Summary- Shiro and Ichigo are twins, their mother is murdered in front of 5 year old Shiro kurosaki, who will look after his cry baby brother, Ichigo, to keep the promise he made to his mother. But how much is his love for Ichigo worth? When a mysterious group of people seek him out, he will fight alongside his friends. But what secrets do these people hold about his past? And what dirty tricks do they have up their sleeves. LIME, Ichigo x Shiro- incest, with het lime as well. Rating may change in later chapters.

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach.

Warning- Lime: both Yaoi and het. Violence. Character death. Coarse language. Read at your own discretion.

A/N- This chapter is more like a prelude or back-story than an actual chapter. Please read and review! Tell me what you think!

"Owww… Shiro will you please stop kicking rocks at me! It hurts!" whined Ichigo, turning to face his brother with a pout. Another kicked rock sailed effortlessly through the air and impacted with his cheek. For a second, the orange haired boy looked ready to retort, but instead he just sighed and continued walking. Leaving his violent twin fuming with anger.

Shiro and Ichigo were twins, both boys born to mother Misaki Kurosaki and father Isshin Kurosaki on the 15th of July.

The first twin to be born was deathly pale with snow-white hair; it had been uncertain whether the child would survive, as it seemed impossibly unhealthy.

The following child came not 5 minutes later, with bright orange hair and healthy pink skin, A huge smile almost split the infants face in half as chocolate brown orbs met with the smiling face of his mother.

The gold on black eyes of the first twin opened for the first time to this scene. The infant's unique eyes watched his mother smiling down at Ichigo. From the very moment he first opened his eyes he had wished for nothing more that for their mother to look at him that way.

Ichigo broke into a run ahead of him, as soon as the smiling figure of Misaki came into view. She embraced him in a huge hug and asked her youngest son about his day, smiling that special smile she reserved for him as she listened to his happy tale while Shiro watched the scene impassively.
"Oh my! What's this bruise on your cheek dear? Are you okay?" She held Ichigo's face in her hands and watched him closely.

Shiro felt dread as he waited for the answer, Dread like nothing he had ever felt before. It didn't bother him to have to apologize or do extra house chores; He'd even sit through a lecture on family and kindness. What he couldn't stand was what his mother would say if she found out; She would be so disappointed in him; he couldn't stand to see that sad look directed at him, it was his worst nightmare.

"Its nothing mom! I just tripped over" Ichigo smiled at her as Shiro followed them into the house.

It wasn't fair. Why did Ichigo have to be so kind? It made him sick.
Why did Ichigo protect him? It made him angry.

Why was Ichigo such a cry baby? He was so pathetic and weak. So why did their mother look at him that way? Why did her eyes shine with love and delight when he learned something new? Why did she dote on him? Why did she fuss so much?

Why didn't she love Shiro like that?

Today was their first day of school. Ichigo had been picked on all day about his hair colour, but he had only smiled.

Shiro had been picked on too, but a few sharp comments had immediately redirected the bully's attention to Ichigo.

"School is so much fun mommy! We learned about spelling and adding and history and drawing! " Ichigo's voice broke him from his brooding as his opinion was finally asked.

He stared into the expectant face of their mother. "It was boring." He stated.

One year later, the twins were 5 years old, and had been attending school for a year. Ichigo's bullying had gotten worse; sometimes he came home with cuts or bruises.

Today was an especially bad day. The bullies had cornered him in the playground at lunch, now he walked silently down the road after Shiro; bruised legs trailing limply after him.

Shiro watched his younger brothers dejected expression from the corner of his eyes. He snorted- 'serves him right for being such a wimp.' He told himself. But he worried over what his mother would say, while their father seemed totally oblivious to what was going on; the old man would accept Ichigo's tales and laugh it off with him while he bandaged him up.

Sure enough she gasped and doted and fussed over Ichigo for hours before sending him up to bed. Though Ichigo had only smiled, and insisted everything was okay.

"I'm fine mom! I just fell over" he'd laughed.

Later that night, Shiro held his mothers hand as they walked together down the dark street. He squeezed her warm hand to reassure him against the dark.

The moon light up the deserted streets eerily, the only sounds were their footsteps and the rustling of the plastic bags that contained fresh bandages for Ichigo; This new load of injuries had depleted the clinics recourses completely and Misaki had rushed out to buy more immediately.

Shiro wasn't by any means scared of the dark, but he clung closer to his mother anyway, She smiled at him.

Suddenly the jovial sounds of laughter reverberated around the concrete enclosed streets.
"Oh, lookie what we have here!" said a man who emerged from the darkness of an alley, followed by three more thugs.
His mother pulled him along faster than before, but their route was cut off by another detachment of thugs.
"What a Milf!" yelled one, followed by raucous laughter and dog whistles. "Why don't you come have some fun with us mommy? We'll take good care of your kid, I'm sure there's someone here who's willing to… take care of him" the thug grinned wolfishly as they were surrounded.

Shiro was confused, as his mother griped his hand tightly, pulling him into the folds of her skirt to hide him.
"No thank you gentlemen, me and my son have to be getting home now." She stated, trying to move past them, but a hand gripped her shoulder roughly.

"Now, don't be like that girlie, if you don't come, we'll be forced to use more… forceful methods." He whispered, as the distinct sound of a gun being unlocked echoed around.

The one holding the gun grinned, and pointed it straight at Shiro, his eyes widened in terror and confusion.

"Come with us now girlie, you don't want the kid to get hurt do you?" the thug grinned.
There was a long pause filled with tension as Misaki faced of against the group.
In a swift movement her leg kicked out in a brilliant display of combat, taking down the two closest thugs with spinning kicks as she pulled Shiro behind her, The remaining thugs seemed shocked, but charged dumbly at her in an attempt to restrain her.

A flurry of quick punches and kicks sent the first wave to the ground; all the while She kept Shiro behind her, shielding him with her body.

"Fuck!" said one of the two remaining thugs; the one not holding the gun. He pulled out a knife from his back pocket and rushed at the woman, skilfully ducking her first punch he brought the knife up to slash her abdomen, she jumped back just in time, only catching a nick to the arm.

Blood dripped from the wound onto the pavement.

Fear welled up inside Shiro. What was happening? Who were these people? Why was his mother bleeding?

She ducked another slash at her face, She was panting now, running out of energy. Despite that she executed a series of punches to her opponents abdomen, knocking the breath out of him then knocked the knife from his grip. One last blow to the head saw him crumpling to the ground.

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of the gun loading; the shaking hands of the last man stared at her like she was a monster as he pointed the gun at Shiro once again.

Without further comment the gun was fired.

Shiro watched the bullet sail through the air towards him, dread and terror filling his soul as it advanced in slow motion until his Mothers billowy skirt blocked his view.

He stared up at her in fear.

"Mommy…?" he reached shaking hands out to grab her skirt, just as she fell to her knees. The man had run away, so Shiro ran round to her front, a chocked sob escaped his lips as he held her, the blood dripping down his hands and over him. It poured from her like a river.
"Mommy!" he cried, tears pouring over his face. His mother was bleeding! Why was she bleeding? He was so scared, so terrified, what would he do if she bled too much? People have limits to these things, he knew.

"Mommy! Mommy, are you okay? Mommy what's wrong?" His distressed eyes watched her blearily, she gazed unfocused past him, before her eyes settled on his face,

Even through the tears and the blood the smile she wore reached his heart.
"I'm… so glad… Your okay… Darling" she stuttered, before her eyes lost focus again.
If she fell asleep now would she ever wake up? Shiro knew in movies people who bled and fell asleep never woke up, and they had funerals for them and people cried and it was sad.

Shiro didn't want his mother to go away like that. She needed to stay with him and Ichigo because she was their mother.
"Mommy, don't go! I need you! Mommy look at me!" his shaking hands shook her shoulders but she didn't rouse.
"Mommy please. What will Ichigo do if you go now? He's waiting for the bandages!" he Screamed his last card, hoping the thought of Ichigo would rouse her, as his need didn't seem to. Sure enough her eyes focused on him again.

"Shiro… I love you so much." She said and he frowned in confusion,
"No you don't! You love Ichigo." He said without a thought.

Her weak hands embraced him, and pulled him against her bleeding body.

"I love the two of you so much…" she whispered weakly in his ear as he sobbed and chocked on his tears. "Don't you ever think for a minute that I ever loved Ichigo more than you. I love you both equally. My strong little trooper, and my baby." She smiled against him, that same heart-wrenching smile he longed for.

"Promise me…" she coughed up blood, her body convulsing around him.
"Promise me you'll protect your little brother…" she whispered. "That would make me so proud…" Her voice drifted off again, and he shook her back to reality.
"Mommy you can protect Ichigo! He needs you, I need you!" he sobbed.
"Promise me you'll protect him Shiro? He needs you. I'm so proud of how strong you are darling… can you promise me that you'll look out for your younger brother?"

Her hands went limp around him as her breathing came in short bursts. Shiro rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them to look at her face more clearly, but his arms were covered in blood and he got it in his eyes. He felt her cough again, and then she collapsed limply around him, leaning heavily on him.
"Promise…me…?" she whispered weakly.
"I promise mommy! I promise I'll protect Ichigo; he'll never get beat up or hurt again! Please just don't leave us!" he cried louder, clenching her bloodied clothes in his hands.
"That's…good…" she sighed, before falling to the ground beside him; her body just slipped from his grasp and lay still on the concrete.

Bloodied hands shock violently as he reached to grip her limp body, he shook her, screamed at her, called out to her over and over again, but her eyes remained unseeing.

The blood covered the ground, it covered her body and her beautiful hair and her face, it glistened in the moonlight against his pale skin, and it dyed his ivory hair red as he sobbed into her blouse. The weight of death and loss dragged him into the ground as he screamed over her, again and again until rough hands pulled him away. He fought them, Biting and kicking as those hands restrained him and dragged him away from his mother…

"Now class, if you notice over in this Diagram…" Shiro tuned out the boring ramblings of his teacher. He clicked his pen against the desk repeatedly, rested his chin in his hand and regarded the class impassively. His eyes fell on one figure in particular; a shock of orange hair stood out from across the room, Ichigo listened intently to the teacher with that familiar crease his brow got when he was concentrating.

Shiro sighed and ran his pale fingers through his long ivory hair; a habit he had when he was bored.

Even 12 years later he could still recall the exact shade his white hair went when it was covered in blood, he could still picture his pale arms covered in crimson red and see the still body of his mother beneath him like it was yesterday.

He sighed again, twirling his waist length hair between his fingers.

He'd grown it for her; he didn't know why he thought to grow his hair in her honour out of all the things people do to honour the dead. But it seemed appropriate to an 8 year old.

She'd said he was strong, and she'd made him promise to protect Ichigo. So he held true to his promise since that was the only thing he could do.

To him, his hair symbolized his strength; over time it would grow longer, and he would grow stronger. As long as his promise was still kept he would not cut it.

Besides… Ichigo liked it long…-he smiled wryly to himself.

Ever since that fateful night, Ichigo had never come home cut or bruised again; When the bullies had sought him ought the next day, Shiro had been ready, he'd fought them, thrown punches and kicks with nowhere near the level of beauty and grace his mother had displayed. When they overpowered him he'd stood strong and taken everything they could throw at him while Ichigo watched with wide eyes. When it was over, Ichigo had cried, and fussed, and did his best to patch him up while Shiro had grinned; Ichigo had acted exactly like their mother did when he came home hurt.

These days groups of thugs sought him ought endlessly, he'd been forced to perfect the art of hand-to-hand combat; just like his mother. Ichigo would fuss and dote when he came home bruised and he would grin at his younger brother and tell him he was fine.

All-over life went on. After many tears the twins both recovered from the death of their mother, Ichigo had taken up her duties around the house, while Shiro locked up his pain as he sought to grow stronger; he'd never shed a tear since that night, even when he held Ichigo in his arms while his brother sobbed and cried, he'd stay strong and whisper soothing words. He stayed strong for her.

Their Father had been devastated by her death as well; though he only realised it now, looking back. The once cheery old man had become even more cheery, Though he went out nearly every night after he'd put them to bed and return early in the morning, dead drunk.

Shiro respected him for that. Even through the death of his wife, their father had still tried to be there for them.

These days he went away a lot; It was like they lived on their own.

When he'd come home to visit, he'd smile and tousle Ichigo's hair, and congratulate him for all his good grades. He'd gotten a good job overseas, to cover their living expenses and high school fees. He was probably going to send them both to college as well. The old man may be an insufferable goofball but he worked hard for them.

The bell rang, breaking him ought of his thoughts as the students around him moved and chatted. A familiar orange head popped up in front of him.

"Did you understand any of that?" His brother asked, leaning over his desk.
"Nope." He stated, smirking as Ichigo pouted in response.

"You really should pay more attention Shiro, it would be bad for dad if your grades started dropping."

"It doesn't matter, I know you'll explain it to me later, that's what I have you for right?" he grinned as Ichigo smacked his head half-heartedly. The orange head huffed and crossed his arms in defiance.
"Well this one you have to figure out for yourself. I'm not helping. "

"Oh come on Ichi, I know you'll give in later." He stuck his tongue out at his brother before darting out of the classroom.

"Shiro! You have to take this more seriously! Its our last year of high school!" Ichigo yelled after him.

"Its lunch, you coming or what?" he turned to smirk at his sulking brother. Ichigo ran to catch up to him before continuing his lecture on the importance of school.
"School is important Shiro! If you don't pay attention and get good grades what will you do when you leave? You wont be able to get a good job if you don't study!"

Shiro rolled his eyes, and then clamped his hand over Ichigo's mouth; who squeaked in surprise and struggled in his grip.

"Shuttup berry, it doesn't matter as long as I have you. Your nerdiness is enough for the both of us." he whispered in Ichigo's ear, causing his brother to struggle harder.

"Don't call me berry!" he retorted when his mouth had been freed. "And I'm not a nerd! You delinquent!" Ichigo fumed a bright red while Shiro only laughed.

"Hahaha- that's right, you're a nerd and I'm a delinquent. We make a good pair don't we?" He chimed, before slipping around Ichigo and continuing down the corridor.

His berry was always so easy to rile up- such a hot headed little nerd. No wonder he had such a hot head with hair the colour of fire… he chuckled to himself as Ichigo ran to catch up. But he wouldn't have it any other way; His berry belonged to him, and him alone.

A/N- hello! I really hope this prelude explains a lot, and sets the scene and relationship in the story, though please ask me if you have any questions, and please tell me what you think and give suggestions. Constructive criticism is always welcome as I only write fanfiction to improve my writing style, I'm a hopelessly romanticised high school student, that likes to write yaoi porn and overly emotional things like this in my spare time, while covering my guilty conscious with excuses such as improving my writing style.

I'd very much appreciate any suggestions for where you'd like this story to go, because I have no idea. The summary is a load of shit, because I haven't come up with any actual plot line past this point. Please forgive me, and share your ideas! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are looking forward to the next chapter, as it will hopefully be more light hearted and limey.

Read, Favourite, Follow and Review! Thank you for your time!