Chapter 1 - How It All Started

Sitting on a rooftop and looking out over the (for once) quiet town,a slim orange-haired figure was watching the moon. He rubbed his hands over his bare arms,not really cold but still slightly uncomfortable from his experience earlier. Damn,Mayuri was fucking creepy. Still,he couldn't help but wonder if that survey or whatever would come back to bite him in the ass later. He had a feeling it might. No matter now,though,he thought to himself as he stood, brushing grit from the roof tiles off his jeans. The poor little death berry was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he never noticed the small mechanical mosquito that landed on the back of his neck,bit him,and then disappeared. The next morning Ichigo woke up feeling a bit....off. His head was really itchy for some reason,and his tailbone felt funny. Shrugging it off,he went to take his morning shower. Over the next few days,strange things began to happen to Ichigo. His reaction time suddenly increased until he had reflexes that matched Yoruichi. He began to prefer baths over showers,which was truly weird because he'd been paranoid about baths ever since his mother died by the river. And worst of all,everything itched. His shoulders,his back, behind his ears,his scalp,his spine,his legs and feet. Often he found himself rubbing up against doorways,trees,and even sometimes his friends to try and relieve the frustrating sensation. In addition,he was making strange sounds every so often too,usually when he was at his most relaxed or surprised.

For example,Chad had been scratching his hair and the back of his neck (he had told his friends about the awful itching,and they had all pitched in to scratch him every so often) when he had began to hum low in his throat,a deep thrumming that was almost a purr. And when Keigo had finally caught him off guard,he'd hissed at him furiously,eyes narrowing. He had no idea what was happening,or why he was starting to act almost catlike,but he figured it was no big deal. Hell,Grimmjow was a panther,and he got along fine,didn't he? Actually,now that he thought about it......he never saw Grimmjow unless the blunet hunted him down to battle. How did the man act in day-to-day life? Sitting on the roof of his school and pondering this,Ichigo didn't notice the oppressive spirit pressure bearing down on him until a hard chest was right up against his back,a large,calloused hand around his throat and it's pair digging strong fingers into his abdomen. "Getting rusty,are we shinigami? And here I thought ya were improvin'. So it was luck ya found me before,not yer ability to find my spirit pressure gettin' better." Feeling a light shiver run through his body,Ichigo responded dully,"I was busy with more important shit than fighting you,Grimmjow. Besides,I'm in my human body. You wouldn't be cowardly enough to attack me in this annoyingly weak shell,would you? I can't even shunpo when I'm in it."

Abruptly the grip on his neck lessened,and he felt the deep voice rumble through the chest against his back as the panther Espada growled. "Ya have a human body? Ya mean yer still alive?" Tilting back his head,Ichigo frowned at him. "Yeah. Didn't you notice how I have to take care of my body after I've left it?" Grimmjow frowned right back,oceanic eyes calculating. "No. I just assumed ya had one a them 'gigai' things that all the rest of the Soul Reapers got. Not a living human body. Shit,kid...." releasing him completely,the older male instead opted to sit next to him. "How old are ya,anway?" Ichigo grunted. "Sixteen. Why?" Grimmjow blew out a breath,shoulders slumping. "Well fuck. I always assumed ya were closer to my age,like around four hundred or so,but yer just a kid still. God DAMN it, shinigami.....now how the hell am I supposed to kill ya? It's like killin a cub that just barely opened it's eyes!" Ichigo was quiet,not looking at Grimmjow,still staring out over the city. "There are humans who are monster enough to do that,Grimmjow. I've seen them. Surely a warmonger like you can do worse." The Sexta grimaced,scooting closer to the berry so their hips touched lightly. "Hell,kid,even monsters can feel guilt. Even Hollows can have families. I may not be a human,but I have morals too." Ichigo frowned,eyes tracing the skyline. "I never said you were a monster,Grimmjow. Actually,I think my race is more barbaric than yours. We're the monsters."

Unused to this inactivity around his favorite opponent,Grimmjow shifted again,though still listening intently. Information gathering wasn't his forte,but fuck it,if he could find the Strawberry's weakness just by listening it'd be worth it. Plus he couldn't fight him until he got out of that useless flesh bag of a body or it'd be worthless. He could act for that long,right? Knowing the kid would clam up if not encouraged,he prodded gruffly,"And how the fuck does that work?" The teen sighed,rubbing at his shoulders. He'd found that rubbing soothed the itch more than scratching did,though both felt damn good. "At least hollows devour souls for a good reason. They gotta if they want to survive. But humans,humans are a whole other kind of fucked. You guys are born to kill. We get molded into soldiers,killers with shattered minds and broken bodies. Your kind fights to survive. My kind starts wars for fun. You keep outsiders out of your battles. Humans- and soul reapers too -drag in people that have no bearing on the situation just to fuck with the mind of an opponent." Standing up,Ichigo growled under his breath,rubbing the outsides of his thighs and hips furiously. "Good god,this itching is driving me NUTS!! Fucking hell,it's like I bathed in goddamned itching powder or something- arrghhh!" Desperate for some relief from the steadily worsening sensation,the boy threw himself down on the rough rooftop and squirmed around on his back,arching and twisting so multiple spots were scratched at once.(The boy had no idea that,at that moment,he looked just like a housecat scratching itself.)

After a minute or two of frantic wriggling,Ichigo laid flat and blinked up at Grimmjow, who was standing over him with an eyebrow raised. The orange-haired teen just grunted, "What, I suppose you never get so itchy all over you can't stand it anymore?" The blunet smirked. "Actually,I do. It comes from having fur encased in armor,Berryhead. What's your excuse?" The teen just closed his eyes and groaned. "I don't know! That's what's more important than fighting you- it's not just the itch,I've been acting really weird all week! Actually.....this all started after I did that damned survey for the Research and Development Bureau. And now I think I might know where to get some answers!" Pulling out a small phone-like device,the boy headed for the door that would take him back to the ground. "I'll see you around Grimmjow,I promise I'll fight you next time,with everything I can pull out. But I gotta find out what the hell R and D has done to me first. I mean,for all I know,they turned me into a fucking tabby on the inside or something....." Grimmjow was disappointed he wasn't getting his fight now,after all,he deserved a reward for not beating the shit out of the helpless shinigami,but the kid had a point. If they'd done something to him,the effects could possibly rub off on Grimmjow and that wouldn't be good. "Fine. But you better make it worth my coming all the way from Los Noches next time,cub." Ignoring Ichigo's angry cry at the jab,the teal-haired male opened a garganta and went through,musing that this was probably his weirdest visit to the human world yet.

Three days,two explosions,and one near-murder later,Ichigo had all the details and had found out why everything had been so weird. Apparently a couple of up-and-comings in Research and Development had been a bit too eager to please and had conducted an illegal experiment using the surveys- they had concocted some sort of liquid that made a person a hybrid,and what kind of hybrid they were depended on what they had said their favorite animal was. Ichigo was -surprise surprise- a Neko hybrid. Specifically,a Cheetah-Panther crossbreed hybrid. The injection was designed to wear off after a few days and for most of the affected people it had. It turned out,however,that people with uncontrolled or extremely high spirit energy had an adverse reaction to the experimental liquid- meaning the hybridism would not go away. It appeared to be permanent,though tests were still being run. So it seemed that Ichigo would be stuck with the light dusting of fur over his skin,the large ears perched atop his head, the sharp,thick claws,and the long,supple tail. Yoruichi,in this case,had been begged to come back to the soul society temporarily- as the only known shape-shifter,she was the only one able to instruct the now-permanent hybrids on controlling their forms and attributes. The first time Ichigo was able to go fully human again,he had nearly cried with joy. The fur on his soul body being trapped in his living body had been what caused the horrendous itching,and with it retracted the itching went away.

Ichigo being a Vizard,his animal form was different than most other hybrids. Unlike the others,he had bone armor in places; namely,over his shoulders,along his spine,and over his tail. There was also a rather large section spanning his forehead,shaped suspiciously like a crown with five arrow-shaped points,which he suspected his Hollow of deliberately shaping that way. Said hollow was always calling him 'King' after all. He also had a mane of fur that was a lot like his hair,spiking out so tall and sharp it was almost needle-like. His size was strange,instead of being the typical size of a panther or a cheetah,he was almost three times larger- the size of a moose. He was enormous. It was suspected that his massive store of reiatsu had something to do with that,but nobody knew for sure. It turned out that Kenpatchi had done the survey also, at the behest of Yachiru,and was thoroughly enjoying his new abilities as a vicious wolf the size of a bull moose,which was bigger (but only slightly) than Ichigo. The two were sitting side-by-side at a training ground,having already beaten the shit out of each other and relaxing in the aftermath. Both having taken on habits connected to their animals,licking,nosing,and nuzzling was now ignored as normal,as were cuddling,stalking,taking naps at odd hours (almost always in full sunlight),and suddenly losing interest in an activity,though the last happened very rarely. Noises were also ignored.

Stretched out in a patch of sun,his tail flicking lazily,Ichigo purred softly. Fighting Kenpatchi was like jacking off,but less messy and slightly more satisfying. Kenpatchi was growling low in his throat as well,the dog version of a purr,and lazily he raised his head to rest his chin between the berry's shoulder blades. The orange-haired teen just purred more and rested his tail against Kenpatchi's cheek. With his nose so close to the furry appendage,the wolf-hybrid couldn't help but inhale the scent of Ichigo,and it was then he noticed something about it was....off. It was less offensive than usual. Typically,the dog in Kenpatchi disliked the cat in Ichigo and that made his scent just slightly offensive,not enough to really be bothersome but enough to be noticed. Now that offensive quality was gone; instead the boy smelled..... rather.....alluring. His contented rumble changed to a worried one,and he levered himself off Ichigo's back. Because the females were faster,stronger,and more vicious,Kenpatchi had preferred and been injected with female hybrid liquid. Naturally,this did not make him female aside from his wolf form,but he had been warned that there could be some major effects from it. Like....mating season. Heat. Oh,fuck.

Hearing the worry,the Death Berry rose to all fours and turned to Kenpatchi. "What's wrong?" Kenpatchi wasn't gay. No,he wasn't even straight. He was asexual. But....but....he appreciated strength. And Ichigo had that in spades. Ichigo had beaten Kenpatchi,dominated him many times since he came to Soul Society two weeks ago to learn to control his hybridization. So,while he still had some mind left,Kenpatchi nuzzled Ichigo's cheek and spoke. "They warned of some side effects,and it looks like I'm going into heat. I'm a FEMALE wolf, so I'll probably be looking for a male,and knowing my nature,it'll be one stronger than me. So far the only two that come to mind are the Old Man,who I wouldn't touch in a million years, and.....you. I don't know which way you swing,and frankly I don't care,but if you aren't looking to fuck me into the ground for the next month,you might wanna keep away from me until I get my mind back." Ichigo rose to his feet,looking at the larger male still on the ground,who couldn't help himself and rolled onto his back,tilting his head further to expose his throat and chest submissively. "I don't really swing either way,but.....fuck,it's tempting. Your scent is fucking incredible. But I don't do heat season screws,Kenpatchi,and neither do you. Wolves take mates for life,and so do I. It's tempting,but I'd rather actually consider it first." The older whimpered,already feeling the heat kick in with the dominant male so near,but rolled to all fours and got to his feet with a nod.

While Kenpatchi went to go lock himself up in Squad Four for the next month (he figured it was safe there,all the males were pansies and the two strong females weren't what he was looking for) Ichigo was heading back to the human world. He had firmly sealed away his animal form,because he could still smell Kenpatchi's heat and good god it was making him horny,and a highly aroused hybrid can do some very stupid,dangerous things. He stretched as he walked across the sky,one of his natural abilities as a soul reaper that he usually forgot about when not fighting,and suddenly felt familiar spirit pressure burst somewhere to his right. Damn it all,he was too horny to go into a fight,but shit.....he had promised Grimmjow. With a slight sigh, the death god made a quick turn and flash stepped toward the blunet's skyrocketing reiatsu. Skidding to a stop in front of the older male,he wrinkled his nose. "Hell,Grimmjow,you don't have to jack it up so high. I can sense you the second you exit Hueco Mundo." The panther Arrancar just grinned at him. "Well,I figured you'd lost your edge in sensing me so I thought I make it easier. Hey,shinigami....." the grin faded as cyan eyes narrowed in concentration, "something in your scent's weird. You don't smell like normal. What's up?" Raking through his hair wth his hands,Ichigo grunted his answer irritably. He should've known Grimmjow would be able to smell his arousal. "A hybrid went into heat today,and his sights were set on me. You can probably smell him on me,and his scent drove me crazy too. I'm still up to fight if you are though,so don't worry."

Grimmjow shifted,suddenly looking really uncomfortable. "Actually,now that you mention it,the smell is kinda getting to me,too. Uhm....maybe we oughta go take care of things and decide on getting a rain check for this fight?" Ichigo blinked,surprised,but then shrugged. "Okay. Go find a wench and do your thing. Later,Grimmjow." The Espada knew but didn't care that is was weird for the Berry to turn down a fight(it was even weirder for GRIMMJOW to turn one down),but that scent,it was like fucking ecstasy! Most powerful aphrodisiac ever. He couldn't fight for shit with a hard on like this one. So both retreated to take care of their 'problems',Grimmjow with a random wench and Ichigo with a cold shower. Three days later found Grimmjow back to cash in that rain check,but when he found the berry he really got an eyeful. "Holy shit,kid,you mean that orange hair of yours is really natural?! God damn!" Ichigo,who was just stepping out of the shower,only sighed and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Honestly Grimmjow,you have the worst timing. Gimme a couple minutes to dry and dress and I'll meet you outside." Leering,Grimmjow yanked the towel away before sidling up on the younger man's left and poking his lower stomach. "Hell no,this is way more interestin'! Is that redheaded shinigami dog a natural too? I mean,shit,I'm a natural blue,but I didn't know non-hollows could be naturally such vibrant colors!!" The teen only rolled his eyes, maneuvering around Grimmjow with practiced ease to enter his bedroom. "Yes, Renji's also a natural. And you're not the first to assume I bleach,probably won't be the last either. The other guys at school-"

He had to cut himself off when,in the middle of pulling on a pair of pants, Grimmjow tackled him to the bed. "Bleach? What the fuck's that,the extra quality in your scent?" Realizing that he was being sniffed experimentally,Ichigo groaned and pushed the larger man off him before pulling his jeans up and zipping them. "I don't use bleach, Grimmjow,so whatever odd you smell on me it's natural too. Or it's just the soap I use in the shower. By Hades,you're worse than those guys I had so much trouble with back in my first year!" His ingrained curious nature coming to the fore and overwhelming his fighting urges,Grimmjow stayed on the bed when Ichigo rolled off it,just watching as the Vizard searched through the clothing scattered around his room for a clean shirt,checking a few and grimacing at the sour sweat smell. Laying on his belly and propping his chin on his folded arms,Grimmjow inquired,"And why wouldn't I be worse than a little pack of scrawny humans?" His head popping out of the collar of the skintight black shirt he'd found,Ichigo snorted. "They thought I was some lame-ass poser,trying to be tough by dying my hair,and wouldn't leave me alone about it. And they weren't just a pack either. A pack is maybe three,four members,but this was a gang,a pride. There were maybe twenty of them. Persistent assholes,too." Tossing dirty clothes in the basket as he searched for his badge,Ichigo growled under his breath at the memory. "They started showing up in sixes and sevens,three to tire me out,two or three to hold my arms,and one to beat the fuck outta me."

From the bed,Grimmjow's angry growl joined Ichigo's as an undertone in the room. Weakling humans! Too weak to fight their own battles so they gang up on a single enemy. Pathetic. Worse,they went after his prey! Not noticing the undercurrent of growling because he'd gotten used to it from hanging around Kenpatchi so much,Ichigo continued. "In the school showers after gym one day I was too tired to wait until everyone else finished so I washed with the rest of the guys. It was a stupid move- the reason I always waited was because they'd make a big deal,and that's exactly what they did. They jeered and they laughed and they made crude jokes and the most annoying part is they wouldn't stop touching me. Poking,prodding, dragging me this way and that so everybody could stare at my crotch. Even when I'm fighting,I don't like getting physically touched. I didn't then and I don't now. The beatings got worse after that anyway,'cuz they started ganging up on me in tens every couple of days- god DAMN it, where the fuck is that soul badge?! I can't get out of my body without it. Grimmjow,have you seen a wierd little wood thing shaped like a shinigami company badge anywhere?" Grimmjow, who had discovered it in the sheets nearly five minutes earlier because it jabbed against his hipbone when he shifted,used his elbow the shove said badge further under his chest. "Nope. But cub,if they were going after you because they thought you bleached your hair,then why did it get worse when they found out you don't?"

Hands gripping his hair,making it spike out even more than usual between his fingers from the pressure,the teen hissed angrily. "The bastards decided it was necessary to keep me for getting ideas,to keep me in line so I didn't try to get revenge on them. Fucking morons thought I actually cared for shit like that. Ha!" A cruel smile,one that looked decidedly out of place,curled Ichigo's lips. "And I didn't give a shit,until they started ganging up on me in tens. Then,though,I got pissed. Real pissed. You know how we've fought like animals,Grimmjow? Going at each other again and again,trying to murder each other,until we couldn't even stand? The fighting we've done so far was nothing compared to what I let loose that day." Thoroughly intrigued- it wasn't just information gathering or acting now,Grimmjow was actually insanely interested,his catlike nature coming to the fore -the blunet pushed himself up on the bed to watch his favorite prey better. "You're shitting me. Then why the fuck don't you fight me like that?!" The smaller male just grinned wider and turned so he was facing Grimmjow. "You are a whole other level. I can't fight you like that. It would be insulting." The arrancar tilted his head. Insulting? What the fuck? "Set up the situation for me. I'm not getting how it would be an insult. Enlighten me."

Pulling up a chair,Ichigo took a seat and did as asked. "It was nearly dark out,and the streetlights weren't on yet. Shadows everywhere. I was backed up to a wall in a deserted back lot- it was small,maybe twenty-five feet wide either way. Twenty of the gang's top fighters were in front of me,spread in fan formation to block any escape route 'cuz back then I was known for a hit-and-run tactic. Some had weapons,some didn't. I remember a guy near the front had a set of brass knuckles on,big things with claws attached. Bagnahks,I think they're called; they work like a tiger's claws." He put one hand on top of the other to demonstrate, fingers of his top hand curling like claws from the base knuckles of the hand beneath. Oceanic eyes wide at the thought,Grimmjow nodded and motioned for the Death Berry to continue. "As they were closing in,I was running though ways to disarm them and get away,thinking more for flight than fight,y'know? My dad's a doctor,so whenever I roughed someone up and he had to fix them I always got the rough end of his foot planted in my gut or face,until I got old enough to dodge him. I usually didn't want to deal with him so I fought as little as possible. But,as I watched the same bastard who started all that shit inch closer,right at the front,something in my head just.....clicked."

The vicious grin coming back,Ichigo used one long finger to point to his temple,making a clik sound with his tongue just as he took the finger away again. "And this click,it made things more....more clear,I guess,almost like I'd been looking through foggy glasses and I'd just wiped 'em off. See,I was the one getting my ass beat every few days. I was the one my dad was consantly patching up. I was the one who was stronger,so why the fuck was I just taking it? My dad was gonna go nuts either way,no matter what I did,so screw it. I may as well be the one he's not fixing- at least I could dodge his "Almighty Kick of Fatherly Love and Healing" better. And this is the best part,too-" Leaning in,Ichigo lowered his voice and a low purr accented his next sentence. "They never saw it coming. One second I'm backed into a wall, looking like a little cornered mouse,and the next.....the next I'm a fucking deadly beast,all fists and teeth and furious roaring as they go flying left and right. Then I threw the one near the front into a wall and got my hands on the bagnahks." Crouched on the bed comfortably like the cat he was,Grimmjow felt his body shiver in pleasure. His little Ichi-cub,transformed into a feral beast,and then being gifted with claws? He could see it so clearly. It was beautiful. "Of course,by that point I'd lost all sense of right,wrong,or morality. The only thing I knew anymore was surviving. Winning."

Ichigo himself felt odd,recounting this. Usually thinking about it made him sick,the blood on his hands,the lives weighing on his soul,the guilt. Not this time. Now he felt only pride,and triumph. Perhaps because it was Grimmjow he was telling. One beast to another, not a tale of horror,but one of victory,a grand hunt. A smile again touched his lips as he continued. "I wanted to hurt them. Make them pay in blood for every punch,every kick,every broken bone and blood-splattered walk home,every concussion. I wanted to see them writhe in agony. I wasn't exactly thinking,but I somehow managed to get the bagnahks on my hands. Comfortably,so I could use them without hurting myself. They immediately felt like extensions of my own hand,like they somehow belonged there. And then I completely let go." The orange-headed teen paused then,leaving Grimmjow quivering with anticipation. "Well,Ichigo? what did you do?" The tremor of excitement was impossible to hide,not that Grimmjow tried anyway. The smaller male sighed,hands rubbing up and down his arms. "It gets fuzzy after that. Broken up. I remember bits and pieces only. Clawing someone's guts out as they screamed..... abandoning one kill to pounce on a fleeing man.....whirling through a crowd like some kind of demonic top,slashing everything within reach.....I came to around an hour later,surrounded by dead bodies."

The smile returned,and Grimmjow couldn't help shivering again. The aftermath was sure to reveal what he'd done while gone to that instinctual place only the best fighters went. "I was covered in blood. From every strand of hair to each millimeter of skin,I was absolutely soaked in it. It was still warm,dripping from my hair and the tips of the claws. The bodies around me were massacred. I'd obviously taken my time with them,trying out different killing and torture methods- one I'd hung by a rope made from his own intestines,another had been slowly sliced to peices,finger by finger and limb by limb,using some sharp wire I'd found. I still have scars from where the wire sliced me. Yet other bodies were shredded,ripped into a thousand tiny strips of flesh and bone. A few were decapitated,and one had bite marks on his neck and wrists,where the largest and most important veins are. I'd even bitten through his femoral artery. Him I had killed last,I knew,because my mouth was still full of hot blood,tasting not of copper and metal but rain and grass and nature. And,fully aware,I swallowed it." Knowing that the good part was over now,Grimmjow gave a final pleasure-filled shudder and relaxed,leaning back on his haunches. He liked the image Ichigo had painted for him. Liked it a bit too much,if the mess in his boxers was any indication. "And after that,cub?" Ichigo leaned back in his chair,not unlike Grimmjow in his relaxing,as his tone lost the animated "storyteller" vibe and took on a bored one.

"Oh,I heard people coming to investigate and got the fuck outta there. I dived in the river to wash all the blood off,ditched my bloodstained clothes- burned 'em,actually -and ran home. I told my dad the gang had gotten me again,which the bruises and broken ribs helped convince him of,and said they'd stolen and destroyed my clothes to humiliate me. There was a serial murderer that got caught a few weeks later that took the rap for me,and I've been careful to behave ever since. The thing I think I like best,though....." Standing,the teen stretched,his tone once more changing to captivate the Espada's attention,"Is probably that they never managed to get rid of the bloodstains in that back lot. These days it's rumored that if you go down there,the killer is there yet,hiding in the darkness,waiting for another victim to come along with claws ready to slice and dice,a razor wire in one hand and a heavy pipe in the other." Walking over to his desk,the boy crouched down and started running one hand along the underside,grunting as he did,"I've hidden down that alley once or twice for the fuck of it,holding a pipe and wire to scare the shit outta the gangs that have considered using it for a meeting place or whatever. I mean,this is gonna sound funny but it's my killing ground there,where I made my first kill and had my first taste of true blood. I get kinda territorial about it,and whenever I go visit I make sure to wear......." a click came from somewhere under the desk, then a thump,"these."

As the slender teen brought his hand out from under the desk,Grimmjow's entire body tensed all over again. It wasn't.....? It was! There,in his hand,were two heavy brass knuckles, but with large,sythelike claws attatched to them. There was also a handguard, which strapped on above the thumb,and padding for the person's fingers. Along the blades,which he could tell were razor sharp,traces of long-dried blood,almost black in color,lingered. Unable to help himself or his instincts,Grimmjow burst out purring so hard it made the whole bed shake,leaping to his feet and pressing into Ichigo's side. "Your claws," he whispered,almost reverently,his hands caressing the gleaming metal around the teen's smaller ones,"they're beautiful. Let me see you wear them." Not surprised at the request,though certainly with the pleading tone it was spoken in,Ichigo complied. He could smell the cum on Grimmjow and knew how much the arrancar got off on this,which was why he'd shown him these in the first place. He didn't know why exactly he wanted to make Grimmjow pleased,just that he did. Grimmjow watched avidly as Ichigo flexed his fingers,the claws flexing with him,and saw the change start stealing over Ichigo. Muscles relaxed,spine curved,wieght shifted,and then the Death Berry (how appropriate that nickname was now) leapt onto his desk,balancing on the balls of his feet and looking exactly like one big cat. Not bored but not looking for trouble,he was just on alert, surveying his domain.

Just then Ichigo blinked,and turned human again all at once,removing the claws and carefully putting them away. Climbing out from under the desk,the boy yawned and gave Grimmjow an absent-minded hip nudge towards the open window. "Look, Grimmjow,those memories tire me out and it's late. I can't find my badge so I can't fight you,and I have school in the morning anyway. Come back tomorrow or the day after,okay?" Grimmjow,deciding that fighting a battle with creamed boxers was uncomfortable and humiliating,and he wanted a nap anyway,hopped onto the windowsill before pausing there,turning to look at Ichigo and tilting his head. "Hey,berry.....maybe sometime I can come...just to talk?" On all fours in his bed now, the teen stretched out and grinned. "Sure. You're easy to talk to anyway,and humans like me get tired of fighting eventually. Maybe after our next fight we can just talk like this. How's that sound?" Lowering his head to get a better look at the Berry's face,and seeing he was entirely serious,Grimmjow smiled a little bit. "Yeah. Sounds good,cub." Then he left,jumping into a garganta he had opened right outside the window. What neither man noticed was that,for most of the past ten minutes or so,the two had been unconsciously treating each other like a comrade, the body language likened to that between two tom cats that shared territory.

A/N Okay,It's off to a fine start,no? I know,I know,Hybrid Ichi is prety popular and all,but he's usually a Viziard/hollow hybrid so I put on my own personal spin! In addition,I can blame all his misfortunes on Mayuri,whom I absolutely despise,so it's all good! I'll be posting chapters two and three shortly- chapter 2 is already done,and chapter 3 will be done in a few weeks or less! Yays for me!