Warning: Hmmm, well there's not as much drama in this one. Mostly fighting and there's a surprise guest that appears! Yayyy~ And I wouldn't call it a lap-dance, but yeah, there's that

Main pairings to be expected: Grimmichi, LuffyXIchigo, Zolu,

Other side pairings are to be expected of course.

Un-Beta'd

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Chapter 5

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"You're a nuisance to the crew. You've caused nothing but trouble since you got here, and Nami is especially upset with what's been going on. All of us really care about Luffy, and we don't like what you're doing to him… You should leave."

Ichigo locked his eyes with the ground as he continued to walk, remembering what Sanji had told him last night.

The cook was right about him being the center of the drama, but he really didn't mean to. He especially didn't want to upset Nami and the rest of the crew, and if they all wanted him to leave, then so be it.

Ichigo gazed up and peered through the surrounding trees to watch as the sky grew brighter with each step he took.

His stomach once again let loose a loud growl, making him pause and glare down at it.

He hadn't eaten dinner last night because of his silly appetite, and he had yet to find any sort of civilization.

'I wonder if there's even a place to eat on this Island…'

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a warm gust of air wafted passed his nose carrying with it the delicious aroma of seasoned meat.

Ichigo immediately turned in the direction of the smell and followed his nose as it took him through the forest. After walking for a good 10 minutes, he finally came across the source.

In front of him lay a small circular clearing and in the middle of that clearing was a small, stereotypical looking camp: Small tent, thin mattress, pack beside it filled with who-knows-what, and a pit for the bonfire. Above the bonfire, skewered by a thin stick was exactly what Ichigo was looking for. It was a huge slab of meat.

From what animal? Ichigo had no fucking clue.

Not that he really cared, because it smelt delicious either way.

He was about to step over and take a closer look, but froze when he noticed something.

The fire was still burning.

Meaning that the person who started it couldn't have been far.

He could just wait and see if anyone showed up and hope that the person would be nice enough to share…

Once that thought entered his mind it immediately flew out the window because just then he felt his sword get ripped away from his back and then a pair of arms quickly wrapped around him before he could escape.

Ichigo yelped and struggled in the hold, shouting profanities at his capture.

One of the arms moved so that its hand clamped over his mouth, but that only made Ichigo struggle harder. The person (he'll go ahead and assume it's a male) was quite strong. The man's arms trapped him to a hard chest like they were made of steel, and Ichigo couldn't get them to budge.

'Dammit…'

Ichigo finally stopped struggling, seeing as it was useless. Once he did he heard the man (yup, it's a guy) chuckle.

"You must be hungry, huh?"

Ichigo huffed and refused to answer that, knowing full well that the bastard was just making fun of him. But then he blinked in surprise when he was finally released. Ichigo wasted no time in stepping forward and spinning around to take a look at the person, but that was nearly impossible with the large hooded cloak he wore.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded and he took a step towards his fallen sword, but the man quickly got in his way, putting himself between Ichigo and his sword.

"Ah~ I was gonna ask you the same thing." He replied with a playful hint to his deep voice.

The shinigami debated whether or not to shunpo behind him so that he could grab his sword, but then he smelt the food behind him and thought that if he played his cards right then maybe he could get an easy meal out of this guy.

"Fine." Ichigo conceded and then he stood straight before continuing. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki." The man shifted so that he was also standing to his full height, and when he didn't immediately answer, Ichigo huffed and snapped, "And who are you?"

The man had the nerve to chuckle at him again and he reached up to grab his hood, but he didn't remove it just yet.

"Are you a Pirate Hunter?"

Ichigo shook his head, which seemed to satisfy the man, because he began lifting the hood.

Just as his face was revealed Ichigo's eyes widened when the man started leaning back further and further until he had lost his balance. The shinigami reacted quickly—shunpoing behind him and quickly grabbing his shoulders and letting the man's head fall onto his shoulders before he could hit the ground.

"Hey! You okay!?"

'Did he just faint!?'

Once he placed the man gently on the ground, he was able to get a better look at the man's face.

He fell ASLEEP!?

The man let out a loud snore, confirming Ichigo's suspicions.

What the…?

Sighing at the strange predicament, Ichigo decided to ignore what just happened. Instead, he finally took a good look at the guy.

He had neck-length ebony hair that was slightly wavy around the ends, a sharp jawline, a straight nose, slightly thick brows, and thin lips. However, the most noticeable part of his face were the freckles that dusted his cheeks. Overall he was handsome, Ichigo could admit that—but that didn't make him any less strange…

His stomach decided to remind him of his hunger at that point, forcing him to look back up at the meat, which was beginning to turn dark and crispy. He looked back down at the man in thought before standing.

He couldn't just leave the man like this and he definitely couldn't ignore his stomach any longer.

Making his decision, Ichigo nodded to himself and then carefully lifted the man onto his shoulder. He carried him towards the tent, laying him atop the mattress (that may as well've been a blanket) before running back to collect his sword. Once it was secured to his back by the red band he wore across his torso, Ichigo took a seat on the tree stump by the fire. He took hold of stick on either side of the meat and then brought it towards his face, practically drooling from the hunger that clawed at his insides. He took his first bite and really dug into it. He was right that it was a little crispy on the outside, but it was so juicy on the inside.

He made sure to only eat enough to satisfy his hunger, which left plenty left over for the man who still had yet to wake up. Ichigo noticed the fire was beginning to dim and felt it was okay to place the meat back where he found it without it burning.

He looked over to the tent and stared at the stranger for a little while, contemplating whether he should wait until the man woke up, or just keep on going. He didn't want to leave without at least knowing the guy's name, but that was pointless thinking and he didn't want to be a burden… Ichigo sighed through his nose and then got up and started making his way to the forest, back towards the path he was on before he got distracted. He never noticed the small smirk that crossed the 'sleeping' man's face as he peeked his eyes open and watched Ichigo disappear into the trees.

Ichigo kept walking forward with this relaxed and casual look about him—like he had no worries in the world.

And why should he have any worries?

It wasn't like he was on some unknown island in an unknown world with unknown dangers that he knew nothing about…

'Speaking of dangers…' He thought when he heard rustling in the bushes on either side of him.

It just seemed to be one thing after another for Ichigo.

He watched with a bored expression as about fifteen different people streamed out of the bushes and into view. They didn't seem like much of threat, so Ichigo didn't bother getting all riled up when they began forming a tight circle around him.

"Well, well, well! Whata we got 'ere, boys!?" The largest man (Ichigo assumed he was their leader) called out to the other men as he made some strange shearharharhar laugh. Ichigo snorted in amusement when the other men started smirking at him.

This reminded him of his old days in high school. Some bullies would gang up on him and then wind up getting sent to the hospital… With these guys though—unfortunately—Ichigo didn't think there would be an ambulance coming to their rescue.

"Looks like a lil' lost pet, boss." Some scrawny looking creep snickered at the larger man's side. An odd gleam sparked in his off colored eyes, making Ichigo sneer, but otherwise he stayed put. "Can we keep 'im? Huh, huh?"

The 'boss' laughed again and then crossed his arms as a sense of confidence (cough EGO cough) surrounded him.

"Whadaya say, guys!? Why don't we give our new pet a warm welcome!"

At that the men surrounding Ichigo sprung forward. The shinigami was expecting it and quickly shunpo'd into the air, making the morons collide into each other. Some even knocked each other unconscious.

None of them saw where he went to, except the scrawny fellow who spoke before.

Ichigo huffed and then grabbed his sword. He didn't want to waste any more time with these idiots so he immediately took his stance and yelled, "Bankai!"

Everyone below gasped and looked up to where he was floating and watched in awe as his sword transformed.

'This should be enough…. I don't want to use the Mask and lose control again...'

With that Ichigo quickly dispatched the lesser men below.

Blood drenched the dusty ground and some even splashed on the trees surrounding them, but none of the wounds were fatal. Ichigo only cut them up until they either ran for their lives or went unconscious.

Then there were only two left. The 'boss' and the little guy.

The bigger one looked like he was scared shitless and quickly moved to stand behind the other.

Ichigo thought it was funny to see such a big man cowering behind a skinny little guy.

'He couldn't possibly think that I won't get to him…' Ichigo tilted his head in thought. 'Unless…' He didn't have any more time to think about it as he saw the smaller male flash forward on quick feet.

He was fast, Ichigo could give him that, but the shinigami was faster as he dodged each punch thrown his way. Ichigo side-stepped the next attack and when the man stumbled a little, he took that as his chance to counter. Ichigo quickly pierced his blade into the other's side and he figured the fight was over, but his eyes widened when the guy didn't even flinch. Instead, he took this as his chance to grab a hold of Ichigo's throat. The shinigami was shocked and had been taken by surprise. He struggled to pry the fingers from his throat but he paused to watch as the man reached down with his other hand to pull the blade out from his side. Ichigo watched in surprise as the wound immediately closed. Not a single mark was left behind and there was no sign of blood, not even on Ichigo's sword.

"What are you!?" Ichigo chocked out and he went to kick the man in the chest, but he gasped when his foot just sunk right into the man's body. He went to pull his foot back, but the man had somehow hardened his body, making it impossible for Ichigo to move his leg.

"I ate the gel-gel fruit. So now I'm made o' Gel." The man explained while letting out a high-pitched giggle.

"Fuck. I forgot about the stupid devil fruit things." Ichigo grumbled and then he let out a pained gasp when he was suddenly thrown to the ground. He leg was free now and he could breathe properly, but that was short lived when the man quickly hopped onto him and then spread what Ichigo could only assume was the Gel that the man mentioned across his neck and wrists. The substance hardened and the poor Orangette found himself pinned to the ground, unable to break free.

"Fucking hell." He cursed while kicking his legs around.

"Good work, Shian." The boss-guy finally decided it was safe enough to show his face, making Ichigo roll his eyes and snort. What a coward. "Now how are we going to punish our pet for being so rough with his masters…?" The man grinned wickedly and Ichigo felt a shiver crawl up his spine as the full extent of the situation finally sunk in.

The scrawny guy, Shian, giggled and then bent to pick up Ichigo's sword. He placed the tip of the blade against Ichigo's hip and slowly brought it up the teen's bare chest, leaving behind a shallow cut. It wasn't deep enough to bleed, but it was enough to sting.

"How many o' our men did he cut?" Shian asked offhandedly as he brought the edge of the blade to rest on Ichigo's throat.

"14." The boss answered as he took a step forward so that he could kick the teen in the side, making him grunt in slight pain.

"Then 14 scars should do the trick." Shian grinned and lifted the sword so that he could slash at the Shinigami's chest, but just then a large pillar of fire shot out from the forest, slamming into the man and making him drop the sword as he went soaring into the dirt.

Shian screeched in pain as he was engulfed in flame. He tried rolling around on the ground, but he couldn't extinguish it.

"Huh… Guess gel is flammable…"

Ichigo's wide eyes turned to where the fire had come from to see a figure standing there.

It was the freckled guy from before.

Ichigo couldn't help but let his gaze wander since the man was no longer wearing his cloak. Now the only thing he wore was a pair of black cargo shorts, a brace for his left elbow, hiking boots and an orange cowboy hat sat atop his head. Other than that, the rest of his body was bare, save for the tattoos that littered his tanned skin.

The boss-guy froze up and didn't even seem to notice his partner's screams as he stared at the newcomer.

"P-p-portgus D. Ace!" He stuttered and slowly started backing away as said man took a few steps forward.

"Hmmm? Yeah, that's me." The freckled man grinned and tipped his hat casually, as if he didn't just set someone on fucking fire. Ichigo felt the gel around his neck and wrists melt away and he was finally able to stand. He looked over his shoulder to see that Shian had finally been able to quench the fire, but he looked burnt and crusty. From the slow rise and fall of his chest and the occasional twitch of his fingers, Ichigo could tell he was still alive at least.

He looked back towards the two remaining men and watched as this guy—Ace was it?—lifted his right pointer finger towards the boss-guy. Said man started cowering and his shaking legs were barely able to keep him upright as he continued to back away.

"P-please don't k-kill me!" He cried, large tears streaming down his face.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at that, deciding to ignore the man in favor of fetching his sword and dusting off his clothes.

"You're pathetic." Ace sighed and then he lowered his hand. "Go on. Get lost." He shoved his hands in his pocket and watched as the weakling scrambled to find his footing and then he was bolting away into the safety of the forest. Once he was sure the man was gone, Ace sighed and then looked around at all the unconscious bodies before gazing up at the orange-haired man standing before him: His arms were crossed over his chest (which was barely covered by the blue Hawaiian shirt), his sword was back to its normal size and attached to his back. There was a bored expression planted on his face as he stared right back at Ace.

Deep Chocolate brown eyes locked with Ebony.

"You're pretty tough." Ace finally said, letting a huge smile consume his face. Ichigo pushed down the blush that wanted to appear and instead turned his face away to hide his embarrassment.

"It was no big deal… Just a buncha idiots…" Ichigo mumbled just loud enough for the other to hear. "You were the one that took out that devil-fruit guy." The shinigami mentally cursed himself for being so weak.

Ace shrugged and hopped over until he was standing right in front of the teen, and Ichigo was finally able to notice the height difference. Ace was about maybe a few inches taller than him.

"Nahhhhh~ I was watching you fight. You were holding your own really well until the guy revealed his ability. Probably caught you by surprise, right?"

Ichigo huffed but kept his mouth shut, refusing to admit his mistake.

Ace laughed at the reaction and then raised his hand to ruffle the teen's orange hair, making Ichigo blink in surprise. No one has ruffled his hair like that since he was a kid.

"You're cute!" The man exclaimed and he laughed again when he saw Ichigo's face go red.

"D-don't say things like that!" Ichigo stuttered and then took a few steps back, away from this strange person. Ace shrugged and then grinned at him again. Ichigo frowned and waited until his face was back at a normal temperature before he continued down the path. He was tired of being around the bodies lying on the ground.

The sooner he distanced himself from this place, the better.

To his slight annoyance he noticed that the fire-guy had decided to tag along, but he couldn't help but feel a little safer in this man's presence. Not that he wanted to be protected or anything… It was just nice having a companion that knew about the world he was currently in.

They walked side-by-side for a few minutes before curiosity got the better of Ace.

"So what's your fruit ability?" He asked, getting Ichigo's attention.

"I don't have one." Was the teen's only reply.

Ace pursed his lips and closed his eyes in thought. "Buuuttt…. You were floating… And your sword changed." He pointed out while gesturing towards the Zanpakuto.

Ichigo sighed through his nose and crossed his arms as he thought about whether it was a good idea to share anymore information with this guy.

He figured it was okay, since the man posed no immediate threat, and he did save him...

"I'm a shinigami." Ichigo stated, watching from the corner of his eye as Ace paused mid-step and blinked in surprise. Then the grin returned full force and he jogged to catch back up with Ichigo.

"That's so cool!" He said while walking even closer to the teen, invading the poor lad's personal space.

This reminded him way too much of another dark-haired hyperactive male…

"I've never met a shinigami before! So are you like the 'grim reaper'? Do you take people's souls and drag them to hell?"

Ichigo shook his head and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but he humored the man anyway.

"I'm not surprised you haven't met one before, because, apparently, I'm from a whole 'nother dimension. And no—I don't drag people's souls to hell. I'm actually only part Shinigami. All I do is protect Humans from corrupted spirits we call 'Hollows'." Ichigo enlightened and he was glad that Ace seemed to be following along, as if his explanation seemed perfectly normal.

"Well that's still cool." He hummed, the grin shrinking into a soft smile, which made Ichigo feel like blushing again for some reason. "Did anyone else come with you to this 'dimension'? And what brought you here anyway?"

Apparently it was going to be a while before Ace's curiosity was sated.

"Yeah. An acquaintance of mine got stuck here with me. And by 'stuck' I mean that we got thrown in here and we have no idea how to get out…" He said, not exactly understanding why he kept answering the other.

"Did you and your friend get separated or something?"

This time Ichigo decided to try and steer the conversation away from him.

"So are you pirate?"

Ace noticed the sudden change, but decided not to press the matter.

He smirked and then leaned back to show off a casual air as he shoved his hands in his pocket and continued walking.

"Yup~! I'm a high ranking member of White-Beard's crew. My name's Portgus D. Ace—in case you didn't hear from the other guy. But I'm usually known as 'Firefist Ace'." As he said that he brought up his right fist and Ichigo watched in wonder as the man's skin melded into a ball of fire. Ichigo could already feel the heat from it hitting his face and he blinked.

"So you ate some sort of fire fruit, then?"

Ace nodded and let his hand return to normal before placing it in his pocket once more. "Mera-mera Fruit." When Ichigo nodded, Ace decided to wait a moment before continuing the conversation. "Have you met any other Devil-Fruit users besides me and the jelly guy?" He asked and Ichigo couldn't help the amused snort at that 'jelly' part.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to answer, he froze when he felt a familiar reaitsu signature flare up.

Grimmjow…

He looked off into the trees in the direction of its source and wondered if he should go see what was happening. He quickly closed off his own reaitsu so that he couldn't be detected—if he hadn't been already—and then shook his head and continued walking forward.

Ace remained silent as he watched Ichigo tense up, but didn't question him. The teen had started walking forward again but both men stopped and jumped when there was a sudden loud roar. It echoed across the sky and bounced around the trees of the forest. They looked up and blinked when a small whirlwind appeared in the distance.

"Fucking Arrancar…" Ichigo cursed under his breath, instantly recognizing Grimmjow's shout, and then he jumped up into the sky and started making his way towards the disturbance.

Ace remained on the ground for a moment, debating whether or not he should get himself involved. So far the teen had indulged him in his questions but he only seemed to be putting up with his presence…

Ace was about to decide he was only annoying the shinigami, but then he thought about the cute blush that had peppered the orangette's cheeks and Ace couldn't help the smirk that spread across his lips. As he watched the teen get further and further away he huffed to himself and then shot off into the sky as well, using his fire ability to lift himself up off the ground.

When Ichigo's feet finally returned to the ground, he blinked and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

This whole piece of the forest had been completely leveled. It was a barren wasteland, and lying in the middle of the destruction were two bodies. Before running to them, Ichigo made sure there was no immediate danger. Once he was comfortable that there wasn't any threat, he quickly made his way to the unconscious bodies and knelt down to make sure they were okay. The one who seemed the most beat-up was none other than Grimmjow. He had deep gashes littering his arms and legs. Only a few scratches marred his chest or back, so Ichigo assumed he'd been mostly on the defensive—trying to block with his arms and legs. What was really curious though, was the fact that Grimmjow was in his resurrection form.

Who was he fighting that was strong enough to force him into that form…?

Ichigo pursed his lips and then looked to the other body. To his surprise it was Sanji.

The blonde didn't seem to be too banged up, a few bruises here and there, but upon closer look Ichigo could tell his arm was dislocated.

"Woah~ What the hell happened?"

Ichigo didn't have to turn to tell it was Ace who spoke.

"I don't know, but we have to get them out of here and take care of their injuries." Ichigo said and he jumped when Ace was suddenly kneeling right beside him.

He stared down at Sanji for a few long minutes before something seemed to click and he grinned.

"'Ey! I know that guy! I think his name was Sanji." Ace announced, seemingly proud of himself for some reason.

"Yeah, that's him. And this is Grimmjow… my acquaintance." Ichigo grumbled and then Ace gave him an interesting look.

"If you know Sanji then you must know my little brother!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

'Don't tell me…'

"Luffy…?"

"Yup! So are you friends with him?"

Ichigo tried to stop the incoming blush, he really, truly did—but it forced its way up and consumed his entire face. He turned his face away to hide it, but Ace had already seen it, and it made the man smirk.

"I guess 'friends' wouldn't be the right term, would it?" He chuckled as he got up to stand beside Sanji. He inspected the blonde and noticed the injured arm. He took special care to not jostle it as he brought the man up to lie in his arms.

"I-it's nothing like that! I was just… educating him I guess… Uhm… He asked for… I don't…" Ichigo fumbled for words, but nothing he said seemed to come out the way he wanted. Ace only laughed even harder as he began walking away.

Ichigo huffed and then knelt beside Grimmjow. He took hold of the arrancar's right arm and slung it over his shoulder. As he moved the man around, Ichigo noticed how his resurrection form fell away from his body with each movement until he was back to his normal self. Once he had Grimmjow positioned onto his back so he could carry him, he looked around for the other's zanpakuto. He found it and quickly snatched it up, making sure not to move Grimmjow around too much in the process.

"You coming!?" Ace shouted for his spot by the trees.

Ichigo didn't bother shouting back as he ran towards him.

They both made their way through the forest. Neither of them spoke, and they didn't slow their pace as they looked for a good place to stop and rest. It was starting to get dark as the hours trickled by.

'If there were people here like those idiots in that gang, then there has to be a village around here, right?' He thought to himself.

Just when he was about to start slowing down, he noticed the soft glow of lights in the distance. It was hard to see passed the trees, but it was definitely there.

Ace must've noticed it too, because his step quickened all of a sudden.

Ichigo had to sprint with greater strides in order to keep up. When they finally got to the edge of the forest they slowed to a stop. Both men were panting and exhausted, but they seemed to rejuvenate as they gazed at the buildings standing before them. It was a large town, and Ichigo couldn't be more relieved.

"C'mon… Let's find a place to stay." Ace huffed out and then started walking forward, Ichigo following close behind.

About 30 minutes later found them in some run-down tavern that had rooms to rent. Unfortunately they only had one room available, so Ace booked it and at least they were able to provide them with extra blankets and two first-aid kits. Ichigo closed and locked the door behind them after thanking the nice woman who owned the place.

He turned and the first thing he noticed was how little furnishings there were in the small room. Not that he minded, the four of them needed as much room as they could manage. He slowly shifted Grimmjow and placed him onto the medium sized bed and Ace was able to get Sanji onto the bed as well. It was a snug fit, but it worked, and the bed was near the middle of the room, so it was easy to get to both 'patients'.

"I'll grab some water." Ichigo said and Ace only nodded before working on taking Sanji's shirt off so he could get a better look at the damage. Ichigo went towards the tiny bathroom located to the left and nearly sighed when he noticed there was no door, but then he shrugged it off when he located a wooden bucket. He filled it with water and brought it back to sit it beside Grimmjow's side of the bed.

He took Ace's lead and began undressing Grimmjow as well. There wasn't much left of the cloth as it was anyway because of all the cuts.

Once they had them down to their underwear, Ichigo ripped off a piece of Grimmjow's tattered jacket and used it as a rag so that he could dip it in the water and wash away the blood that had dried on his skin.

Ace waited a bit and Ichigo's head snapped up when he heard Sanji groan. The blonde went to sit up, but hissed in pain and slammed back onto the bed. He grabbed at his shoulder, but Ace immediately pried it away so that he couldn't hurt it more.

Sanji snapped his eyes open and looked towards Ace and then at Ichigo before shifting to the unconscious man beside him. Realization slowly dawned on him and he eventually let himself relax onto the bed.

Ace stood, catching his attention before speaking. "Sanji, you're arm is dislocated, I'm gonna need to pop it back into place…" Sanji only nodded his approval and went to sit up, but Ace shoved him back down. "Stay where you are and try to lift your arm." Sanji scrunched his brow in concentration and hesitantly lifted his arm as far as it would go. "Now make a tight fist." He did. "Now grit your teeth." As he said that, Ace took hold of Sanji's bicep and shifted it up and around expertly.

Sanji grunted in pain and Ichigo winced at the sound of the slight pop and scrape of bone against bone, but kept his hands busy with healing Grimmjow's cuts. He gently spread the antibiotic he found in the first-aid kit onto the deepest gashes. There weren't any cuts that looked like they needed stitches, but they definitely needed to be bandaged—so that was the next thing he did. He wasn't able to cover up all the scratches, but he made sure to get the bigger ones that may have a chance to open up and start bleeding again.

When he was finally done he looked up, only to find that Sanji was passed out.

Ace had moved to the other side of the room and sat with his back pressed against the door.

"Guess we'll have to wait a little longer before we find out what happened to them." He said with a shrug as he reached up and took off his hat. Ichigo sighed and then went to join the other, leaning back against the door and sliding down to the ground.

He was tired, and hungry as fuck.

Ace's stomach decided to growl at that moment as if to say 'me too!'.

Ichigo looked over and they both chuckled. Ace shifted and reached into his pant's side pocket and pulled out a small leather bag. Ichigo watched curiously as he opened it up and revealed a handful of what looked like beef jerky.

He passed a piece to Ichigo, and the Shinigami immediately started nibbling on it.

"Thank you." He said through the mouthful, making Ace grin before digging into his own piece.

"Yup~ I always make sure I have something to eat. Not that we couldn't find something in town, but I don't have any more money after booking the room."

Ichigo nodded in understanding and was just grateful that the man seemed to be well supplied.

They finished off their jerky and sat in comfortable silence, until Ace got bored, of course.

"So I'm curious…" Ace started and Ichigo couldn't help the snort of amusement as he rolled his eyes.

"You haven't stopped being curious since I've met you…"

Ace pouted at that, now feeling bad that he was being so nosey.

Ichigo sighed and waved his hand at the other's expression.

"I don't mind all that much. What was it you wanted to ask?"

The man hummed in thought for a second before leaning towards the orangette until he could whisper his query in the other's ear.

"I was wondering… What did you teach my lil' brother?"

Ichigo's face immediately burned bright scarlet and he looked towards the other nervously.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He whispered back and he was surprised his voice didn't waver.

Ace snickered at the reaction and then quickly snatched up the other and placed him in his lap so that Ichigo's legs were on either side of him.

"But didn't you say before that you were educating him?"

Ichigo tried to get up off of the man's lap, but Ace kept him still by grabbing hold of his hips. The hold wasn't harsh, just firm—so, if Ichigo really wanted to, he could push the hands away, but for some reason he didn't do it.

Ichigo sat there, silently wondering what his next move should be.

He could either…

Punch the guy in the face and tell him to go screw himself.

Continue blushing like a little schoolgirl and answer him.

Or he could play along.

A switch seemed to turn on in Ichigo and he immediately stopped blushing and looked down at the man with hooded eyes. Ace watched the change and the smirk on his face seemed to double in size at the look he was receiving.

"You want me to tell you?" Ichigo spoke in a sinful voice, making little Ace instantly jump to life. Ichigo noticed and it seemed to rub his ego in all the right ways, especially when Ace's breath hitched as Ichigo moved his hips in a small up and down movement.

Ace hummed and let his smirk drop as he leaned back against the door, narrowed eyes watching Ichigo closely. He then used his hold on Ichigo's hips to keep him still as he began to gently thrust his pelvis against the body on top of him.

"I'd rather you show me." Ace said in a soft, demanding voice.

Ichigo felt his blood boil in arousal and, to his chagrin, he was beginning to revert back into that schoolgirl faze. Ace's presence was suddenly very dominating and different from the happy-go-lucky attitude he usually seemed to have.

Ichigo, to further his embarrassment, actually squeaked when he felt a hand grab the back of his head and pull him into a kiss. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind when he felt lips move against his. He slowly let himself relax when Ace didn't push the kiss any further than that—just lips against lips. Ichigo shifted on the other's lap and, once his confidence returned, he opened his mouth and let his tongue slowly trail across Ace's bottom lip. Said man practically growled at that and Ichigo would've laughed if his mouth wasn't too busy being attacked by Ace's tongue and teeth.

Ichigo finally pulled himself away when he heard a groan come from the bed behind him.

Ace reluctantly let the orangette get up off his lap and grumbled at the loss. Ichigo ignored him as he made his way towards the bed.

This time it was Grimmjow moving around. Ichigo was by his side in an instant and he jumped in surprise when Grimmjow suddenly sat up and scrambled off the bed.

Ace sprang to his feet when Ichigo was abruptly snatched up by his throat and pressed against the wall. He raised his arm to attack the blue-haired man, but Ichigo quickly motioned for him to stand-down.

Ichigo winced and then looked back into Grimmjow's wavering eyes.

The arrancar didn't seem to be fully aware of his surroundings and Ichigo could tell that Grimmjow had no idea who he actually had pinned beneath his hands. Ichigo could tell because of the pure malice he saw reflected in those deep-blue orbs.

Even when they were enemies, Ichigo had never seen this much hatred directed at him. Annoyance—sure, disappointment—of course, hostility—yep, but never hatred.

"Grimmjow." Ichigo gasped out as the fingers around his throat tightened. "It's okay! You're not in any danger, you stupid smurf!" The old nickname seemed to snap Grimmjow back into reality and he instantly released the teen, letting him slide to the floor.

"Shit! Kurosaki, I didn' reali—fuckin' hell." Grimmjow hissed and grabbed his head as a headache began to form, making pain throb behind his eyes. Ichigo took in a few deep breaths before standing back to his feet. At this Grimmjow snapped his gaze up and nearly growled, "Where the fuck were you!? We all went lookin' for you! Ya jus' fuckin' disappeared without tellin' anyone!" He shouted as he got up in the other's face. Ichigo felt guilt swell inside him and quickly changed the subject.

"What happened to you and Sanji? And where are the others?"

Grimmjow tightened his lips and he looked like he was about to revert the conversation back at Ichigo, but then something seemed to snap the arrancar into attention, and his eyes widened. He must've been remembering what happened.

"You'll neva guess who's here…" He said, and his eyes suddenly turned cold and hard.

Ichigo crossed his arms and tried to prepare himself for the information that was about to be revealed.

"Who?"

"Sousuke mother-fuckin' Aizen."

…

..

.

TBC

Sorry about the lack of sexy-time, my ducklings~~ But I wanted to finish introducing the major characters I would be using. I think this chapter introduced the last two I wanted. There might be a few more that pop up in the future, but I'm good for now. Hopefully since it was a longer chapter, you guys are happy anyway

So yeah, I figured I'd throw in some AceXIchigo yumminess

Hope it was okay

Lord knows, I'm trying not to make this into an Ichi-Harem, but I think it's too late for that…

GAWD ICHIGO, STOP SLUTTING AROUND!

Hehhehheh~~~

But yeah, I'll be updating my other stories next, so don't expect anything here for a little while

First, Times it by Ten

Then Debauched Demons