holding Ichigo's gaze with his own, his navy colored tongue peeked out between pale lips to begin licking a slick, hot trail across Ichigo's abdomen, starting at one prominent hip bone.

"F-found our next victim..." Ichigo answered, his breath hitching as he looked down his body to watch the albino. Shiro's tongue ran across his abs, dipping into his belly button before he made his way to the sticky come smeared across his smooth skin just below. Ichigo continued his explanation, unable to look away as Shiro hummed in delight and continued to lick his lover clean of the mess with slow and deliberate motions. "...One of my customer's at the cafe...H-he's perfect..."

"Mmhmm..." Shiro hummed again, indicating for Ichigo to continue, never pausing his ministrations as Ichigo's member twitched back to life where it rested below his chest.

"He's a bit bigger than the usual..." Ichigo bit his bottom lip but couldn't tear his eyes away from what Shiro was doing and the erotic sight of that sinful tongue of his working slow patterns over the heated and soft skin just below his navel. "N-not going to be a pushover, there's something about him, s-something wild... and he's got crazy blue hair..."

Shiro paused for just a moment, looking up to penetrate his lover with his powerful and unique gaze, a smirk on his colorless lips. "Ya already got started, didn' ya?"

"I couldn't help myself..." Ichigo told him, a matching smirk tugging at his own handsome features, his darkened brown eyes following the motion of Shiro's oddly colored tongue as it peeked out and ran across the seam of colorless lips. "You know how much I like the color blue..."

Shiro snorted a laugh, his smirk transforming into a grin as he slowly began sitting up, exposing Ichigo's freshly reawakened erection to the cool air of their bedroom. A shiver raced down the orange haired man's spine.

"Yer fuckin' perfect, ya know tha'?" Shiro asked, offering his hand to help his mate up. "He's interested, I take it?"

Ichigo smiled as he allowed himself to be pulled from the bed and into Shiro's arms. "He'll be back to the cafe tomorrow and very interested when I'm through with him. He's already taken the bait." He laughed at the heated look that lit Shiro's eyes on fire and allowed himself to be pushed toward the bedroom door.

"Good. Round two in the shower." The albino demanded, following Ichigo down the hall, both of them still naked and very ready for more as he licked his lips at the sight of his come dripping from Ichigo's entrance to run down his lean thigh.

Further down town and in a less than friendly part of the neighborhood, a man stood by the window of a cheap little studio apartment he had rented for the next few months, absently staring out into the dingy street in front of the building. He opened the window to allow the cool evening air to circulate through his single room, temporary home, unworried and confident that no one would dare take advantage of the seeming lack of caution. It was base instinct, something most people didn't even realize they had. No one would bother him because they knew what he was, deep down in their subconscious minds, their instincts and senses told them to stay away from the predator in their midst.

The smell of fresh food cooking on the stove permeated the almost stale air, smelling wonderful and mouth watering even as the hint of something not quite average could be detected. The almost soundless landing of small paws on the counter top just on the other side of a small wall had the man curling his lip and just as silently stalking off in that direction to catch the perpetrator. He rounded the dividing wall into what sufficed as his kitchen, already knowing what he would find.

"Hey!" The commanding, deep voiced growl would have been enough to gain the attention of anyone near by, stopping them dead in their tracks and possibly loosening their bowels in fright. As it was though, only a cat looked his way from where the animal sat perched on the counter top, hovering over the meal he was cooking, on the verge of stealing a bit for herself. Placid green eyes, reflecting boredom if a bit of hostility, looked up to stare into the cold azure of it's owner before the a little furry hellion hissed and flattened her ears at the big man.

"Yeah yeah, just get the fuck down. Can't leave ya alone for a damn second." The man snapped back, ready to push the cat from the counter should it choose to test his temper. The cat had learnt her mistake long ago though and she quickly stood from her perch, long tail held high and proud before she gracefully dropped to the tiled floor of their newest apartment, rubbing across the man's lower legs affectionately and apologetically.

"And that's why I always share ya little shit." The man chuckled and tore off a chunk of the still bloody meat sizzling in a skillet and lowered to sit on his haunches, the morsel held between his fingers.

Purring, deep and rumbling filled the quiet kitchen and the man smirked as the cat greedily began gnawing at the meat in his hands. He picked her up, still holding the bite so that she could continue chewing at it, and moved her out of his way before settling her back down under the kitchen table and dropping the meat in front of her.

Going back to the stove, he flipped the slab of meat, a tasty bit from his most recent hunt, and turned the burner up just a bit to cook it quicker before turning his back and leaning against the edge of the counter, smirking down at the cat he wasn't really looking at. Cool blue eyes held a far away look as the man's mind was plagued with thoughts of a particularly delectable looking young man.

Who would have thought the quiet little cafe he had visited earlier that morning would have had something on the menu he was actually interested in, and what a confident and flirty young man he had been. That confidence drew the predatory man like a moth to flame, an oddly fitting analogy with the younger man's brightly colored hair. And those syrupy, molten eyes... They swirled with the man's confidence, but more so than just that. They shone with something akin to excitement, arousal even and it had only strengthened the longer they had spoken, as if the young man was getting just as excited as he himself was about the next encounter they both knew would happen.

The bluenette turned back to the stove as the smell of his cooking meal wafted to him, making his stomach rumble with want. He cut the meat in two, checking how done it was and pleased to find there was just a hint of pink left in the middle. Perfect.

With a grin on his angular features, the man pulled a plate from his cupboard and slid the meat from the skillet before wandering over to sit at his table. His cat jumped up to sit in the empty seat across from him, staring greedily over the edge of the table at him, licking her lips and whiskers clean of the juices from the piece he had already shared.

The bluenette ignored her, cutting his meal into pieces almost daintily as if at a fine restaurant rather than sitting in his barren kitchen with only a cat for company. He stabbed the first bite with his fork, happily bringing it to his mouth. He smirked as he chewed, delighting in the delectable and superb flavor of his unique food source.

Most would think him a monster but deep down, he knew that almost anyone would enjoy the taste of human flesh should they have the opportunity. It was simply a matter of getting passed the awful term and taboos given to those who fed on their own species. Human meat was top notch, perfect and delectable in a way that beef or pork could never be, but just like any other animal, it had to be properly taken care of.

Too much fat and a person tasted disgusting and cheap, like something you'd get in a fast food joint, greasy and like it was probably going to kill you later on, or at least give you a bad case of diarrhea. Too thin and their was no flavor at all, no juices to simmer with the meat. It was gritty and tough. The key was finding and hunting people that took care of themselves and he had long ago learned that he had a taste for leanly muscled young men, not too much bulk, but enough muscle that there was no fat either.

A wicked grin spread across the man's full lips, consuming his handsome features and showing off commercial worthy teeth. He already knew he'd be back at the little cafe with the next morning and thanks to the employee name tags, he'd be sure to request 'Ichigo'.

The foolish young man had been excited about what he had seen of his newest regular and said man had to admit the orangette wasn't too bad looking himself, but he was more interested in something other than what the boy was looking for. Though, he never did understand why his mother had always tried to teach him not to play with his food.

With a handsome grin full of over sharp teeth hinting at his twisted intentions, the man continued his meal, purring his delight as he chewed.

••••••

Rising early the next morning, the sun bright and cheery and the birds singing happily, Ichigo quickly slammed his hand down over the top of his alarm clock as it threatened to shatter the peace. The device nearly fell to the floor, Ichigo nearly toppling over the edge of the bed with it, startled awake and tangled in the sheets. He lay back in bed a moment, giving his mind a chance to wake up properly before he slowly reopened his eyes to look over at the face of his still sleeping lover, happy the noise hadn't woken him up.

His eyes were drawn down the curve of Shiro's pallid features, tracing high cheek bones and a narrow, straight nose before lingering on a dark purple bruise marring his equally white neck, shaped to match Ichigo's teeth. The orange haired man's boyish and handsome features tinted a light shade of red but a small smile curled his lips as Ichigo quietly slipped from the warm and inviting bed, careful not to wake the pale man he had shared his home and bed with for the past year.

He and Shiro had met by chance one night, by fate if he believed in that sort of thing. While Shi wasn't exactly small, he wasn't very large either, no bigger than Ichigo himself and he had been even scrawnier back then. His strange looks had kept him firmly seated at the bottom of society, unable to get a job or make many friends, it had also made him the target of some rather unfriendly activities and accusations.

Ichigo had been on his way home from work one night, an umbrella opened to keep the steady rain at bay before he had had a car to make the drive. Walking passed an alleyway, he had found the strange albino in the process of getting his ass beat. Not that Shiro wasn't putting up a good fight, but he was smaller than his opponent and apparently hadn't been looking for the fight that had found him, caught off guard and taken by surprise.

Only knowing that someone was in trouble, Ichigo had taken off down the alley without even thinking about what he was doing. He tackled the bigger man hovering over the pale form of bloodied and beaten Shiro, dragging him away and even getting a good shot in that stunned the man for a moment. Thinking it would be enough to deter the bully and hopefully send him on his way, Ichigo returned to Shiro's side where the albino was struggling to get his feet under him.

He had been wrong, however and the hard punch that had been intended for Ichigo hit the brick wall beside him as Shiro had pushed him away. It had only served to anger the bully more and the bigger man had pulled a knife, cursing and threatening both Ichigo and Shiro.

The man had fisted a big hand in Ichigo's collar, throwing him to the ground on the other side of the alley and shouting something about the albino being a demon and not worth saving. Ichigo had looked over to see the strange man sneering up at his larger opponent, his stunning eyes lit with a hellish fire and his dirty, white hair plastered to his face and shoulders from the rain. Shiro had hissed something about the bully not being worth the title of human but Ichigo had been too transfixed on the angelic figure he was watching to really hear what that lilting voice had said. In his eyes, Shiro had never looked like a monster or demon.

Before he knew it, he was up again as the bully took another swing at Shiro, the knife drawing a thin line through his colorless flesh and tearing his already ragged shirt. The fight hadn't ended well, not really. Shiro and Ichigo had teamed up against the man, both earning their fair share of wounds but their victory had been nothing to celebrate. In the end, Ichigo had killed the man in his rage, unable to get the image of the man beating on the hapless, pale figure out of his head and only stopping once he realized what he had done.

Then he freaked out, terrified that he had taken another's life and it was Shiro's turn to swoop in and save the day. The albino had managed to talk some sense into him, got him up on his feet and had them running before the police could arrive on scene. They had been lucky and the rain had been enough to wash away the evidence they had left behind.

Shiro had gotten him to tell him where he lived and walked Ichigo home, telling him his reaction was only natural and that he hadn't really done anything wrong all the while, calming his frantic mind. When Shiro had turned to leave, he thanked Ichigo for helping him before commenting on how much he hated the rain, looking up at the dark sky as he began walking back down the sidewalk in the direction they had come.

Ichigo had caught hold of his shirt, soaked through and frigid from the weather. It hadn't taken much convincing to get the albino to come in for a while and they had been together ever since. Shiro never said anything about it, but Ichigo had figured out enough on his own to know that Shiro hadn't really had much of a home to return to and that that man hadn't been the first he had seen killed. But Shiro was a good man, even if normal society wouldn't see him that way, he was loving in his own way and loyal to Ichigo.

Smiling at the memory, even if it had been more of a nightmare at the time, Ichigo began changing into the clothing he would be wearing to work. He left the room, quietly closing the door behind him as he listened to Shiro's sleep steady breathing. Walking down the hall, the orange haired man entered the sitting room, snagging the remote and flipping on the news, the volume turned down low, before he began getting ready to start his day. The forecast called for clear skies, for which Ichigo was happy. Even after a year, Shiro still hated the rain.

Grabbing his tooth brush from it's holder by the bathroom sink, the orangette wondered back down the hall and into the sitting room again. He snorted as he brushed his teeth, watching as more pictures of the two crime scenes from the night before last played across the screen.

He didn't put much faith in the police force, after all, they hadn't even been able to come near he and Shiro and they had left behind six bodies already and were really only just getting started. It amused him to no end that they seemed so proud of themselves for being able to point out the differences between the six victims of the 'Shinigami' and the single one from their newest criminal, deducting that they were dealing with two separate cases and reassuring the public that they were getting closer everyday as they investigated. Hah.

The reporters and investigators had coined the newest killer, Shiro's challenger as the city terror, the 'Hollow' killer after the way he seemed to carve up the body, taking bits and pieces with him and leaving a hollow carcass in his wake. It wasn't all that creative of a title, but it had a nice, gruesome ring to it.

Not too surprisingly, after their second round, Ichigo finally feeling sated, the two had stumbled off to bed to actually sleep this time and Shiro had brought up the new guy lurking his streets. Together, the two had thrown out some pretty crazy ideas and theories about what the Hollow killer was doing with the parts he kept. Ichigo had assumed they were some sort of trophy, it wasn't unheard of for a murderer to keep a memento of his victims. Shiro, a bit more sadistic than his more colorful lover, had said he probably got home and threw them in the fridge.

Ichigo chuckled around the tooth brush in his mouth, heading back toward the bathroom to spit and rinse. He put his tooth brush back and tip toed down the hall to the bedroom, peeking in to see that the albino was still sound asleep. He quietly sneaked to the edge of the bed, kissing the man lightly on the cheek before just as silently creeping back out of the room. He snagged his phone from the counter, checking the time and nearly freaked out. No matter how early he got up or how few distractions he had, he always seemed to be running late.

With a slightly exasperated sigh, Ichigo hurried from their quiet little home to head to work on the other side of the city. The drive was quiet and fairly quick, though the streets were a bit busier than the day before now that things had calmed down a bit. A smirk curled pink lips, they wouldn't stay calm for long. After the night they had had last night, Ichigo knew Shiro wouldn't be able to wait for him to have their blue haired target ready. He would probably have Ichigo pick up another random drunk later that night but he didn't mind. It would be a good excuse to have a little fun.

Ichigo made it to work on time, clocking in at exactly seven before he pinned his name tag to his plain white, collared shirt and prepared to start stocking a few things while he waited for a few more customers to come in.

"Ah~ Ichi, it's good to see you on time today." Ichigo mentally sighed at the over cheery voice of his employer before he turned around and bowed slightly, giving the man a shy and almost sheepish grin. "No worries though, I came to tell you you have a request. The booth by the window."

A slow smirk worked it's way across Ichigo's features as his boss left to go bug one of the other employees. Glancing toward the front window, he was gifted with the sight of brilliant blue. Sitting in the same corner of the cafe as yesterday, once again staring down at a newspaper, sat the very man Ichigo had delighted in telling Shiro about.

He poured a cup of coffee, fixing a flirty smile on his lips and sauntered around the counter and over to the booth, knowing the man's intense gaze was just as focused on him as it was on the paper he read. He slid into the booth opposite the man, setting the black coffee down between them and waited to be acknowledged.

"What if I didn't want coffee this time?" The man asked, the barest hint of a grin curving his lips while he continued holding the paper he was reading.

Leaning back in his seat, Ichigo smirked and glanced over the man. He wore clothes that were nearly a match from the day before but this black shirt seemed to fit just a bit tighter, letting him know it wasn't actually the same outfit. He let his warm, intelligent eyes glance at the paper, the front of it opened and facing him. The date was todays and the creases were freshly unfolded. This man seemed rather set with his patterns and Ichigo knew he was only teasing about not wanting coffee.

"You don't seem like the tea drinking type." Ichigo shrugged as he answered the man, his voice easy and playful but full of confidence.

The paper was finally pulled away, folded back into it's original creases before it was settled aside, the picture on top showing a taped off crime scene. Those insanely blue eyes settled on Ichigo once more, just as stunning and intense as the day before. The man smiled and nodded, finally pulling the cup toward himself. "And you're very observant, aren't you?"

The observation of his character and nature caught him off guard, but Ichigo didn't let it show and covered his surprise well. His cheeks tinted a light red and he let a charming smile pull at his lips while he shrugged in answer, neither denying it nor confirming it.

Ichigo pointed toward the paper that had been discarded to lay on the table, his chocolaty brown eyes still locked with the blue ones before him. "Still reading about the recent murders, I see."

A shark grin spread across the man's startlingly handsome features. "It's the only interesting thing going on around here, unless you know something I don't."

"Well, I'm sure I could find something to hold your interest..." Ichigo smirked, letting his eyes wonder toward the counter as if checking the amount of privacy they had. "but it's not exactly work appropriate..."

The man chuckled, his voice deep and roiling but the volume kept down as to not disturb the rest of the few customers in the small cafe this early. The young man before him truly was interesting, he would certainly be fun to toy around with for a bit. "Guess we'll have to stick to the news for now then."

"If you insist." Ichigo couldn't have held back his laugh if he had wanted to. Luckily, it didn't seem he would need to as the man he shared company with didn't seem to mind his flirty attitude in the least. "So what about the news, then?"

"Tch. I thought I gave my opinion yesterday." The man leaned back against the both he sat in, his arms comfortably resting across his defined chest and an easy smirk tugging his features.

"Right, 'a waste'." Ichigo said nodding, just a bit of offense ringing in his mind at what the man's opinion seemed to suggest. Perhaps he was like everyone else in this city; against the murders and disgusted by them.

The bluenette nodded, his smirk still firmly in place and looking more predatory by the second. "You seem like a pretty smart guy, what do you think about this 'Shinigami', then?"

Ichigo hesitated at answering the question. He knew what most people would expect to hear; that he was disgusted, fearful, that he hoped the police caught the perpetrator soon but at the same time, he almost wanted to tell this man the truth, like he was in the company of a like minded individual. To Ichigo, the work Shiro did, the work that he helped with, was beautiful. Grisly and brutal, sure, but angelic in it's own way, unique just like the man behind the murders.

The blue haired man seemed to notice his hesitation, possibly even recognize it for what it was and his grin grew to even larger proportions. "Come on, no need to be shy."

"I'm not shy." Ichigo scoffed at the man's teasing. "I just don't feel the same way about it as others. It doesn't really bother me. There's something poetic in what they do. I think it's more than just simple murder for them."

"Them?" The man mussed curiously, just as observant as the young man sitting across from him. He tilted his head slightly, a single brow raising in question.

Ichigo shrugged, not showing a bit of the spark of internal panic he felt. "He. She. It's hard to tell and there's no evidence to point in either direction."

The blue haired man nodded his understanding, thinking 'they' to be an ambiguous term to cover all the man's bases and keep an open mind as to the killer's identity.

"What about the other one?" Ichigo asked after the man didn't seem to have any forthcoming comment. "The 'Hollow' killer? Do you think that's a waste too?"

Again the man shrugged a bit, his broad shoulders raising just slightly before he spoke. "It doesn't really seem that way, since half the body's gone. He's got to be doing something with it, right?"

Ichigo laughed, happy to realize he wasn't scaring his customer and target away with his odd talk. "My...friend seems pretty set that the body was cut up to be put in the killer's fridge. He's got a bit of a twisted sense of humor."

It was the bluenette's turn to be surprised and his glacial eyes widened just slightly before he erupted in laughter. As the near manic glee seemed to die down slightly, a wide and aggressive grin still on the man's handsome features, he slowly straighten before standing from his seat.

"Better get going, don't want to be late." The man said, his deep voice rumbling in what sounded almost like a purr. "I'm Grimmjow, by the way."

Ichigo followed the man's lead, standing from his seat and shook the hand extended to him. "Nice to meet you, Grimmjow."

A sly smirk pulled at the orange haired man's features as he headed back toward the counter to get back to work. A matching expression pulled at Grimmjow's handsome face as he pushed the glass door open and sauntered out onto the street to disappear into the awakening city.

* * *

**I really am loving this AU. What do you guys think?  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I kinda lied ^^; I really wasn't expecting to get this done until tomorrow but after work, it sort of ran away with me and I was able to finish the three fourths of it I still had to write~**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

A wicked grin on his boyishly handsome face, Ichigo pulled away from his 'date' as the man gasped, a shocked and confused expression on his rather plain features. The oblivious man's mouth fell open in a silent scream but the sound bubbled in his throat and came out as a wet gurgle and a trickle of saliva thinned blood that ran down his chin.

Ichigo pulled out the grasping hands that had instinctively and reflexively curled into the front of his shirt as cold steel had slid through flesh and muscle near the base of the man's spine. Backing up a step, Ichigo studied the shadowed visage of his lover as the knife was yanked free before being plunged back into the man's unprotected side.

An over joyed grin adorned Shiro's pale, angelic features, his abysmal and strangely beautiful eyes shining and reflecting his joy and arousal. As their latest target finally fell to his knees, eyes wide but not really seeing the young man that stood in front of him, Shiro turned his attention back to Ichigo.

The orange haired man laughed and placed a single finger against Shiro's lily white lips, shaking his head before the albino could say anything. He didn't need to hear the man's words to know how grateful Shiro was for what Ichigo did for him, nor did he need to hear the man's confessions to know the albino truly loved him.

"Just be quick, love." Ichigo told his pale lover while Shiro's golden eyes locked with his gaze, a sweet smile on the more colorful's lips as he removed his finger. "Have your fun so you can join me at home and I can have mine..."

Another wicked grin full of ill intent erupted across pale lips, showing off white teeth before a blue tongue was visible as the grin turned into lilting laughter. "A course, aibou. Nice an' dirty fer the authorities ta find, but I'll be done afore ya even get home."

Ichigo leaned over the kneeling man between them, grabbing Shiro's jaw between his fingers to pull the albino into a deep and promising kiss, tugging on the man's lower lip with his teeth before he pulled away and stuffed his hands into his pockets, taking his time as he exited the alley and out into the dark street.

Shiro rounded his victim, crouching down on his haunches to be at eye level with the poor man. There was still life in his eyes; desperation, fear, the beginnings of comprehension. The albino killer waited until those rolling eyes finally found and focused on his leering face.

"Ain't this fun?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and letting his long hair fall over his shoulder, the knife held casually in one hand, dangly between his legs while his elbows rested on his knees. "Guess I should be thankin' ya. Tanight's ganna be good, ya got Ichi real excited. Prolly pissed tha' ya were flirtin' wit the waitress too but I love it when he ge's aggressive like tha'."

As Shiro finished his little one sided conversation, the man opened his mouth, trying to speak, to plead. Shiro went silent, his expression shifting subtly, something like anger flashing on his features.

"An yer also ganna help me get ma title back. Fuck that hollow guy. Who the hell does he think he is, anyway? This is my city." He growled, his distorted voice taking on a rougher, deeper tone and truly sounding as though it seeped from the deepest pits of hell.

Steel, no longer cold as blood and bile warmed it, sliced through the soft flesh of the man's belly. He had a challenge to deliver after all and he'd be damned if this victim wouldn't end up being his most gruesome, most memorable to date.

The people to find the body with the next morning would be too busy retching to call the police. By the time Shiro was done playing, the body lay in nearly two pieces, split right down the man's spine and only still connected by his skull and the bone of ribs he couldn't cut through with the knife he was using. Intestines spilled across the gritty, broken blacktop of the alley floor, the police and investigators would be forced to carry the body away in bins rather than a body bag. The customary symbol to showcase the Shinigami's work, the little wooden totem, would be found tied around the man's heart where it lay in messy pile of gore, the leather strings tight enough to cut into the tissue of the organ.

Panting from his excitement and exertion, Shiro pulled his white hooded sweatshirt back on, pulling the hood up to hide some of the blood he had accidently splattered in his hair. Surprisingly, he had actually stayed rather clean considering the mess he had made. But living with Ichigo helped with that. The orange haired man that had essentially taken him in a year ago had a set of rules he expected Shiro to abide by and the albino had quickly learned to keep the place clean and be well mannered when it was called for. It was only natural that that trait carried over to his work and so he kept most of the mess on the ground.

Tucking his knife away in his boot, he straightened and readjusted his erection as it pressed uncomfortably against the inside of his jeans. Taking one last look at his handy work and feeling rather proud, he took off in a quick but silent jog and left the body behind, the friction caused by his pants not nearly enough at the moment.

Not too far away from where Shiro had finally finished playing, a lone man walked down the street with a confident swagger in his stride as he took his time on his way back to his little apartment on the shittier side of town.

Grimmjow had opted to skip going to the cafe that morning, thinking he'd let Ichigo wonder just how interested he was, stretch their game out a little longer and take his time. He didn't want the man to think he was being too easy to get after all, or think he was some sort of creepy stalker, even if that was essentially what he was doing. Plus, it was the thrill of the hunt that got the bluenette going, what came after he captured his prey was just survival and necessity, a basic need to be met.

Instead of visiting his future prey, he had spent most of his day wondering the streets aimlessly, exploring his new territory and getting to know the lay of the city, hunting out the best locations to lay an ambush and what sort of neighborhoods stocked what sort of game. Hardly any of the people he passed, even during the busier hours, paid him any mind and the few looks or comments he drew were usually about his uniquely colored hair or his physique rather than suspicion of any kind. But then, he figured these people had been living with a serial killer in their midst for a while now and like all human beings, they were bound to adjust and get complacent, lazy and unwary.

Now, as the sun settled below the skyline and just barely backlit the city with a fiery, reddish hue that struck him as oddly beautiful, Grimmjow stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and headed back toward his apartment, nearly on the other side of town. The streets were silent, only the occasional car to interrupt the peace, a roaring engine to break the silence and a bright flash of headlights to wash the darkening vista in an uninviting glow. The stars were bright over head, the night sky clear and crisp but not cold and Grimmjow allowed a pleased and slightly predatory grin crease his handsome features, flashing white teeth to the heavens for a moment and inhaling the scent of the air.

As the bluenette continued down the side walk, avoiding the brightly lit patches directly under the few working street lamps he passed, foot steps caught his attention. He didn't really think much of it, they were far too loud to be someone trying to get the drop on him, not nearly stealthy enough to take him by surprise, but still he paused, the strange feeling that he was in the company of another predator, another like individual giving him cause for hesitation.

Blue brows creasing and an aggressive expression flitting across his features, Grimmjow casually turned to look over his shoulder and behind him, wondering if he had somehow crossed into someone else's territory, not that he had anything to fear if he had. He was met with a sight that hardly instilled fear and hardly warranted the warning of his instincts.

It was only a young man, clothed in a pair of dark, tight fitting skinny jeans and a powder blue and purple plaid shirt, nothing too out of the normal and certainly no danger to him. The stranger crossed the street, pausing to look both ways and not even taking note of where Grimmjow stood in the dark, overlooking the one thing that was more dangerous than a car.

The blue haired killer was about to turn and be on his way, dismissing the strange sensation along with the random young man when the kid stepped under the street lamp on the opposite side of the road. Bright orange hair nearly glowed under the dingy light, chaotic and fiery and sticking out at every angle.

Grimmjow smirked, his devilishly blue eyes dancing with swirling electricity. He wouldn't be able to mistake that hair for anything. Turning back toward the young man and the object of his current fancy and desire, Grimmjow took a single, silent step in that direction when a pale shadow caught his attention, darting out from one of the near by alleyways in a low and stealthy crouch far from normal for most people.

Every hair on Grimmjow's body stood on end as he watched, knowing this newest man to be the predator he had sensed. His senses went on full alert, his jaw clenching with the strangest desire to warn Ichigo, to shout or even take off after the dangerous man stalking up on the cafe worker. He took a quick step toward Ichigo and into the street, still avoiding the light and watching as the pale shape of a man sped across the street and onto the opposite sidewalk, not pausing to look and never faltering his quick and deathly silent steps.

The stranger nearly sprinted right up behind Ichigo, the young man completely oblivious to the danger at his back. As Ichigo was caught from behind, shoved roughly into the brick wall of the building he was walking next too, Grimmjow nearly growled out a warning and threat, very nearly taking off in a sprint, but the snarling words died in his throat and froze in place as he watched.

The predatory man, a white hood pulled up and hiding his features from view, turned Ichigo around so that his back was flash with the building, hands settling on slim, denim clad hips. Ichigo's husky and amused laughter floated across the street, sounding like rich velvet to Grimmjow's ears. The orange haired man's hands fisted in the front of his attacker's white hoodie, his laughter cut short as he was locked into a passionate and heated kiss. The hands on his hips slipped around behind him as his would be attacker pulled Ichigo flush against his body and ground his own hips forward to once more pin Ichigo to the building, his head dipping to attack Ichigo's lean and inviting neck. Ichigo threw his head back, his hands reaching around to snag in the back of the white hoodie the other man wore, one foot planting on the brick he leaned against and consequently spreading his legs to make room for the other male.

Snarl dying in his throat, Grimmjow's head tilted slightly, a single brow raising as he watched Ichigo try to pull he and...whoever that guy was out of the street and out of plain view. The blue haired man quickly pulled his gaze away and turned on his heal, disappearing down the next alley he came by and out of sight of his future victim.

While a bit confused about why Ichigo would so openly flirt with him in the cafe if he had a man, it didn't stop him from wanting the fiery young man. If anything, his hunger grew. This newest revelation made his apatite stir to life, made the flavor wafting off the man he knew he must devour seem all the more delectable.

Grimmjow stuffed his hands back into his pockets and hurried along as his jeans seemed to grow tight. A shame he hadn't gotten a good look at the other man as well, perhaps he'd have two main courses the next time he dined out.

Because he himself had been wondering around the city aimlessly and with no real purpose, it never occurred to Grimmjow to wonder why Ichigo and his mystery man were out and about at the odd time when most of the city had locked their doors against the possible attack of multiple murderers. Nor did he reflect upon the strange, predatory feel the second man had reeked of or the more subtle but matching feel Ichigo himself had seemed to spew once the lights had been turned out and he was no longer in the civil atmosphere of the cafe.

The night went by normally after that. Grimmjow got home, went to bed after a quick meal of heated up left overs, nearly half of which he shared with his little hellion of a companion, much to the cat's pleasure. By the time he was full, so was the cat and he fell into a dreamless and restful sleep, said cat laying curled on his chest and purring the night away.

He knew he would be back at the cafe with the next dawn. He was intrigued by the young man he had met and marked as a prey item that first visit and seeing him with another man only further solidified Grimmjow's resolve to have the orange haired Ichigo, possibly in more way than just as food.

The blue haired man was woken up with the sun's rise, sirens shattering the peaceful, predawn stillness. The cat jolted awake, her vicious little claws digging into her perch and consequently ending up with her being launched across the room as Grimmjow jerked upright and snarled at the sharp needles digging into his bare chest.

Grimmjow threw his blanket off, glaring at the cat sulking in the corner where she had landed and got up. Storming nearly silently to his bathroom to shower, he quickly started his day, listening as the sirens faded in the background.

••••••

Once more sitting across from the orange haired cafe worker in the same seat he had chosen the last couple times, Grimmjow sipped his coffee while he studied Ichigo with the hungry eyes of a predator. Oddly enough, his intense and fear inspiring cold gaze hardly seemed to bother the young man, not like it did others that happened to be unfortunate enough to lock gazes with him.

Instead, Ichigo matched his stare with little more than open curiosity, his eyes just a bit wider than normal and just a hint of a flush spreading across the bridge of his nose. Finally, Grimmjow smirked and put his coffee mug on the table, that day's paper laying near by, the headline announcing that the Shinigami killer had struck again some time in the night and a censored, black and white photo hinting at the horror that had unfolded.

Naturally, that had been the first thing to be brought up between them. The pure brutality of the previous night's killing had fascinated both of them and Grimmjow had come up with the same conclusion Ichigo had; the Shinigami killer was getting territorial with the Hollow killer, letting his rage show.

"I can hardly believe that an attractive young man like you doesn't have a significant other." Grimmjow said after he finally broke his stare, his deep, growling voice conversational and easy going, though his plan was to corner his prey, fluster the orange haired man and maybe toy with him a bit before he decided to end their little game.

However, Grimmjow didn't realize that this was Ichigo's kind of game, the kind he excelled in and wrote the rules to. He had long ago perfected this art, as any of Shiro's past victims would attest to if they could. Ichigo was a master at acting, at deceiving his intended targets and telling them exactly what they wanted to hear.

He let an almost shy but charming little smile curve his lips and settle in his eyes. He chuckled quietly, glancing down at the table top for a split second, breaking eye contact before reasserting it while he spoke with what sounded like simple honesty.

"I don't tie myself down, I like to have fun" He shrugged, a light hearted but flirtatious and suggestive smile on his handsome features. "and I haven't ran into a man that's been able to change my mind yet."

Grimmjow arched a brow, a wide grin on his face as he nodded. Perhaps being mauled in the street constituted as fun for this kid? Not that it wasn't something he would do under the right circumstances. It sounded like his kind of fun and hell, he'd probably even gladly do it to the young man sitting across from him given the chance, but whatever.

"So when are you planning to show me that something that can hold my interest, then? I'm sure that would be fun." Grimmjow asked, leaning over the table toward his prey slightly and letting his natural aura of confidence and sex appeal do most of the talking for him. The kid didn't stand a chance against him.

Ichigo let another flirty little smirk tug at his features. This poor man was playing right into his hands and didn't even realize it. "Not work appropriate, remember? You'll have to wait for a more...open setting."

Grimmjow chuckled, his laughter deep and rolling and nearly enough to send chills up Ichigo's spine. "Right. And when's that going to be?"

"Well, that all depends..." Ichigo told the man, glancing around quickly to make sure he wasn't needed or falling behind on his work. He had been sitting with his customer for nearly a half hour and while the cafe didn't usually start getting busy for another half hour or so, he still wasn't really supposed to be sitting around.

"Oh yeah? On what?" The blue haired man asked, a devilish smirk pulling at his full lips, his cyan eyes bright and cunning.

Ichigo stood from his seat across from the bigger man to look down at Grimmjow as the bluenette sat back in his seat, not at all uncomfortable with the orange haired man now towering over him. But Ichigo had figured it wouldn't bother him. This man wasn't like the other people around the city, he was strong and some how more wild.

"When you ask me to join you somewhere, of course." He said, giving a sweet smile before he winked and turned about, heading back toward the counter before his boss could catch him slacking. His sweet smile turned into a full blown grin that could have rivaled Shiro's as he felt intense blue eyes rake down his retreating form hungrily and eagerly.

Not too long after the orange haired man got back to work, Grimmjow also stood from his seat. A smirk on his face, he scrawled a quick little message on a napkin, dropped a few bills on the table and left. Later that night, he would take care of the matter of being upstaged by this so called Shinigami. Plans to make sure his kill was extra gruesome had him baring white teeth in glee as he walked down the street, leaving the cafe behind. Wouldn't that pretty orange hair look gorgeous with red highlights?

A few minutes after his now regular customer left, Ichigo wondered back to his booth to clean up and pick up the money for the man's coffee. He pocketed the napkin with ink scrawled across it, cleaning the table and going back to his post behind the counter before he pulled it back out and read what the man had wrote.

It took the orange haired man almost no time to convince a coworker to cover his shift and beg his boss to let him off early. He was an outstanding worker, hardly ever late and he never missed a day, it didn't take much effort. It also helped that it was the end of his week and he was able to convince everyone he had sudden plans, which was kind of true.

A couple hours later, as he was relieved by the girl that had agreed to cover the rest of his shift, Ichigo scrambled from the cafe, yanking his name tag off as he all but skipped to his car.

Shiro had just made a kill the night before, but he was always thrilled to get such good news and Ichigo knew he would just love to hear that the target he had been grooming to be their latest victim was ready and had actually taken that extra and deadly step himself. He could just imagine that lilting, crazed laugh as he showed the albino the note he had been left. Shiro would be sharpening his hunting knife all night, at least in between rounds of what was bound to be great sex.

He made the drive home in record time, a little bit surprised when he made it there without being pulled over. He ran up his front steps, giving their elderly neighbor lady a quick wave and polite smile as she stared suspiciously at him from her porch. She was a bit senile and seemed to think that Ichigo was a zombie or alien or something, mistaking Shiro for a copy of him. Weird little old lady... They looked nothing alike...

He threw the door open only to get a face full of Shiro, the albino not expecting him and wondering who the hell was storming up to their front door, but Ichigo couldn't help but laugh as he let himself collapse into his albino lover as he nearly ran the man over in his hurry.

Surprised, Shiro stumbled backward before letting a smirk tug at his features while he played with Ichigo's hair. "So, uh... wha's goin' on?"

"I have a date." Ichigo told him with an overjoyed smile on his face as he pulled the napkin from his pocket and passed it over.

One ashen brow raising, Shiro took it and quickly read through the neat hand writing. "This yer blue haired guy?"

"Sure is!" Ichigo answered, already able to see the intrigue and excitement beginning to boil over in liquid gold.

"That bar he's talking about" Ichigo tapped the napkin in Shiro's colorless hands. "is that little, out of the way one on the other side of town, it's too perfect. The bar will be crowded with drunks that late this time of the week but the streets around it will be dead."

Ichigo was so excited he could hardly contain himself and Shiro's smirk grew the longer the more colorful man kept talking. By the time his playful smirk turned into a leering grin, he stooped and wrapped his arms around Ichigo's slim waist, bodily hoisting the orange haired man off the ground before tossing him over his shoulder.

Warm, playful laughter filled the silence as Shiro carried Ichigo down the hall, turning his head to sink his teeth into the tender area right above Ichigo's hip where his shirt had ridden up to expose tan skin. Reaching down, Ichigo slapped Shiro's perfectly shaped butt in retaliation that served no other purpose besides to spur the albino on.

He was thrown to the bed, his pants already worked down around his knees while Shiro followed after him, landing between his knees with a hungry and needy look his golden eyes, his fingers already yanking at the buttons to his own jeans. Ichigo sat up and stripped the albino's shirt off, glueing himself to the deliciously pale and gorgeously toned abdomen, wrapping his arms around slim hips and laving his tongue over one of Shiro's nipples.

A pale hand ran through his hair, snagging in the orange locks at the back of his head as Shiro tilted his head back and moaned. Jeans forgotten in the unexpected treatment, Ichigo pushed Shiro's frozen hand away from the fly of his pants and finished them off, pushing them down his hips and thighs as he kept his tongue and teeth busy.

Finally having the annoying clothing far enough out of the way, Ichigo lay back down, hooking his legs around Shiro's waist and pulling the pale man on top of him. They didn't bother with preparation and Ichigo cried out in pain as Shiro's hard member plunged into him. The moment Shiro drew back however, the orange haired man gasped and shivered in pleasure.

Their pace was fast and brutal, filled with plenty of deep voiced screams and lilting growls, teeth and dragging nails. After more than an hour, Ichigo nearly fell of the bed as he tried to stand. Shiro chuckled and helped him steady himself, leaning close to place a gentle, almost apologetic kiss on the side of his neck, just below his ear.

The more colorful of the two checked the clock before stretching and heading toward the bathroom, hiding a slight limp that had Shiro licking his lips with the tip of his navy tongue. Ichigo called back behind him, bidding Shiro to pick out what he'd be wearing that night, knowing the albino would make sure he looked mouth watering and damned sexy.

Another couple hours into the night, Ichigo pulled the car over a few blocks down from the bar he was to be meeting Grimmjow at, letting Shiro out so that when the pale man arrived, they wouldn't be seen together. Shiro was excellent at not being seen when he didn't want to be, a habit and skill he had picked up years ago, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Ichigo strode confidently into the bar, looking for blue hair and a body that screamed 'touch me', not surprised at all when he found Grimmjow sitting at the bar wearing clothing that showcased his muscled arms and clung to his torso like a second skin. Much to his amusement, the bluenette was currently curling his lip at some woman that was attempting to get him to buy her a drink.

A flirty smirk and a subtle but sensual sway to his hips, Ichigo sauntered right up to the man, openly fitting himself to the bigger man's side and resting his hand low across the man's abdomen. Blue eyes instantly settled upon him, seething threat darkening the crystal color before recognition and even appreciation lightened them back up.

The woman's jaw dropped as Ichigo held his hand out to her. "Hey, I'm Ichigo. Are you a friend of Grimm's?"

More than happy to play along, Grimmjow wrapped a thick arm around the smaller's waist and pulled him close. The woman stuttered before apologizing and scurrying away, leaving the two men laughing and separating themselves to exchange greetings.

"Grimm, huh?" The bluenette asked, raising a blue brow while they wondered off to find an empty table, an amused smirk on his angular features.

Ichigo shrugged as he slid into his seat and allowed Grimmjow to order his drink for him. "It sounded more personal and believable."

The man nodded and before long they were deep in conversation, several empty glasses strewn across the table. Both studied the habits of the other, discreetly sizing their prey up and looking for weaknesses to exploit.

As the night wore on, Grimmjow's deep laughter accompanying Ichigo's velveteen voice, the bluenette let his piercing gaze wonder the young man's frame, beginning to feel it was just about time to get on with the night's true activities as his stomach grumbled in want and his groin stirred with equal excitement. Though the later really was more of the orange haired man's doing. If nothing else, Ichigo knew how to get a man going.

Across from him, Ichigo was coming to the same conclusion and he let his hooded, chocolaty eyes settle on Grimmjow's, instantly grabbing the man's undivided attention. The curtain had risen and the last act of the night was about to begin.

"What daya say to going somewhere a little more private?" Ichigo suggested, letting his voice take on a husky tone while he expertly slurred his words just enough to make it seem he was feeling the effects of all the alcohol he had let Grimmjow pump into him. But he was no novice to this game and his tolerance was through the roof, nearly as high as his acting skills.

Grin firmly secured, Grimmjow carefully climbed to his feet, a little surprised by just how much they had drank, though he knew it wouldn't be a problem and it wouldn't effect his work. He held his hand out for the young man that would very shortly become his in more ways than one and helped pull the tipsy man from his seat.

Just as the two rose from their seat, a pale form that could have passed as a messenger from either heaven or hell made his quick and silent exit, unnoticed and unrecognized by any of the patrons save for one. Shiro was gone, disappearing into the dark surroundings as though he had never been there by the time Ichigo and Grimmjow made it to the door.

A big hand splayed across his lower back, Ichigo pretended to stumble just slightly as Grimmjow opened the glass door for him, laughing as a blush lit the orange haired man's face.

"Grimm..." Ichigo nearly moaned out, his voice low and breathy. Need awakened deep in his belly, but it wasn't for the man beside him and while it was his name Ichigo had said, only pale flesh and golden eyes came to mind.

"Yeah, Ichi?" Grimmjow purred, letting his hand slip a bit lower where it rested and loving the sound of his name rolling off the smaller man's tongue like that. Wouldn't he be in for a hell of a surprise after they were done with the appetizers?

"I don't think I can wait until we get back to your place..." Ichigo turned lust darkened eyes up at the taller man, his tongue peeking out to run over his bottom lip before said lip was caught between his teeth playfully. Reaching across his body, he sensually trailed his fingers up the side of the man's jean glad thigh, pausing over the now very noticeable bulge in his pants.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Grimmjow growled, backing the smaller man into an alleyway and dipping his head low to sample the smooth flesh of Ichigo's neck with his tongue.

The two predators grinned, their expressions a match as the other fell almost too easily into the trap that had been set for their prey.

* * *

**Soooo~ What do you think? Excited for the fated encounter between the three?  
**

****also, out of precaution that I hopefully wont need. I've been informed that not only are certain stories being taken down, but a few accounts have been deleted completely. I don't know the details or reasoning behind it but JUST IN CASE something happens to my profile, I'll update everyone with wherever I move my stuff too on my deviant art account as well as my tumblr. (both of which are under the same name as I am here and pretty easily found)


	4. Chapter 4

**Not entirely sure about how much I like certain parts of this, but I'm pretty happy with the main event, so try to enjoy~!  
**

* * *

An ashen brow rose in vague surprise and slight annoyance as golden eyes were turned toward the table Ichigo and his target had taken. His surprise stemmed from the number of glasses beginning to pile on the edge of the table, his annoyance much the same coupled with the rather flirtatious blue haired man. It wasn't often they found someone who could keep up with Ichigo when it came to holding their alcohol but the bluenette was putting up quite the front. The pale man only hoped Ichigo didn't do something stupid and let his little game go on too long.

The thought was banished the instant it crept into Shiro's mind. Ichigo knew what he was doing, he'd make sure to pull them from the bar before he was too inebriated to help out incase something went wrong.

This was always the worst part of the entire process of finding and cornering a victim. Shiro nursed a beer of his own as he kept a discreet eye on his lover and their target, long ago learning that if he knew when the Ichigo and the victim were leaving, he could be in place and ready much more effectively. Perfecting the art of blending in, even with his unique looks, the albino was easily able to infiltrate and stick close for as long as needed before he slipped out right in front of the victim's nose.

While Ichigo had tried to describe the blue haired man that was to be their victim, this was the first the albino had truly gotten to see him. As he had been told, the guy was definitely different from their other victims. He was tall with broad shoulders and the muscle definition of a man that took great care of his body and was more than willing to show it off. Their victims were usually closer to their size, more average in hight and weight. This guy probably weighed thirty or forty pounds more than either he or Ichigo and was easily several inches taller too. If he managed to sniff out Shiro before the albino could surprise him with a knife, it would certainly end up being one hell of a fight, a fight Shiro was willing to bet would get messy.

Just like Ichigo had said, there was something wild about the man, about the way his frigid blue eyes cut through the room, surveying everything around him and appraising the men and woman in the crowded bar. Like a hungry lion, he sat amongst the rest of the people, hiding in plain sight and waiting for the perfect opportunity, but his gaze always went back to Ichigo, like Ichigo was the weakened gazelle straying too close to the unseen predator. It was a bit infuriating to watch, really.

The bluenette was confident and brash, knowing full well what he was capable of and knowing he'd look damn good doing it. It was no wonder Ichigo had been drawn to the man and Shiro curled his lip as the bigger man ordered another round, an openly leering grin on his face. The albino would admit the man was good looking, but he was protective over his lover and that little bit of jealousy always made his kills taste all the sweeter.

Dropping the money for his tab on the table, Shiro eagerly slid from his seat as Ichigo leaned over the table toward his date for the evening, pushing his half emptied drink aside with the other empty glasses. The pale killer snarled and disappeared into the crowd as another suggestive smirk creased angular features. He was out the door before Ichigo and Grimmjow stood from their seat, vanishing into the night darkened streets like a ghost.

From where he lay in wait, concealed from view, he wouldn't be able to see Ichigo and their target, but he wasn't far away. Should trouble arise, Ichigo would only need to call for him. The waiting game was something Shiro was surprisingly good at and so he crouched in silence, listening to the nearly silent night and the subtle sounds that drifted to him from the bar, the sound of footsteps and the subtle tone of Ichigo's voice as his partner and lover further snared their victim in their trap.

••••••

Back pressed against the dirty wall of the alley he had allowed himself to be pushed into, Ichigo shivered as a hot tongue ran up the side of his neck. A mischievous grin on his face, he peered over Grimmjow's shoulder and searched the dark shadows behind their victim for any signs of Shiro, though he knew that the albino wasn't quite that close to them and he knew that even if he was, he would never be able to see him unless the colorless man allowed him too.

His hands fisted into the back of Grimmjow's almost too tight shirt as he tilted his head back, letting the man have free reign of the flesh he seemed to enjoy so much. Blunt teeth scraped along his esophagus, sharper canines scratching lightly, teasingly.

Grimmjow let a rumbling hum that nearly sounded like a deep purr escape from deep within his chest at the unique and wonderful taste of the orange haired young man. His big hands pushed the lad's shirt up, exposing a toned and lean abdomen, his fingers splayed as they explored the delectable muscle and smooth, heated skin.

Ichigo's hands dropped from where they had been clenched in the back of the bluenette's shirt, running down his sides until they settled on Grimmjow's cut hips, teasing smooth, warm skin just within the waist band of his dark jeans. If he was going to share himself with someone other than Shiro, this man would certainly be tempting.

The bluenette's body was chiseled perfection and he was somehow surrounded by an air of danger that nearly matched Shiro's, though Ichigo knew full well where Shiro's dangerous aura came from. Everything about this man screamed of a sexy confidence. It was almost a shame that they had to kill him.

As he reached further around to continue exploring more towards Grimmjow's ass and lower back, Ichigo's fingertips brushed against something cold and hard. Orange brows furrowed in curiosity.

The bluenette didn't seem to notice and he growled quietly as he sank his teeth into Ichigo's neck, drawing a delicious gasp from the man. But Ichigo froze, the lust and excitement clearing from his widening eyes and the aroused gasp dying in his throat as he ran his fingers over the curved, smooth handle of what could have only been a knife.

Basic reasoning told him that it couldn't have been a pocket or utility knife, it didn't fold closed like the kind most people carried, instead it was held in a sheath, the blade protected and encased by a sturdy, padded material. Carefully tracing the curve of the handle and the delicate arc of the blade's case, Ichigo swallowed, realizing it was some type of hunting knife, possibly even a fillet knife meant for skinning and gutting animals, the deadly kind that he didn't wish to personally feel.

"You taste so good, Ichigo..." Grimmjow growled in husky voice that vibrated against the sensitive skin of Ichigo's exposed throat. A wicked grin curved his lips as he realized Ichigo had frozen up, his one hand hovering over the handle of the blade he used to dismember and harvest his kills.

The orange haired man let out a startled sound, his hands retracting away from the man like he had been burned as he tried to back away, finding the wall holding him in place. "Y-you..."

Ichigo's voice trailed off as Grimmjow leered down at him, pinning him in place against the alley wall. Not surprised that the intelligent man had pieced his identity together so easily after finding the knife, Grimmjow let his grin answer the unfinished question, looking down into what should have been panic stricken eyes. But their was only a very small sliver of panic in those warm brown orbs. Settled where the fear should have been was a cold, cunning streak, something that gleamed and shimmered but didn't quake or tremble. Grimmjow could practically see Ichigo's mind turning, scrambling for a solution, reaching for a way to salvage the situation and grasping for a new plan.

This wasn't the panic of prey caught in the grasp of a predator. Oh no, this was something much different. The reactions he was seeing were the reactions of another predator that had unexpectedly stepped into someone else's territory. Blue eyes chilled and widened as well, the implications of his thoughts settling in.

"Shinigami." Grimmjow snarled quietly, seething at who he had managed to capture in his grasp. And to think, it seemed he was meant to be the next victim of his rival, though he was a little surprised to realize Ichigo was capable of the kind of killing the papers had shown. He honestly had pegged the young man for being much too kind and innocent for that.

"Oh Shhhhhh..." Ichigo hissed a cursing breath, his voice again trailing off as he looked up into the hollow killer's frigid blue gaze. He watched blue brow's furrow as something seemed to click in place and settle unkindly in the man's eyes.

"...they..." Grimmjow whispered, remembering the orange haired man's slip up in the cafe a few days ago, the image of Ichigo and another strange man in the streets only the night before replaying in his mind.

Just as he spoke it, Ichigo's quiet curse morphed into a shout for his lover and partner. "Shiro!"

Grimmjow bared his teeth, reaching around behind him to yank his fillet knife free as Ichigo ducked and dove out from in front of him and toward the entrance of the alley. Blue eyes shot in that direction, following his movements just as a pale figure launched toward him, a lilting snarl filling the air.

Seeing that Ichigo had managed to scramble away from the blue haired man and unsure what was going on, Shiro attacked. He didn't need to know what had gone wrong and as the knife in the target's hands glinted in the low level lighting, the albino drove Grimmjow to the dirty ground, using his momentum to compensate for his smaller size.

Sharp pain sliced along his ribs, flaying his white flesh open and lighting with fire but Shiro sent a hit of his own back, slamming his fist home in the center of the bluenette's chest and knocking the wind from the bigger man. Grabbing the man's knife wielding hand in one of his own to hold it away from his body, the albino managed to get in another shot before Grimmjow snarled and threw his smaller form off.

Shiro hit the ground with a grunt, one hand wrapping around to clutch at the bleeding wound along his side, blood blossoming a deep crimson through his white shirt and coating his hand. His snarled a curse as Ichigo slid to a halt across the grit covered ground to his side, wrapping an arm around his lover and quickly pulling Shiro to his feet.

Grimmjow reached his feet as the two straightened, nearly identical expressions of outrage settling on his adversaries' features. He flipped the knife in his hands, taking a ready stance as he watched the two take a measured step toward him, circling around him with the intensity of hungry jackals more than ready to defend what was theirs.

"Shi, he's the hollow killer..." Ichigo's smooth voice warned his colorless partner, eyes never leaving Grimmjow's shadowed form.

A wicked grin curled snowy lips as the albino's inverted and disturbing gaze lit with flames that turned the gold of his irises into molten lava, heated and violent and ready to burn everything in their path with a manic and crazed intensity. How dare this guy step into his territory, steal his spotlight and then think he could just kill his man. His earlier jealousy was all but gone, replaced by an indignant, territorial rage.

The two smaller men fanned out as they crept closer, measured steps silent and cautious but full of a well earned confidence and sure footedness that spoke of experience. Grimmjow could easily see that they were accustomed to working together, complimenting each other's movements and coordinating without a word being said. Their tactic was nearly flawless, keeping him in constant motion in order to keep them in view where he could defend himself and he knew it was meant to wear him out as quickly as possible.

Baring his teeth, he launched from his crouch, thinking to get rid of the strange, colorless man first. He had the air of a predator and a killer about him, while Ichigo's was a softer feel, more of an accomplice and participant than a killer. The pale man must have been the one to make such a mess of the bodies, it seemed to fit his style.

Grimmjow lashed out, slashing his knife in a vicious arc that would have bisected the albino. Said albino managed to back peddle out of range, letting Grimmjow only slice through the thin fabric of his already blood streaked shirt. Footsteps behind the bluenette had him spinning around, bringing his blade back to center in preparation for either attack or defense.

As he spun on Ichigo, the two attacked in tandem, Shiro from his unguarded side while Ichigo took a head on approach. A well executed spinning kick from the orange haired man caught Grimmjow's hand, throwing his knife from his grip to clang against the brick wall near by but doing little damage. The real attack came from the more aggressive, blood thirsty albino. A fist launched into his ribcage, followed by a quick knee as Grimmjow snarled like a trapped animal and tried to turn on the man.

Shiro's knee caught his target in the gut, doubling the man as the less colorful of the fighting figures reached for his own weapon. The bluenette recognized the movement, knowing what the man was likely pulling and knowing he would be in serious trouble if he went against another blade while out numbered and unarmed. In a swift movement backed by all the considerable strength and weight he could put into it, he surged forward, staying low and wrapping his thick arms around Shiro's waist. He drove the slim man to the hard ground, one arm still pinned behind his back where he had been attempting to grasp his hidden blade.

The albino's pained yelp rang through the silent street as he grit his teeth and tried to breathe through the sharp pain lancing up his arm, his fingers going numb where they wrapped around the thick handle of his hunting knife. A hard hit to his jaw had the stars in the night sky spinning before the heavy weight of the bigger man was yanked from atop him, leaving him to struggle through the blackening effects of the heavy punch and hitting the unforgiving ground so hard.

Ichigo's eyes widened as the bluenette readied for another punch, his arm cocked back and muscle bulging. Shiro lay nearly unmoving, one arm pinned below his own, pain tensed body while his other had been clenched in Grimmjow's shirt, until that first hit at least. Then it had weakly fallen to his side and Ichigo knew his lover was in trouble.

Jumping into action, he grabbed hold of the blue haired man's arm before he could hit Shiro again, sending an elbow to the back of the man's head. Grimmjow snarled through the blow but it stunned him enough for Ichigo to finish dragging him off the prone albino.

Grimmjow was on his feet in an instant though, spinning to square off with the orange haired man. He grinned as he glared at Ichigo through the few stubborn strands of his hair that refused to settle anywhere but in his face. To his surprise, Ichigo smiled back, almost a sweet expression had the hard, angered gleam not shone in his eyes.

Ichigo surged into motion. What he lacked in muscular bulk and strength, he made up for with his speed, agility and knowledge in fighting tactics. A high kick nearly caught Grimmjow in the chest, but the bluenette jumped backward to avoid it, grabbing hold of Ichigo's ankle as he did. The smug grin was wiped off his face as Ichigo used the new leverage Grimmjow gave him as an anchor, using his free leg to kick off the ground and spin in the bigger man's grasp.

His second foot sailed high above Grimmjow's head but as it came back around, Ichigo caught the man in the ribs, the same place Shiro had been targeting before. As the hit connected, Grimmjow jerked back and away, grunting from the blow as he dropped Ichigo's captured leg and allowed the smaller man to land lithely on his feet, pivoting around to face the bigger man once more. Every once of aggression he possessed surged to the forefront of Ichigo's mind as he glanced over to see Shiro attempting to sit up and shake off the debilitating blow he had taken.

As he attempted to follow through with his attack, again charging the bigger man, Grimmjow bared his teeth and let his animalistic fury take hold. He was more of a brawler anyway, the martial arts crap wasn't really his thing. A snarling grin on his face, he waited for the smaller man to strike him again.

When Ichigo's fist caught him in the stomach, Grimmjow grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him close as a fist of his own shot right back. Ichigo didn't even get the chance to voice how badly that shot hurt. The air was knocked from his lungs, leaving him gasping for oxygen before he even realized he was on the ground, a large shadow looming over him as his chest burned and felt like it would cave in.

Shiro struggled upright as Ichigo hit the ground, nearly half of his pale face already showing the dark discoloration from the heavy punch the bigger man had landed. Right arm still numbed from being slammed to the ground at an odd angle, he reached around and snagged his blade in his left.

It didn't carry the same finesse Grimmjow's blade did, it wasn't curved and made for delicate work. It was a simple buck knife, thick and sturdy and perfect for the hacking he did when playing with a body.

As Grimmjow hovered over Ichigo, Shiro pulled the knife around, charging on silent feet. He sneered at the blue haired man trying to hurt his lover and disregarded as his twisting movements sent sharp pain through the slash in his side and darkened his vision.

Half crouching, Shiro made a rough effort to kick Grimmjow's feet out from under him, though it was more of a distraction than his real attack. Attention diverted away from where Ichigo lay struggling and panting on the ground, Grimmjow spun back around to the immediate threat at his back.

A lilting, distorted yell that spoke of fury proceeded Shiro's swift movements. Knife already leveled and at the ready, he didn't give the larger man the chance to counter attack as he plunged the heavy blade home.

Grimmjow's blue eyes widened as the burning cold of steel punctured through the muscle of his abdomen, bitting deep and threatening to steal his strength. His snarl weakly rang through the air as he slammed a big fist into the smaller man, his only thought of getting away from the knife impaling him so suddenly and viciously.

As Shiro stumbled backward, he pulled the knife free with a sickening, slurping sound that had Grimmjow gritting his teeth, a strained grunt crawling up his throat. Grimmjow stumbled away, hands pressed to his wounded torso, blood seeping between his fingers as Ichigo managed to gain enough air to roll over and pull himself up at Shiro's side where the albino protectively hovered over him.

Grimmjow watched them, his eyes narrowed as he waited for their attack. The two smaller men were vicious in a way Grimmjow had not expected, not that he had realized he was about to be double teamed when he had left the bar, nor fighting for his life, but the two men standing before him were more than that. They were like injured, cornered animals in their desperation to protect one another, to keep him at bay and keep him from harming either. Just like cornered animals, they would attack with a surprising ferocity when need be, even against a larger predator.

Ichigo had told him it was more than simple killing to them while they had been talking at the cafe. Even though he had thought it was just theory at the time, he was beginning to see what he meant now. They didn't use the body in the same sense that he did, but their kill still wasn't an entire waste either.

The orange haired man stood at the albino's side, his warm brown eyes wide as he watched Grimmjow's every move, every subtle shift in stance and every minute flex of his honed body. He wrapped an arm around the colorless man at his side, pressing his hand over Shiro's against the slash along his ribs that bled freely to turn the once white shirt a deep red. Golden eyes seethed and spat fire but Shiro panted as he gladly leaned a bit of his weight on the support Ichigo offered, the short of quick paced fight having quickly taken it's tole after loosing so much blood in the very beginning.

"Come on, love... let's get out of here." Ichigo suggested, tugging lightly at Shiro's arm and trying to back the man away and toward the mouth of the alley. He could feel the albino's hand shake beneath his own, each breath the man took forcing more blood to seep between their fingers. Now seemed like a good time to leave, while Shiro was still on his feet and Grimmjow didn't seem willing to follow after them. Sporting bruised up ribs and a knife wound of his own, the bluenette hadn't exactly come out unscathed, though he did quite well at hiding it.

"I have to admit, that was fun." A grin erupted across the bigger man's angular features as he backed up another step, showing he was willing to let them leave and hiding the wince that wanted to reveal his pain. "It's been a while since I've found another predator on par with me, let alone two."

Shiro curled his lip at the man, just barely putting up enough resistance as to not let Ichigo drag him away quite yet. "Don' know if ya've noticed, Ichi, but he ain't dead jus' yet."

"Yeah, and neither are you. I'd like to keep it that way." Ichigo nearly hissed back, tugging on Shiro once more.

The albino finally let himself be backed away at Ichigo's persistance, not taking his eyes off the blue haired killer. "Ya sayin' ya don' think I could a got 'im?"

"No, I'm saying your bleeding. A lot, Shi. We need to get you patched up." Ichigo told his stubborn man, noticing how even as injured as he was, Shiro was still making the attempt to keep himself between the bigger man and Ichigo as he allowed himself to be pulled from the fight.

"No hospitals, aibou." Shiro mumbled as they neared the exit, still watching the shadowed form of the man that was supposed to have been their target that night.

"I don't know..." Ichigo told him, looking over his shoulder and around the dark street before he turned and began guiding the albino toward where he had left his car. "You might have to this time..."

Grimmjow watched them go. He thought he should have felt like he had failed, letting his prey get away like that, but he didn't. They had put up a good fight, far better than he would have expected and all things considered, he was lucky it didn't turn out worse. Two against one was never fun and these two certainly had had the coordination and skill to do damage.

As Ichigo and his partner disappeared from his line of sight, Grimmjow stumbled across the alley to the opposite side to find where his fillet knife had ended up. Snagging it up, he re-sheathed it before slumping against the brick wall to take a breather before he began making his way back to his apartment. He was suddenly rather glad that the bar he had chosen as their place of meeting hadn't been too far away.

One hand pressed to his abdomen, keeping pressure on the stab wound until he could get home to get a better look at it, the blue haired man limped down the alleyway, turning in the opposite direction his two adversaries had went.

This wasn't the end of their little game, nor the rivalry they had inadvertently started. He had the feeling the two young men he had just parted ways with wouldn't be satisfied and he knew he sure as hell wasn't. He wanted more. More of Ichigo, more of his partner, more challenge and plenty of the blood they had shed, both his own and theirs and he knew just how to get it.

He would nurse his wounds for a few days, let the knife puncture heal up and hope there wasn't much internal damage, let his bruised ribs recover. Then he'd be back at the cafe. Ichigo couldn't avoid him there, not if he didn't want to draw attention to himself and how very average he seemed while in the light of day. It was likely the orange haired man would skip the next few days. The albino seemed more than a mere partner in crime and no doubt Ichigo would stay home with him out of worry, but he couldn't hide forever. He would have to return to work eventually. And even if he didn't, Grimmjow had his resources. He could find his prey.

Stalking up to his front door and quite happy the streets were deserted and silent, Grimmjow panted as he unlocked the door and threw it wide, a grimacing sneer twisting his features. Damn did the damage he took hurt like a bitch. He kicked the door closed behind him, catching a fleeting glimpse of the tail end of his cat as the little beast took off to hide somewhere out of his way as the resounding bang echoed in the still room.

The blue haired man allowed himself to sink down into a chair at his kitchen table before he carefully began peeling his blood and sweat soaked shirt away from his body, wincing again when lifting his arms pulling at his damaged side and refreshed the trickle of blood sluicing down his muscled abdomen. He could still breath just fine though, other than the fatigue that always followed a fast paced fight, and their wasn't any particularly unnatural burn or numbness to the wound, other than what one would expect, so he figured he got lucky and the albino's knife hadn't pierced anything vital. That in it's self seemed a bit odd, since the man was an accomplished killer. He had to have known a decent amount about human anatomy and surely he knew where to stick his target to do the most damage.

Grimmjow mentally shrugged, chocking the mistake up to the pale man's own battered state and desperation to keep him and the threat he posed away from the smaller male's lover.

It would be several days before he would be able to get back to hunting his own prey and he was loath to eat store bought crap that had been sitting in some meat packing plant after living and dying in a slaughter house but just when the city began to rest, began to breathe just a bit easier with the fall off of the sudden murders, he would be back on his feet to show them how wrong they were. The papers would be filled with photos of his work, every headline would have his pseudo name in big bold letters and every news broadcast for days would show clips of the fear he would strike into the common citizens.

And by then, the albino and Ichigo, the 'Shinigami' killers that everyone mistook for a single man, would be ready for action once more and they would surely rise to the challenge, revel in it even and enjoy it. The game would begin in earnest and the streets would run crimson until not a soul dared leave the lit and locked confines of their homes at night.

The blue haired man let a shark grin cross his features as he pressed his hand back to his wound and slowly straightened, headed toward the bathroom to find some antiseptic to clean the stab wound with. If there was one thing he had to admit to, it was how much fun it was going to be delivering his acceptance of their little challenge.

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**Well? Let me know your thoughts, if you would~ **


	5. Chapter 5

**My apologies for how long this took. Life has been hectic and getting even more so. But no worries, I refuse to let it take up _all_ of my writing time :D  
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**Enjoy!  
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The night was dark around them, the streets blessedly void of pedestrians and traffic. The only light to illuminate the small suburban corner of the city at this time of night was the yellowed light of street lamps. All was quiet as the peaceful little neighborhood slept on, but not all it's civilians were calm.

Ichigo threw his car in park at the same time he turned the key in the ignition and shut the engine off. He couldn't care less about the quiet grind of gears as the vehicle protested the rough handling, nor that he probably should be a little easier on the poor thing. Throwing his door open, he climbed out and rushed from the vehicle, slamming the driver's door shut as he jerked open the door to the back seat, the familiar, cloying scent of blood rushing out to greet him.

"Shiro, hey...wake up..." Ichigo gently shook his lover where the man sat slumped in the back seat of his car, blood soaked through the side and front of his once white shirt and dripping to the waist band of his jeans. The hand he had been keeping pressed against the wound to help stem the blood flow had gone slack, falling into his lap bloodied palm up. He was pale, but then he was always pale so it was hard to tell just how much blood he had actually lost.

He hadn't fallen asleep on the rushed drive home, but was rather on the verge of passing out and that wasn't a good sign, nor a good idea at this point. Head lolling toward Ichigo as his slightly panicked voice caught Shiro's attention, Ichigo continued talking to him, making it a challenge of sorts and trying to hold his focus. "We're home but if you don't want to end up in the ER, you better wake your ass up."

"Tch..." Shiro's golden irises rolled in a half attempt at showing his contempt for the idea and a half attempt at pulling himself from the haze of sluggish consciousness, fighting through the dark that wanted to invite him down. "No hospitals, Aibou."

"Then don't you dare pass out on me." Ichigo repeated, helping the man out of his car. His head was beginning to throb, the adrenaline from the fight wearing off enough for his body to start feeling the strain from it, but Ichigo's focus was on making sure the albino he had fallen in love with a year ago wouldn't keel over on him before he could be worried about himself.

They managed to make it to the front door without their nosy old lady of a neighbor spying on them and Ichigo quickly threw the door open and ushered them inside before anyone could happen by and see the albino and himself covered in blood. He led Shiro to the couch but the pale man frowned at him.

"I ain't ganna sit there and bleed all over the furniture, Ichi. Don' wanna hear ya complain 'bout it later." He allowed himself to be lowered to the furniture anyway though, putting up hardly any real protest.

Ichigo snorted a short laugh, unnaturally happy to hear the man still retained his sense of humor and that his distorted words weren't slurred any more than usual. "It's fine just this once. Besides, I'm getting pretty good at cleaning blood out of, well, everything."

"Hey, I ain't tha' messy anymore." Shiro pouted, sinking into the cushions with a sigh, his one hand pressed against the stab wound in his side again. The slash was clean but deep, made by the perfectly sharpened and cared for, curved blade of a fillet knife meant for shearing meat away from bone. It had done just that, too.

He hissed a breath as he pulled his hand away and tried to twist around to get a better look at it. "Tha's ganna leave a mark." He mumbled.

"Yeah. You're going to be covered in them for a while." Ichigo smiled as he tilted the albino's face up toward the ceiling light he had flipped on when they entered, getting a good look at his eyes as well as the dark, purpling bruise from the solid hit he'd taken to his face. His strange and beautiful eyes were tired, but clear and more focused than they had been in the car. It didn't seem he had a concussion or any head injuries so Ichigo released his chin, rubbing his thumb over a pale, bloodied bottom lip.

Golden eyes widened and Shiro quickly, almost urgently grabbed hold of Ichigo's hands like something had just dawned on him. "I know he got ahold a ya... Are ya ok? Did he hurt ya?"

Ichigo smirked. "No, I'm alright. Going to be some ugly bruising in the morning but he didn't have his knife. I'll be fine." Ichigo reassured the man.

Shiro leaned forward, a strained and painful groan catching in his throat with the motion. He wrapped his pale arms around his lover's waist, settling his head against Ichigo's chest and ignoring that he smeared his blood across his lover's front.

Ichigo wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders in return, one hand gently running over long, feathery hair. He liked this side of Shiro, loved it really; the more gentle side that no one but him got to see. He had earned the right to see Shiro's soft side, he'd unlocked it, so to say. The task had been surprisingly easy once he'd figured out how the albino's mind worked. It had been like they had had a connection from the very beginning, but perhaps that's what killing a man together did for a couple.

"I should a got 'im before he could hurt ya... I'm sorry, Ichi... I'm ganna kill him fer touchin' ya... I promise."

A small smile gracing his boyish features, the orange haired killer untangled himself from his lover's arms and tilted the albino's head back again, stooping slightly to capture blood reddened lips against his own.

••••••

Ichigo furrowed his brows and dropped his hand over top of his alarm, silencing the annoying little device from hell before it could completely destroy the early, predawn quiet. He glanced at the clock before immediately bolting upright and spinning around in bed. He couldn't believe he had actually fallen asleep, let alone for as long as he had. He'd nearly slept through the whole night when he was supposed to be monitoring how Shiro was doing after doing his best to treat the albino's wounds.

Relief flooded his system as the pale blue sheets covering his lover's toned and bruised abdomen rose and fell in gentle, steady motions. The colorless man was spread out on the king sized bed they shared, his head tilted toward Ichigo, soft lips parted in his sleep and his long, angelic hair fanned out across the pillow.

Rubbing at his eyes, Ichigo yawned and climbed from the bed. Creeping around to the other side of the bed, he bent low over Shiro's prone form to brush some of his long hair out of his face and settle his palm against the sleeping man's forehead. All seemed well and Shiro didn't stir from his no doubt exhausted and much needed sleep.

Ichigo turned about and tip toed out of the room, not bothering to get dressed. He made his way to where his phone was setting on the counter top, the same place he'd thrown it after ushering Shiro inside the night before. He opened it and squinted as the screen came to life, bright in the deep shadows of early morning. Tapping the screen a couple times, Ichigo brought up the number to the shop and quickly connected the call.

He didn't have to wait long before a bright, cheery voice greeted him from the other end. The orange haired man nearly groaned at his employer's too happy tone at this time of the morning. It was still a couple hours before he would normally be getting up to get ready for work and the shop wasn't even open yet.

"Hey, Urahara. It's Ichigo." The orange haired man said back, not even attempting to hide the tiredness or slight irritation in his voice. Even though Shiro seemed to be doing well enough, his worry was palpable and his boss quickly sobered up.

"Ichigo, is everything alright?" The man asked on the other end, the quiet sounds of machinery buzzing to life in the background.

"Yeah." Ichigo said, walking over to plop down on the couch as he spoke. "Well, no. I don't know yet... I can't make it to work today..."

"Oh dear." Urahara mumbled. Ichigo rarely missed a day of work. "Are you sick?"

"No...Shiro hurt himself..." Ichigo hesitated to tell the man the truth, but he also knew his boss was a bit more perceptive than he let on and would likely know if he was lying. So telling partial truths seemed like his best choice.

"Shiro... Your lover?" Urahara asked, his voice contemplative for a moment before he placed the name. It wasn't often that the albino visited the shop, even while Ichigo was at work, but it had happened a few times so he wasn't completely unknown of by some of the staff.

Ichigo's face colored with the lightest shade of red at his boss' unashamed question. "Uhh, yeah, my boyfriend..."

"My my, is he ok?"

"He should be alright, but I can't really leave him at home alone... He's going to be really sore and need some help for a few days..." Ichigo closed his eyes, his head tilted back against the back of the couch as he spoke and took a deep breath through his nose.

"Sure, sure." Urahara said, sounding as though he understood. "Take whatever time you need and send him my best wishes."

"Thank you, Urahara. I'll let you know as soon as I can when I'll be back..." Ichigo told the man, bidding him a good day before he hung up and tossed his phone on the cushion next to him.

Heaving a deep sigh that wanted to escape as a stifled yawn, Ichigo was just standing from the couch, preparing to head back to the bedroom and some more much needed sleep for himself when a loud thud sounded from that direction. He jumped to his feet and took off down the hall, worry gnawing at his gut.

He rounded the door frame at a sprint to find Shiro doubled over by the bedside, one arm holding himself almost upright against the mattress while his other wrapped around his torso. His teeth were bared and his pale visage twisted into a pained sneer.

Ichigo slowed his pace but not by much and rushed to the albino's side, wrapping his arm around the man's waist, his hand pressed over Shiro's where it settled on the bandaged stab wound as he bent to be at Shiro's level. "Jesus, Shiro, are you ok?"

The pale man sucked his teeth, features still pinched as he forced himself to take even breaths. "Hurts worse the second day..." He grit out in a rough, distorted voice. "Ganna need some painkillers this time 'round."

"What were you doing? You shouldn't be trying to get up on your own, you'll rip your wound open again..." Ichigo chastised worriedly. Anything he was about to say next died in his throat as Shiro's lilting voice reached him.

"Woke up and didn' know where ya were..." The albino explained in an almost pouty voice, allowing Ichigo to help him back into bed. "I jus' wan'ed ta make sure everythin' was alright."

A soft smile spread across pink lips as Ichigo pulled the sheet back over his lover's boxer clad lower half, settling it lightly on his banged up torso. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside the other man, he ran his fingers through the soft locks gracing the pillow once more. How could he possibly even consider reprimanding the man when he pouted like that? "I'm fine. I was just calling off before the cafe opened."

"Yer stayin' home wit' me?" Shiro's lilting voice instantly brightened, sounding hopeful and happy. It brought another smile to Ichigo's face.

"I am, love." Ichigo gently ran the pad of his thumb over the dark, angry purple mark that marred Shiro's normally porcelain features. That was the downside to his angelic complexion; when he bruised, it showed.

"'S 'at mean I get a special treat?" Shiro asked, a slightly lewd grin curling onto his lips. He winced at Ichigo's gentle touch, the large bruise from the heavy hit he'd taken tender even under the light fingers of his lover but he didn't pull away.

Ichigo smirked down at him, shifting so that he was on Shiro's other side where he normally slept at, careful not to jar the mattress around too much or bump into his injured lover. "Perhaps later, when it's daylight and after we see how you're feeling."

A tired grin slanted one side of the albino's lips. Shiro gingerly rolled onto his side so that he faced the more colorful man, his motions slow and deliberate and careful as he tried not to pull at the vicious knife wound running along his ribs. When he finally managed to settle into a mostly comfortable position, he blew out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

The orange haired man chuckled lightly, a fond expression on his features as he scooted closer, wrapping his arms carefully around Shiro and snuggling against his bare chest and neck. They quickly fell back asleep, intertwined and happy to be close to one another.

When next they awoke, the sun was high above and streaming through the parted curtains of their room, casting bright rays of light across the floor and bed. Shiro yawned as he scrubbed a hand down his pale face, wincing as he brushed over the bruised side of his face. He slowly, gingerly sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed so that his bare feet rested on the plush carpet.

"What're you doing?" Ichigo asked groggily from where he lay beneath the sheets behind where Shiro sat.

"Gettin' up. I's gettin' late." The albino answered, sitting up straighter and trying to twist around to peek at his bandaged side where Ichigo had patched him up the night before. It wasn't like they really had anything to do that day. Ichigo had called off to watch over him and he wasn't in any shape to be out and about, but he still didn't want to spend his entire day in bed. Unless perhaps Ichigo spent it with him.

The bed creaked quietly as Ichigo shifted upon the mattress, bringing himself closer to where Shiro sat. Warm hands feathered down the albino's spine, dancing and caressing across smooth, sleep warmed skin to settle near the edge of the gauze and tape Ichigo had covered the stab wound with. He peeled a corner up, letting Shiro see his handy work while he kissed the back of the man's colorless neck.

"We need to be more careful from now on..." Ichigo murmured, his lips brushing soft, sensitive skin. "You got lucky when you caught him off guard...this could have been a lot worse..."

The thought to check on his wound forgotten, Shiro's breath caught as Ichigo whispered against his pale flesh and warm hands wrapped around him to gently map his toned torso. When he spoke, his normally higher voice was low and husky. "Yeah, maybe, Aibou. But I'd gladly take another knife b'fore I let 'im hurt ya..."

Ichigo groaned quietly at his protective words, at the promise laced in his tone. The orange haired man carefully edged around the still seated Shiro and climbed off the bed, standing between Shiro's parted knees. The albino didn't bother keeping his hands to himself and his chipped, black nails scratched lightly as he dragged his fingers down the tawny, flawless skin of Ichigo's abdomen.

"I get my treat now?" The pale killer asked, a smirk tugging at his lips as he leaned forward, his navy tongue peeking between his porcelain lips to mark a hot, slick trail between the planes of his lover's abs. One of his hands dropped from Ichigo's lower back, gliding along the back of his leg before slipping further up again and under the pair of loose shorts he had worn to bed where his hand cupped his prize.

Ichigo combed his fingers through pale hair, looking down to watch Shiro continue tasting the smooth skin above his navel. The man's haunting eyes were closed, a slight flush to his usually colorless features, though it was hardly noticeable, especially with the dark discoloration of his jaw and cheek. "I don't know if that would be good for your wounds, love..."

"The' be gentle on me, my King..." Shiro dropped his voice to a deeper, throaty and heated tone. He smirked against the skin he sampled, knowing that one little word would get him what he wanted. If Shiro said 'king', Ichigo prepared to conquer.

The change in Ichigo's demeanor was immediate. His fingers tightened in Shiro's hair, no longer brushing through the silken strands but tugging almost harshly. That one little pet name was all it ever took to drag Ichigo's more dominant side out and prove to him that Shiro was willing to take what he had to offer.

"You keep that up and I don't know if gentle will be possible." Ichigo rumbled, one hand yanking backward, still anchored in Shiro's hair. With his other hand, he helped guide the injured man down to the mattress.

Shiro smirked and let himself be pushed back to the bed, his legs still dangling over the edge and his feet still planted on the floor. His boxers were already tented and as Ichigo leaned over him, kissing and nipping at his pale, bared throat, the orange haired man was careful to grind against him, drawing a moaning gasp from the albino.

Trailing hot, open mouthed kisses down his lover's finely toned torso, Ichigo pulled Shiro's boxers off, dropping them to the carpet to be forgotten. He laved his tongue over the bruising that peeked from under the white gauze near the man's most grievous wound, enjoying the way the muscle of Shiro's abdomen tensed under the attention and the pale man's breathing picked up.

Sitting on the floor between Shiro's legs, Ichigo grinned as he made his way to the base of his lover's hard member. He pushed the man's legs further apart while he ran his hands up the insides, letting his tongue slowly work it's way up the man's cock to the tip.

The sound of a cap being opened was drowned out by Shiro's moaning voice as Ichigo wrapped his lips around the head of his cock, slowly sucking his way down and swirling his tongue along the bottom. Pale hands fisted in the sheets, the albino's inverted eyes hooded and dark in his quickly growing arousal and pleasure.

A quiet gasp fell from his parted lips as a slick, cool finger circled around his entrance, a place Ichigo didn't go often. The breathy sound divulged into a low moan as Ichigo waisted little time in sinking his finger deep. He bobbed up and down over Shiro's cock, his molten, coffee brown gaze trained on the albino's pleasure twisted features. Gold on black eyes were squeezed shut at the odd intrusion but the sounds issuing from the normally dominate man's throat proved he enjoyed Ichigo's actions.

Thrusting his finger a couple more times to be sure he wouldn't hurt his lover, Ichigo added a second, pulling away from the white cock in his mouth. Shiro's back arched off the mattress at the added girth and he bit down on his bottom lip to attempt stemming the flow of less than aggressive sounds that wanted to flow from his mouth. Teeth sank into the soft flesh of his inner thigh, ending his attempts and his lilting voice rose to fill the room.

Ichigo groaned against Shiro's soft skin and added a third finger, his free hand snaking down between his own legs. Unable to help himself, he quickly yanked his shorts off and slowly stroked his own till then neglected erection as he pumped his fingers in and out, in and out, Shiro's voice providing a lovely, distorted music to their actions.

The orange haired man released himself, reached further down to grab the discarded bottle of lube. He quickly slicked himself up, shivering at the chill over his aching member and pulled his fingers from Shiro's entrance.

The albino furrowed his brow at the loss of contact but it only lasted a moment. In the next instant, he was clawing at the sheets he lay on, muscled body tense and his legs wrapped around Ichigo's waist as the more colorful killer entered him, seating his heated and throbbing cock deep. He attempted to sit up straighter, one black nailed hand reached toward Ichigo's tanned chest but sharp pain flashed through his side and he collapsed back to the mattress as Ichigo began thrusting.

A look of worry crossed Ichigo's pleasure flushed features and he leaned forward, wrapping one arm under the injured man's arched, lower back while he laced his fingers with those of one of Shiro's hands. Bringing the man's hand above his head, he pinned the albino to the mattress and buried his face in the side of a pale neck. "You ok, love?"

"Fff-fine...just don' stop..." Shiro moaned out, the arm of his non-pinned side wrapping around Ichigo's back, his nails latching into tan skin to hold Ichigo close while the more colorful man thrust into him.

The bed creaked in cadence with their motions, adding a groaning chorus to their voices; one lilting and distorted, the other low and moaning. After the adrenaline filled and exerting fight with the city's only other serial killer the previous night, it didn't take long before the two were panting and reaching their climax.

"K-king..." Shiro moaned out, his head thrown back and his white teeth bared toward the ceiling. "So close...please touch me..."

Ichigo growled at the pet name, every bit of his natural aggression surging to the forefront as he thrust almost frantically into his lover. He couldn't deny the wanton tone of Shiro's request and he pulled his arm out from under the man in favor of grasping hold of the man's saluting cock where it had been pinned between them.

The albino's distorted cry faltered as warm fingers wrapped his member, quickly matching the pace Ichigo set with his own cock. His voice seemed caught in his throat and his warning died as his body jerked, a deep moan vibrating in his chest as sticky strands of his seed spurted between them.

Heated walls pulsed around Ichigo's erection, hugging him tight and making his own pleasured sounds hitch. His swift pace faltered, becoming uneven before he was voicing his own release and seating himself deep within his lover. Shiro clung to him while Ichigo rode out his orgasm, pale, flushed face pressed against the crook of his neck and panting breaths fanning across his chest.

They remained intertwined for a few moments, breathing deep the scent of each other before Ichigo slowly pulled back, slipping free of his lover. Still hovering over the man, he locked the albino in a deep, passionate kiss before standing and hunting down their clothing.

Still spread out on the mattress, his arms thrown wide, Shiro winced as the euphoria from their release began ebbing, letting the ache from the beating he'd take slowly creep back up on him. "This is really not ganna feel good 'n 'bout two minutes..." He mumbled, heaving a sigh.

A wide grin spread across Ichigo's handsome features as he chuckled at the man, snagging Shiro's previously discarded boxers from the floor. After some slightly awkward jockeying around, the orange haired man managed to help Shiro into the loose fitting clothing and had him standing from the bed.

Together they slowly made their way out to the sitting room where Ichigo instructed his lover to sit down and stay put. Shiro stuck his oddly colored tongue out at the man but gingerly plopped down on the couch and sighed in relief as he leaned back against the rest. The more colorful man rolled his eyes playfully and disappeared, returning a minute later with a couple of gel capsules and a bowl of cereal.

Shiro snorted a laugh but gratefully accepted both, downing the pills in one go before he began eating. Ichigo quickly joined him with his own bowl and flipped on the news. They sat in comfortable, companionable silence for a while, idly watching as the weather forecast predicted rain, to which Shiro sneered and chanced a look out the window. The sun still shone overhead in a blue sky and he rolled his inverted eyes back to the screen, missing the amused smirk that slanted Ichigo's lips.

Simple but delightful breakfast almost finished, Ichigo finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "What are we going to do about...about Grimmjow... He knows who we are and what we do now..."

"Yeah...and the knife ta the gut won' be 'nough ta take 'im down." Shiro curled his lip at the very thought. If the pitiful wound he had managed to inflict was enough to take the Hollow killer down then the man wasn't deserving of his title, nor the title as their challenger.

"No. I don't think it will either..." Ichigo's orange brows furrowed as he looked over at his lover. "What if he talks? What if he tells someone?"

"Tch. He ain't ganna talk." Shiro reassured, carefully leaning forward to place his empty bowl on the low coffee table sitting in front of the couch. He leaned back again, attempting to make himself comfortable while he waited for the painkillers to kick in.

"He's a killer too. An' he eats people..." An ashen brow rose as an odd expression flitted over the albino's startling features. "I bet he's got more victims tha' jus' the one since he showed up here. He ain't ganna say nothin'. He'd be stupid ta."

"Hmm... You're probably right." Ichigo nodded, his thoughts awhirl with possibilities and various scenarios, none of which seemed too great. It seemed they may have been at a disadvantage. While there was two of them and only one Hollow, the blue haired man still knew more about them than they did of him. He knew where Ichigo worked, what his name was, probably what car he drove. And if he knew that, he could easily find where they lived, Shiro's identity and a whole slew of other unfortunate and seemingly mundane information. "But he's too dangerous to leave loose on the streets...he knows too much... What do we do now?"

A wide, telling grin spread across snowy features as a slightly unhinged gleam lit Shiro's golden orbs and made them dance with a chaotic fire. What to do, indeed. But the prospect of the possible challenge that lay ahead of them was far too good to pass up. It wasn't everyday that they ran into another fellow of like mind, someone that had taken another's life and hadn't cracked under the guilt normal society weighed upon their shoulders or left too much evidence behind and ended up behind bars. The hollow killer, this Grimmjow, could turn out to be exactly the kind of push they needed to bring their little game to the next level.

Shiro's manic grin widened even further as he looked at his lover and partner. "We wait."

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**since this is posted on 07/15, Happy Birthday, Ichigo! Birthday sex seems like a good enough gift, yeah~?  
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	6. Chapter 6

**I haven't updated this in what feels like forever... for that, I apologize... I haven't forgotten about _Twisted_, just had other things on my mind, but I promise this story will see it's end and wont be abandoned.  
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**Anyway. Still not too happy with this chapter. Something just doesn't seem quite how I wanted it, but I give up ^^; Time to move on  
So try to enjoy~  
**

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The sun was beginning to climb into the sky, lighting the horizon and signaling the beginning of another day. The long shadows cast by tall buildings clung to the chill of the night before but the birds bathed happily in the warm, early morning sun, singing cheerfully to the new day. Somewhere down the street a dog's barking broke the peaceful melody but such were the sounds of civilization.

It had only been a couple of days since the encounter between the city's most renowned and feared men, three killers thought to be two that terrorized the night time streets and had the citizens locking themselves away in fear. The papers still spoke of the uncharacteristically gruesome kill made by the shinigami, the kill that had taken place only a day before the fated encounter, unknown of to all but those involved. The police refused to comment on the most recent murder, only stating that they couldn't find a motive behind the brutality of it.

But there were three people who knew the meaning behind it, the sign and invitation it had been meant to be, and those three had been mauling it over in the lee of their forced and unexpected break from the streets. It made them wonder what would happen next, who would make the next move. Nerves soared and plans were made but neither party knew what the other was going to attempt next and in order to keep their respective cover, daily life would have to resume before their absence was noticed.

A few mere days wasn't long to recover from the vicious wound to his abdomen, a lucky stab from one of the men that turned out to be his opponents, but the man with wild blue hair forced himself to his feet when his feline companion began kneading at his pillow and meowing to be fed. Gingerly making his way to the kitchen, he dug through a cupboard until he found what he was looking for. Twisting the cap to the little white bottle off, Grimmjow downed a half a bottle of painkillers while he re-bandaged himself and got dressed for the day.

With his cat fed and the over the counter drugs beginning to take affect, Grimmjow was back to wondering the streets of this new city he planned to claim for himself with the coming of the sun. He let the welcome rays warm his golden skin and help sooth some of the ache in his mending body as he listened to the city begin to stir. The occasional car passed by but the sidewalks were mostly deserted this early and his walk was peaceful enough.

His pace was relaxed and his grin revealed commercial worthy teeth as he headed in the direction of his favorite little cafe, his hands casually shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He was intent on continuing his game with the orange haired young man that was not as he appeared. Even after learning of the smaller man's true identity, Grimmjow found him intriguing, possibly even more so. He had known there was something a bit different about the young cafe worker he had set his sights on, but never would he have imagined that the orange haired boy would have been a killer, a murder like himself and as if to only make the boy all the more interesting, he kept rather close company with another individual of like mind.

Grimmjow's smirk only grew all the wider as he let his thoughts wonder while his feet carried him across the city. A cunning glint shone in his crystallin gaze, setting the swirling shades of blue alight with a cool, yet heated fire.

He would let the pair known as the shinigami killer think he was far less injured than he was, let them wonder when he'd be back and what he was doing, let them squirm while they waited for his next move and he would enjoy every second of it.

••••••

While it had only been a few days since the encounter with the blue haired man that turned out to be the hollow killer, Ichigo couldn't miss another day of work. No doubt his boss would have given him more time to watch after his injured lover, but he and Shiro still needed money if they wanted to eat.

Shirosaki was healing well and able to get up and move about on his own. He didn't really need to rely on Ichigo's help any longer, though his pale complexion still showcased deep, purplish bruising and the bandaged stab wound across his ribs was still tender. But that was also where Ichigo's dilemma lay; Shiro was up and mobile again.

Toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, Ichigo heaved a sigh and trudged back down the hall toward the bedroom. Standing in the doorway, he smirked at his still sleeping lover. The pale man lay on his uninjured side, facing the doorway and Ichigo, the sheets pulled up under his chin and his ashen hair spread out across the pillows. Ichigo almost hated to wake him but pulled the toothbrush from his mouth anyway. "Shiro, get up. You're going to make me late."

"I's still dark out..." Shiro mumbled tiredly, not even bothering to shift about to look at his more colorful lover or even open his eyes. He was never one for mornings and a few injuries and the threat of a mass murderer on the loose wasn't going to change that.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and walked over to the window in their shared bedroom. Pulling the curtain back, he let the bright, early morning light filter in and splash across the bed and it's occupant. Shiro visibly flinched at the unexpected and unwelcome brightness. Furrowing his brows and refusing to open his eyes, he stuck his tongue out at Ichigo and pulled the blanket over his head while he hissed like the light burned.

Checking the clock, Ichigo put his toothbrush down on the nightstand and prepared for battle, chuckling under his breath at the man's antics. With a smirk that could have rivaled he pale man's own infamously dark one, the orange haired man carefully crawled onto the bed, watching as Shiro's form stiffened under the blankets in preparation of what he could guess was to come.

Hovering over his stubborn lover, still mindful of the stab wound and deep bruising he was recovering from, Ichigo straddled the man's hips and looked down at the blanket wrapped form. "Last chance, Shiro..." His voice carried an amused tone, edging on dark but not cruel.

"Don' ya dare." Shiro muttered sleepily from under the blankets, pulling the edge down just far enough so he could glare up at the more colorful killer. "I's way too early, why don' ya jus let me sleep in like normal?"

"Oh no. I know you way too well to think you wouldn't go after him while I'm gone. You're coming with me." Ichigo rose a single brow, giving his partner an incredulous look. The albino had been practically chomping at the bit, eager to get back on the streets since he had started being able to roll out of bed on his own. There was no convincing Ichigo that the man wouldn't go after the blue haired killer. It was just in Shiro's nature.

"I ain't ganna go after 'im..." Shiro rolled his inverted eyes, his lilting voice sulking as he peeled the sheet further down to expose his bare chest. Pulling his arms up to lock his fingers behind his head, he shifted a bit where he lay pinned to the bed below the more colorful of the two and looked up at Ichigo. Had the subject matter not been so serious, he would have never thought about letting Ichigo straddle him like that without repercussions. But they didn't have time for fun at the moment.

"You're terrible at lying." Ichigo deadpanned, staring down at him.

Shiro curled his lip and huffed an annoyed breath. "No I ain't. I jus' don' like lyin' to ya, and-"

Before he could continue his retort, Ichigo began again, attempting to talk some sense into the man, which wasn't always an easy task. "Besides, it's not smart for us to split up right now. We work better as a pair. It'd be bad for him to find and corner either of us and you're not even back up to full strength..."

"Ya know, jus' coz he got me once don' mean it's ganna happen again." The albino raised a single brow at his lover, not at all happy about anyone, let alone Ichigo, thinking that he couldn't handle himself. "He caught us off guard las' time but I fully intend ta return the favor."

Ichigo sighed and hung his head as looked down at the man pinned below him, recognizing the defensive anger for what it was. "I don't want to see you get hurt again, Shiro... but if you wont do it for your own safety, then come with me for mine."

Shiro didn't say anything but his ashen brows furrowed as he pulled his hands from behind his head and rested them upon Ichigo's denim clad thighs in a soft touch. His golden irises bright and burning in the early morning light flooding through the window, he looked up to match Ichigo's gaze.

"He knows where I work, Shiro..." Ichigo continued, seeing that the albino was about to give in and agree to accompany him. "He was visiting me almost every morning...what's to stop him from coming in while you're-"

A quick, protective sneer flashed across Shiro's features while Ichigo spoke. He quickly surged up, ignoring the protesting in his side from the quick movement, and cut Ichigo off with a possessive kiss. "I'll go wit ya. Get offa me so I can get dressed." He whispered against pink lips.

"Thank you." Ichigo wrapped the colorless man in a quick hug before he carefully climbed off. Grabbing his toothbrush from the nightstand, he left the room to return to getting ready for work, Shiro's grumbling following him all the way down the hall.

It didn't take long for the albino to ready for the day, slipping into a pair of loose jeans and t-shirt, clothing that wouldn't rub against his wounds too much. He couldn't hide the deep bruise across his jaw and cheekbone, earned from a solid punch to the face, but he left his long, white hair down to detract from it and hopefully draw less attention to himself. Before long, he was sitting in the passenger seat of Ichigo's car, unhappy but unprotesting about being up and watching the sun climb higher in the sky through the window as the city rolled by.

"It wont be that bad." Ichigo said as he parked the car, smirking over at his sulking passenger. "It'll only be for a couple hours."

"Ya play dirty, ya know tha'?" Shiro asked him, climbing out of the car and plastering a scowl onto his normally amused features. He directed the look over the car's top at Ichigo but couldn't hold the expression as Ichigo grinned back at him. He rolled his inverted eyes as a slight grin quirked at the corner of his colorless lips.

"Yeah, I know." Ichigo said cheerily enough, his tone pleased and a bit relieved. He rounded the car and grabbed Shiro's hand, leading the way toward the cafe. "Come on, don't be angry with me... I'll buy you breakfast."

"Tch. Ya better." Shiro smirked at the peace offering, not that he was really angry or ever could be, but Ichigo knew that too. He allowed himself to be pulled through the front door and toward the counter, happy to see it didn't seem too busy just yet and that the few guests within still looked half asleep.

Ichigo hurriedly clocked in and didn't bother asking what his lover would want for food as he put in the man's order. They knew each other well enough that he already knew exactly what Shiro preferred and would likely order. Casting his vision around to see if his unwanted guest would be sitting in his usual booth by the window, Ichigo was relieved when nothing blue stood out in the quiet cafe.

"Oh, Ichigo! It's good to see you back." The orange haired man's boss walked through the swinging doors that led to the back of the cafe, sending a friendly greeting and smile to his employee. He turned toward Shiro as he neared Ichigo, his intent to greet the albino as well but his smile faltered slightly. "Dear lord, whatever happened to your face?"

Shiro lifted an ashen brow at the man, his lip curling slightly. As if he didn't realize the bruising stood out terribly against his unnaturally pale skin already... the older man just had to point it out. "The reason Ichi missed the past few days, tha's wha' happened."

"Ahh yes, Ichigo said you had hurt yourself." The eccentric man hid a sly smile but anyone who knew him was used to it and thought nothing of it, that was just the way Urahara was. "I'm happy you are doing better."

Shiro grumbled to himself, huffing an annoyed breath. "Yeah... Thanks."

The man leaned closer as he inspected the deep bruising marring Shiro's pale features. The albino leaned away, his inverted eyes darting over to his lover for a moment. One reason he hated tagging along or visiting Ichigo while he was at work; his boss was a bit on the odd side and always made Shiro wary, like his secret was about to be discovered even though there was no possible way the elder man could know their secret.

"Did you hit him, Ichigo?" The young man's boss turned to look at Ichigo, his grey eyes bright under his strange hat.

"What? No!" Ichigo gaped at his boss before he forced himself to regain his composure. He shook his head at the very thought, unable to wrap his mind around ever hitting his lover. "Why would you even think that? He was in an accident."

Ichigo's boss gave them a curious and slightly skeptical look and Shiro rolled his strange eyes, the bell to the door jingling quietly in the background. "Air bag." The albino said in his lilting voice, hoping to drag the attention away from the fact that the bruising looked exactly like what it was; a hard hit to the face. The knuckle prints were even visible if you looked closely enough.

"Ahh, I see. Lucky you weren't injured worse, than~" Urahara sang, straightening away from his inspection. Of course he couldn't see what lay hidden beneath the pale man's clothing and both of the younger men were content with letting him think it was only some bruising. Genuine curiosity shone in his eyes as he glanced back to his employee, giving the albino a bit of the space he seemed fond of. "How did you get to work this morning then, Ichigo?"

"I drove. It, uh, wasn't my car." Ichigo mentally cursed himself for not having thought this through before they had left. They should have gone over what they would tell people if they were questioned. They should have had an alibi ready. It was an oversight on his part and he fully planned to never make that mistake again. As it was now, he scrambled for answers to the questions his ever curious employer asked, doing remarkably well at spinning a tale on the fly and keeping his calm, confident facade.

Behind where Ichigo and Shiro stood, the more colorful's boss facing them, footsteps approached but no one paid much attention. They were in a public cafe, after all. Shiro was the first take notice as a stifling aura seemed to weigh down upon them, sounding alarm bells off in his mind. He stiffened as his senses told him another predator, another killer, had just entered his space. His hand automatically edged toward the back of his pants where his dagger was secured in it's sheath and hidden below his shirt.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A low voice rumbled, hardly making any sound at all but Shiro caught it and he paused, a sneer forming on his features. The bastard was right though, they were in a much too public place for him to draw his weapon.

"It was my car." The man said with a sinful grin, his deep voice much louder so that Ichigo and his boss would hear as well this time.

Ichigo's eyes widened at the deep, growling tone, a voice he would never forget. He jolted slightly but he recovered well and nodded, like they had been expecting the blue haired man he know knew stood behind him. "Yeah, they were lucky it was his vehicle, too. If they had been in my little car..." Shaking his head, Ichigo let his voice trail off like it was unthinkable.

"Oh dear...well I'm relieved to see you three relatively in one piece." Urahara glanced up at the bigger bluenette, un-noticing of the hostility simmering in the air between the three. "I knew you must have known Ichigo, with the way you two talked every morning. Guess I know why one of my regulars were absent for the past few days as well."

With a sly wink, the older gentleman turned and disappeared back through the swinging doors of his cafe to continue working. Shiro curled his lip and issued a quiet snarl at his parting comment, his jealous anger rearing it's head. At his side, Ichigo gently nudged him with his elbow, giving him a knowing look that told the albino to ignore the older man's comment.

Turning to finally face the blue haired killer, Ichigo swallowed and looked up at him before he edged back behind the counter. He had to get to work now that he had showed up and he really wasn't surprised that Grimmjow had made an appearance but he certainly hadn't been prepared for the shock all the same. The orange haired male and Shiro watched as the bigger man gave a cocky, predatory grin and turned toward his usual booth in the corner by the window.

"C'mon, no need to blow our cover now while Ichigo gets to work." He said through a grin as he walked away. He gave the albino a friendly pat on the shoulder on the way by.

"Don' ya dare touch 'im again." Shiro growled out quietly, but he took the hint and slowly trailed behind the man, turning to glance back at Ichigo over his shoulder. They held an entire conversation in that single look and the albino's liquid gold eyes simmered as they panned back over to watch their rival slide into the booth's bench style seat. He plastered his classic, slightly unhinged smirk onto his startling features and confidently joined the other man.

The two sat in silence a moment, taking each other in, studying and sizing the other up like a predator does it's prey. If Grimmjow had heard the albino's low warning, he said nothing about it. After that short moment had passed, the bigger man leaned back in his seat, his movements easy and unworried, like they were the best of friends and not cold blooded killers intent on each other's destruction. "I'm sure Ichigo has told you who I am, but I don't think he ever mentioned you."

The albino curled his lip slightly, knowing the words were meant to rile him up and stir his jealousy. Rather than give in to that possessive rage simmering in his gut, he smirked back and cocked a single brow. "A course I heard all 'bout ya, ya were supposed ta be my next headline. The name's Shirosaki."

"Well, Shirosaki, I'd say it's a pleasure but..." Grimmjow started, his own smirk growing to a full grin.

Seated before him, the albino snickered slightly, his dark colored tongue peeking out to wet his pale lips. "Like wise an if ya ever touch 'im 'gain, I'mma kill ya fer real this time."

Grimmjow cocked a blue brow, his smirk never wavering, but still said nothing to the threat.

From behind the counter, Ichigo poured a glass of orange juice and a mug of black coffee as Shiro's food was slid into the window toward him. He kept a careful eye on the two conversing men, both very dangerous and neither known for their overly friendly manners. Holding the glass of juice and the coffee in one hand, he snagged up the plate of food with the other hand and rounded the edge of the counter, just in time to hear the bluenette's next words.

Grimmjow smirked, finally breaking the tense quiet as he leaned forward in his seat once more. "Ya know, I didn't get a good look at you guys while in the 'accident'. You're weird as fuck looking."

It took the albino a split second to fully register what had just been said to him, but as it did, he snarled at the bigger man and looked ready to lunge over the table, his strange eyes glinting hard and angry in the light streaming through the window. Seeing the impeding disaster, Ichigo hissed a silent curse and hurriedly crossed the cafe before his lover could strangle the bigger man.

He arrived seemingly just in time and shot Shiro a stern look as he slid the plate of food in front of his hot headed lover, effectively averting the albino's attention, blocking his path and defusing a bomb. He placed the coffee and juice down as well, sliding the mug to his regular that had turned out to be far more than he had bargained for and sliding the glass to Shiro.

"Not. Here." He said in a low, commanding tone, annunciating each word like it was threat. His words were directed at both the seated men and his deep, brown eyes only sealed the deal and made the threat all the more real. He turned to pin the blue haired killer with his hard look. "You need to keep your daylight cover just as badly as we do. Every employee here knows what you look like, what your name is, even when you come in and what you order. Things stay civil while your here."

Grimmjow grunted a laugh, looking up at the standing cafe worker. Sure, that was enough information to give his identity away and have the police on his ass, he did have pretty recognizable features, but he'd gotten away before and wasn't worried now. "Or what?"

"Wha? Ya think that crazy bastard Urahara don' got some type a security in his joint?" Shiro's grin was wide and manic as his lilting voice snagged the hollow killer's attention, diverting the man's piercing eyes away from Ichigo. White hands flat against the table, the albino leaned over his plate and leered at the bigger man. "Who ya think he's ganna start shootin' at if shit goes down 'ere?"

It wouldn't be Ichigo. The owner of the cafe knew who Ichigo was and saw him almost everyday. And he knew Shiro was with Ichigo. If either party started something in the cafe, Grimmjow was the stranger, the man Urahara had no knowledge of and therefore the one he would go against. It was simple logic but it was sure logic.

"A gun goes off and the cops would be all over this place." Grimmjow countered, unsure if he believed a word the two were saying. It seemed pretty likely that they were bluffing. Why would the strange cafe owner have a gun in his place of business, that was illegal and most people tended to stay on the side of the law. Except for him and two men before him, but that was a different situation.

"So let 'em." Shiro shot back.

"My record's spotless and Shiro's hasn't been marked in for more than a year, and never with something more drastic than minor theft." Ichigo folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the back of the bench his pale lover sat in. "I bet you can't say the same thing."

Grimmjow's brows furrowed, his upper lip curling into a displeased snarl. His narrowed eyes went from the albino to the orange haired man and back. These two were good. He had known that when he realized who they were. They were probably bluffing. In fact, the bluenette wondered if anything they said was true, but they had effectively backed him into a corner. Even if they were bluffing, even if everything they said had been a lie, he couldn't take that chance.

Leaning back in his seat again, Grimmjow wrapped long fingers around the warm mug and brought the steaming liquid to his lips. He studied the two over the rim of his coffee with narrowed, piercing blue eyes before placing it back down on the table. After the silence stretched on, he nodded his agreement and a sort of truce was born.

Ichigo absentmindedly ran his fingers through the thick, white hair at the back of his lover's neck as he nodded back to the blue haired man sitting before them. They were criminals, lawless killers, monsters in the eye of the everyday citizen, but even murders had an unspoken code. The cafe was officially off limits. While there, they weren't rivals or enemies, they were simply men.

Their little game would be saved for the dark of night and shadowed alleyways.

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**Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated and are always inspiring!  
**


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