Pairings: GrimmUlqui, IchiHichi (even though he's called Shiro in this fic)
Summary: AU. In a world where nekos are captured and forced to fight each other to the death for the Aizen's amusement, life isn't exactly great for Ichigo, Shiro, Grimmjow, and Ulquiorra. GrimmUlqui, IchiHIchi, and neko!Ichigo, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Shiro.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, all the hot Espadas wouldn't be evil! Grrrrrr.
Warnings: Yaoi, BoyXBoy, MaleXMale. If you don't like it, then don't take the time to read it, and then flame me. I f you do like it, then enjoy. ;3
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Shiro slinked along in the brush, his nose twitching. His stark white ears weren't exactly good for camouflage, but their large size and general fluffiness were really helpful for determining the location of his prey. Well, maybe not the fluffiness, but there wasn't really much Shiro could do about that. His long, snow white tail thrashed in frustration as his quarry sped up.
We'll see about that, he vowed, accelerating his pace as well. His golden eyes shone in determination as he neared his victim. In actuality, he didn't know exactly what it was that he was chasing. But it had a fluttering heartbeat, and it could run. FAST.
Finally, Shiro skidded underneath a bush, and was about to pounce, when-
BANG!
What seemed like a gunshot rang out in the forest, sending birds wheeling for the sky in panic. Shiro immediately hid himself and watched, seething.
"You idiot! You scared it away!" accused an annoyed male voice, "We came all the way out into this damned forest, too, just to have YOU lose it!"
"Well, SORRY, but at least I hit something," retaliated the second hunter.
The first huntsman cursed, and kicked the animal on the ground. Its chest was slowly rising and falling. That meant that the gunshot noise that he had heard was probably a tranquilizer gun. The animal was still alive. Shiro stared at it hungrily.
"We were so close…" he lamented, "And we NEED that reward!"
The two men continued bickering, but Shiro tuned them out. Snapping himself out of the cat-mode that he entered while he was hunting, he returned to his human state of mind and considered his options. He could leave, which would certainly be the safest thing to do. But his rumbling stomach told him otherwise. Or, he could wait for the right opportunity to pounce and take back the prey that was rightfully his. But by the way that the two hunters were talking to each other, it seemed as if they were after something else. Shiro cocked his head to the side, as he always did when something puzzled him, but put the matter out of his mind. First things first. He had to get his food.
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Ulquiorra carefully placed his hat on his head; in such a way that it forced his silky jet black neko ears to stay hidden. The skull-patterned skater style garment fit him perfectly, courtesy of Ishida, and thankfully those who knew him well enough just shrugged it off as part of his typical oddness. It was only thanks to that oddness that allowed him to pass as a typical human in Aizen's government.
Satisfied with his appearance, the neko hybrid left his quarters and began walking down the street that led to Central 46, Aizen's council, which he was a member of. There was a meeting today, and Ulquiorra didn't want to be late. That might draw attention, which was never good when you had a secret.
Passing by many stores and shops, he noticed the growing number of identical wanted posters plastered on their uniformly concrete walls. Slightly angered, he approached on and began to read it, although he knew it by heart already.
WANTED: LIVE NEKO HYBRIDS
FOR THE CRIME OF TREASON. REWARD WILL BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO CAPTURE A NEKO AND DELIVER IT TO A GOVERNMENT FACILITY IMMEDIATELY.
REWARDS:
PANTHER: Depending on species, $3,000-$7,000
TIGER: Depending on species, $9,000-$10,000
LION: Depending on species, $1,000-$5,000
LEOPARD: Depending on species, $3,000-$7,000
FOX: Depending on species, $500-$1,500
OTHER: Depending on rarity, can be anything from $100-$10,000
However much this enraged Ulquiorra, he still held some sense of pride for being a leopard, one of the species worth the most, and a black leopard for that matter, one of the highest ranking leopards.
Being a member of Central 46, Ulquiorra knew that the real reason neko hybrids were wanted was because it amused Aizen to see them fight each other. He would keep the best for himself; give out the weaker ones to people he favored, and make a fortune from audience members and gambling. Central was corrupt, so instead if telling the public, members tried to gain favor with Aizen, so that he may deign to give them a neko or two to fight with. The fights were famously brutal, and many neko hybrids died quite frequently, which was why the number of wanted posters kept increasing. This forced many nekos like himself to go into hiding.
Shrugging off his anger, Ulquiorra replaced his disgusted expression with his normal stoic façade. He continued down the street toward Central, frustration brewing inside his heart.
-0-
Grimmjow glared at the jeering crowd surrounding the pit. They were betting, screaming, and altogether enjoying the gruesome brutality that normally took place in the underground neko fights. His heavy metal collar chafed against his neck as he turned, grimacing, to face his next opponent. The gothic number six was carved into the collar, and it still somehow glinted in the dim shadows of the pit.
Suddenly, the iron gate at the edge of the fighting ditch was hauled open, and a shadowed figure harshly thrown in. Grimmjow observed the figure as it stood up, and his heart filled anticipation. Despite himself, he was actually beginning to enjoy the fights, and that scared him.
Instead of continuing to stare down his opponent, however, his eyes honed in on a man sitting at the very back of the audience. A growl started building up in Grimmjow's throat as he stared defiantly at his master. Aizen.
"Introduce yourself!" commanded the announcer impatiently, addressing the silhouette on the ground.
The figure stepped into the light, and Grimmjow could tell that it was a woman. She had on a collar similar to his, although it was light, and was clad in a ripped white fighting suit. She also had the trademark tattoos on her face that marked her as an elite fighter neko. They were colored a light plum and shaped like teardrops, directly under both of her eyes, not unlike Grimmjow's, which were teal and on the side of his eyes. Her purple-black ears twitched behind her hair, which was pulled up into pigtails.
She hissed at Grimmjow, before announcing, "I am Sanderwicci Cirucci, owned by Tousen Kaname, formerly owned by Aizen Sousuke."
The crowd swelled at this, and began reevaluating and changing their bets immediately, expecting a good fight. Aizen ruled this underground world just as much as he ruled his kingdom, and his fighters never lost. But this Cirucci had trained under Aizen at some point, so she was sure to put up a good fight.
Grimmjow stepped up, following the procedures ingrained in his mind.
"I am Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, owned by Aizen Sousuke," he stated, and the crowd roared.
The announcer scribbled something down on his pad, and then raised both of his hands.
"Let the fight begin!"
-0-
Ichigo fruitlessly gnawed at the bars of his wheeled prison. His bright orange ears drooped in disappointment, and the man driving the armored truck sneered at him. He slumped against the wall in dejection, cursing himself for getting into this mess. Closing his eyes, Ichigo tried to recall how he had gotten here, but for some reason it was all very fuzzy. He could remember his ear-concealing hat blowing away, which probably explained why he had been discovered as a neko. But…then what happened? There was…a man following him. He recalled being creeped out by the potential stalker, and quickly darting into an alley, then…It all blurred away. Frowning in frustration, Ichigo scanned his memories, and finally remembered. Another man in the alley was waiting for him and had injected him with a strange fluid, which caused Ichigo to black out. A few hours ago he had woken up in the armored truck, knowing with absolute certainty where he was headed. Central 46, the place where all captured neko hybrids went, to become the possession of a corrupt Council Member.
Ichigo groaned, trying to mentally prepare himself for the trials ahead. The worst thing that could happen would be that he would be put in the fights, and with absolutely NO training to boot. With a feeling of dread, he recalled some of the rumors about other things that nekos were forced to do. Ichigo shivered, and huddled in a ball, wrapping his tail around himself, in order to fall asleep and escape this true nightmare.
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And now we've met the stars of this fanfic! YAI! I promise, they WILL all meet up at some point, probably in the next chappie. So, review and maybe poor lil' Ichi-kun will get more screen time. ;3