Chapter 27
Nel convinced Rukia to play some of the card games she learned during her extended trip. The problem with that was they were all gambling games and Rukia ended up dropping quite a bit of cash. Rukia was never one to give up without a fight, though, and continued on in the hopes of winning. She never did.
“So,” Nel said after they had been playing for a couple of hours or so, “What exactly am I doing here, Ruki-chan? I know you said it’s about Ichigo but you didn’t even know we were friends, so I’m a bit confused.”
Rukia looked away uncomfortably and fidgeted in her seat a moment before answering, “Well, it was about Ichigo but I think I’ve changed my mind.”
Nel leaned forward with interest, “Changed your mind about what, exactly?”
“Well, I know how good you are with tattoo art and I was going to ask you to give him a new one, but like I said, I think maybe it was a bad idea.”
“Why did you want him to get another tattoo?” Nel was curious to see if her theory was correct so she slyly spoke, “That dragon Yoruichi gave him is pretty damn awesome, Rukia.” When the younger demon’s face became suffused with rage, Nel knew she had hit the nail on the head, so to speak.
“I want him to know that I’m different from her. That fucking bitch had no right to mark him like that! You have no idea what that dragon means!” Rukia was practically growling.
Nel looked suspiciously at Rukia, “Do you kn now what that dragon means?”
“I certainly do,” She spat like an angry kitten, “Ukitake-sama recognized it as belonging to an ancient demon clan called the Shihara. Apparently that bitch, Yoruichi, and her disgusting spouse are demons and he wears their filthy mark!” Rukia was expecting her revelation to be met with surprise by her old friend, but instead Nel’s face showed not a hint of shock. “Nel…did you already know of this?”
“Well, Rukia, that bitch and her disgusting spouse are my relatives…cousins, actually.”
“Wha…huh?” Rukia’s brilliant response made Nel chuckle.
“Well, love, you do know that I’m…uhhh…youthfully challenged, right? I just happened to be around when that supremely wondrous deal was struck with Yamamoto. No one asked me if I wanted to leave my life, so they were all pretty shocked when I refused to join their little super-happy assassins club.” Nel’s smirk couldn’t be contained as she watched Rukia grapple with her revelation.
“B-but…huh?” Rukia was still gaping like a salmon on speed.
“Silly girl, it’s not that difficult to comprehend…although,” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, “I was sworn to secrecy so you’ve got to promise you won’t spread my little secret before I tell you anymore, ‘kay?” Rukia just nodded her agreement and prepared for her stupification to reach new heights.
“Okie dokie, then! At the time the agreement was entered into, Yoruichi’s father-my uncle-was soudaishou of the Shihara clan. Kisuke and Yoruichi were engaged to be married and I was just reaching my 125th year. Yorui and I actually spent a great deal of time together-which, incidentally is why I’m so fucking pissed that she sold Ichi to you instead of me…but, I digress.” Rukia frowned at her segue but said nothing.
“So, anyway, the deal was made between the powers that be, and those of us who excelled in stealth, weapons, and hand to hand combat were ‘drafted’, so to speak, into their ‘army’ of secret assassins. Because there were so few of us who had the level of skill the soudaishou required, we were expected to acquiesce to his demand that we give up our lives for the sake of the ‘greater good’.” Nel snorted in a most unladylike fashion, “To which I said something along the lines of ‘I’d rather fuck old man, Yama-gii than do that shit!’ As you can imagine, that didn’t sit too well with the illustrious patriarch of our noble clan.”
Rukia was finally getting over the shock and laughed out loud at Nel’s obvious sarcasm. Nel gave a small, fake pout and suspicious sniff as tears filled her eyes, “Don’t laugh, Rukia-chan…he was a cold, cruel man and he-he never let me call him uncle.” Her fake tears cleared and were immediately replaced by a radiant smile, “Anyhow, after he disowned me and forced me to drop the Shihara name, my loving uncle swore me to secrecy about the whole thing and every member of my clan was forbidden to speak to me.” Neliel looked genuinely saddened and spoke softly, “I missed my family and friends…I still do. Yorui’s father only recently decided to step down leaving Kisuke as soudaishou. Kisuke’s always had a soft spot for me so he lifted my ‘excommunication’ from the clan. My parents still refuse to speak to me because of the shame I brought them. In fact, Yorui and Kisuke are the only ones I have talked to.”
Rukia looked at her friend with a new appreciation for her strength, “I always wondered why you had no clan name and no real affiliations. I can’t say I’m sorry you made that choice, but I’m glad you did. Otherwise, Ichigo and I would have never known you and that would be a shame…though, I am sorry that you had to lose the people you loved.”
“Thanks, Rukia-chan that means a lot to me.” She visibly brightened after that, “But I wouldn’t change a thing! I was set free and I never had to live according to anyone else’s rules and for that I will be eternally grateful. So, no more depressing talk, okay?”
“It’s just so weird…I find out that bitch, Yoruichi-errr, sorry-anyway, I find out she’s a demon and it turns out that one of my best friends is related to her…it’s almost unbelievable!”
“It’s okay; Rukia, Yoruichi can be a real bitch…I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive her for some of the things she put Ichigo through.” Nel’s eyes darkened as she thought back to the way Ichigo was in the first few months she knew him…after that freak hurt him.
Nel seemed to shake herself out of her dark thoughts and refocused on the present situation, “So, back to the tattoo thing…I really don’t think it would be a bad thing unless he just didn’t want to get one…Hell, I did the exact same thing.”
Rukia was intrigued, “What do you mean?”
“Yorui gave Grimm a panther tattoo on his arm and after I bought him, I gave him a bigger and better one.” Nel grinned, “I guess it was a total control freak move, but I couldn’t care less.”
Rukia nodded her head in commiseration, “I understand completely…” Rukia decided to give in to the rabid curiosity that had plagued her since she found out about Nel and Ichigo’s friendship, “So, how did you meet Grimm…and Ichigo?”
“I’ve never told you how Grimm and I met? Well, I guess I should just tell you a little bit of our story, huh?” Rukia nodded and smiled encouragingly at her friend, “You know how I told you that Kisuke only recently ended my banishment? Well, at that time, Grimm had been with Yoruichi for about a year and he had just turned 18.” She smiled as she thought back to their early days, “She knew I was a bit of a masochist and she said that she had the perfect guy for me…and he most certainly was.”
Nel’s eyes glazed over a bit with lust, “When I saw him, I was hooked. I wanted him and I had him. I would go there as often as I could and the nights that I couldn’t make it, I would drive myself crazy thinking about all of things he was probably doing to some other bitch,” She grimaced slightly at the unhappy thought. “Before I was in the picture, Yoruichi was with him…a lot. He was pretty much her go-to guy for sex. However, we had always been close, so when Yoruichi saw how much I adored Grimmjow, she did her best to stay away from him. Luckily for me, that was around the same time that she found her new toy…Ichigo, so it was a lot easier for her to avoid Grimm.” Nel smirked as she thought about her cousin’s irrational behavior, “Not that she ever let anyone see Ichigo or anything-hell, I was family and hung out with her a lot but she still wouldn’t let me set eyes on him-only those people she had training him could see him. She would tell me about him and how he was progressing with his ‘training’ but that was it. I didn’t let any of that bother me because she never touched Grimm while she had Ichi…hell, she never touched anyone while she was fucking Ichigo.” At Rukia’s sharply indrawn breath, Nel quickly apologized, “Oh hell, Rukia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to throw it in your face like that.”
“No, its okay, Nel,” Rukia shook her head, “Please go on. How did you two become friends with Ichigo?”
“Okay, well, when she decided that Ichigo was going to start taking customers, she took him to the common room and let all the customers ogle him. I wasn’t there when he was first brought in, but I met him soon after. Grimmjow was talking to him-which was weird because Grimm never talked to anyone-and then he introduced us.” Nel frowned, “He was taken away soon after that…do you know what happened to him that night?”
Rukia’s face was pained as she nodded, “I know…I wish I didn’t, though.”
Nel cleared her throat suspiciously, “Well, after that, Ichigo went through a really tough time. He and Grimm became close and any free time they had, they spent it together. As a result, I spent a lot of time with him, too, and we all just kind of became best friends. Grimm and Ichi would do some really crazy shit-always fighting, drinking, and getting high-but I couldn’t really blame them. They’ve both had really fucked up lives, so who wouldn’t want to have some kind of escape from it, ya know?” Rukia nodded silently. “Grimm’s mother died when he was seven and he never knew his father, so he was alone on the streets of Edo until he sold himself to Yoruichi when he was 16.” Tears came to her eyes as she tried to continue his story, “With the exception of a few things, he still won’t talk about everything that happened in between…eight years of shit so bad that Grimmjow won’t talk about it-must’ve been torture.” Nel shook her head as though that alone could clear her mind of those possible atrocities, “Anyhow, he and Ichigo are so alike. Both of them are violent sons of bitches, loyal and honest to the core, and seriously fucking hot…in short, they’re absolutely perfect and I love them both dearly.”
At the end of her speech, Rukia was just as confused as she was before. When she said she loved them both, Rukia’s breath hitched but, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to come out and ask if Nel ever slept with Ichigo. Instead, she decided to try and ignore her own suspicious nature and focused on her friend. She gave a wry smile, “So, you love Grimm, eh?”
Neliel’s radiant smile nearly blinded Rukia, “Well, of course I do. He’s gorgeous, strong, and amazing in bed… What’s not to love?” Rukia silently grimaced when she thought that Nel could also be describing Ichigo. “Although it did take me a while to figure it out…you know how we demons cling to that old myth that we cannot love? Well, I fell for it. I always thought our kind was way too badass to be able to experience such a human emotion, but it turns out that we’re not. We’re just more hard-headed than the humans!” She rolled her eyes dramatically, “It took me about two years before I had enough of sharing him, swallowed my pride, and asked Yoruichi to sell him to me.” Another frown marred her perfect features, “I tried so hard to get her to sell Ichigo to me as well. Grimm and I hated to leave him…he was never meant for that life and we wanted to get him away from all that. Grimm actually refused to leave him alone but Ichigo managed to talk him into it.” The green-haired woman shook her head as if to clear it of troublesome thoughts.
“So, now it’s your turn to spill…tell me how you and Ichigo met!” Nel bounced excitedly in her seat as Rukia told her their rather short story…she was careful to leave out the worst parts of it.
“The way you talk about him makes me think that this isn’t just sex for you, Rukia. That, and Ichigo told me how jealous you are…so, how do you feel about him?”
“I’ve never desired someone the way I do Ichigo and I am fatalistically jealous of him,” She let out a hollow laugh, “Sometimes I think I must be going crazy or something. How can I go from feeling nothing for anyone to feeling everything for him? I don’t know what it all means.”
Nel’s face held not a hint of humor, “Honey, if it makes you feel any better, you are not the first person to act like this over Ichigo. Almost all of those who have had him are extremely covetous of him. It’s actually pretty freaky once you think about it, but women-and men who are of that persuasion-go absolutely fucking nuts over this boy-especially Yoruichi. Grimm and I have discussed it at length and neither of us knows exactly what it is but, there is something about him that drives people to extremes.”
Rukia sank to the couch, stared blankly at her clasped hands, and practically whispered, “But I love him, Nel…I mean, I really love him.”
Nel dropped down beside her and hugged her close, “That’s great, sweetie, it really is. I wasn’t trying to undermine your feelings at all. I think it’s amazing that you finally found someone to love! Do you know if he feels the same?” Nel carefully asked.
“He says he does but I’ve made so many mistakes…I wouldn’t be surprised if he hates me now.”
“What kind of mistakes?” Nel asked with a frown.
Rukia stood, anxiety making her fidget, “I don’t really want to talk about it right now, but suffice it to say, I have a lot to make up to him.”
“Okay, Rukia…we don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. Just know that I’m here for you if you need me.”
“Thanks, Nel.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Now, let’s talk about this tattoo…”
~X~
After about four hours, Nel decided to go out and begin the search for their missing men while Rukia stayed inside to freshen up. Nel saw them walking from the general direction of the stables and laughed because she could see Grimmjow’s face was fixed in a scowl and he was radiating vibes of pissed-offish-ness. Curiously enough, he seemed to be walking with a bit of a limp. Ichigo, however, was smiling like the cat that ate the canary and practically glided across the yard. He was not without blemish though, as she saw the new bruise gracing his strong jaw. This was going to be fun.
“What in the name of all that’s holy have you two gotten yourselves into?” Nel asked when they finally arrived.
The men gave each other quick glances and Nel noted just how hard Ichigo was fighting the grin on his face, “Uh…we…I…he…” He couldn’t continue as he was overtaken by a fit of laughter.
Grimm’s face grew even darker as he elbowed his best friend hard in the ribs. “Don’t even fuckin think about it, you prick,” He hissed between gritted teeth. Ichigo was doubled over and laughing so hard that tears were in his eyes.
“Okay,” Nel chimed in, “Now I’ve really got to know what’s going on.”
Ichigo suddenly darted behind Nel, using her as a human shield from his irate friend, “We were…racing,” He began while trying to catch his breath, “And I let him get alongside me,” Another fit of laughter followed by Grimm doing his damnedest to get to him, “When he got next to me, I turned my head and smiled at him…in my demon form. Then he…he…,” He couldn’t breathe again as Grimm landed a solid shot to the gut but bravely tried to continue. “H-he fell off h-his fuckin h-horse!” Nel and Ichigo couldn’t help the jocularity that overcame them in that moment…It was just too hilarious.
Grimm growled at them and nearly got Ichigo again, but he was saved by Nel’s timely intervention, “So what happened to your face, Ichi?”
Before he could answer, Grimm yelled, “I decked the cock-sucking bastard once I got over the shock of seeing those sharp as shit, fuckin teeth and creepy damn eyes!” Grimm grumbled like an angry little boy.
At his words, Ichigo and Nel busted out into another raucous round of laughter to which Grimm tactfully shouted, “Fuck you, both!”
Rukia was on her way out to investigate all the noise. She chose to quietly observe their interactions from her vantage point at the door.
Ichigo somehow ended up sitting on the ground while he made a valiant effort to catch his breath, “You shoulda seen him, Neli…that was fucking priceless!”
Nel gave him a wicked grin as she offered Ichigo a hand up, “I wish I could’ve been there, baby. I can just imagine his face!”
Baby? Rukia wasn’t happy with their cutesy little pet names, but she tried to keep her jealousy under wraps. Ichigo told her they were just friends and she didn’t want to hurt him further with stupid, unfounded accusations.
Grimm looked up, noticed Rukia standing in the doorway, and shouted, “Your boy’s a real dick, Kuchiki! Can’t you get him under control?”
“As if anyone could ever control that,” She said smugly while gesturing to Ichigo.
This sent Nel into another fit of laughter. Ichigo, however, became completely subdued. He quickly scrambled to his feet and walked toward his mistress.
Let my guard down…FUCK! What if she’s getting jealous because I’m talking to Nel…what if she notices that I’m not the same with her? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!
Nel noticed his abrupt change of pace but ignored it. She boisterously apprised Rukia of what happened with Grimm and Rukia laughed along with her, “My, my, Ichigo…that was pretty wicked of you,” She said with a grin when he reached her side.
Doesn’t look pissed…gotta make sure. Play the part, fucker.
As he pushed his disjointed thoughts away to focus on the game, he gave her a crooked smile, “I suppose it was.”
“But very entertaining, I’m sure,” She said breathlessly.
Hook. Line. Sinker. Take it all, baby.
His smile widened as he took her in his arms, “Very entertaining, aijin.” He bent down until his mouth was next to her ear and his tongue shot out to taste her as he whispered, “But not nearly as entertaining as you are.” When she melted into him, he knew he had her and smiled triumphantly.
Neliel and Grimmjow watched the two of them with matching expressions of incredulity. They watched as their friend disappeared-as he changed into something else. They knew this Ichigo. As they exchanged worried glances, Nel knew she had to find out what the hell was going on.
~X~
“Rukia,” Nel caught Rukia alone while the men were bathing and getting ready for dinner, “What the hell is wrong with Ichigo?”
Rukia feigned ignorance, “What do you mean, Nel? I haven’t noticed anything wrong with him.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Rukia. He’s not acting right. When he was with me and Grimm, he was alright, but the second you walked outside, it’s like he flipped a switch. Is this what you didn’t want to talk about earlier?”
“I was hoping that I was wrong,” She said more to herself, “He hasn’t been quite right, but I thought he was just being overly respectful since you were here. I guess I was just telling myself what I wanted to hear.”
Nel thought Rukia had tears in her eyes as she summoned up the courage to answer Nel’s question, “Yes, that was what I didn’t want to talk about and I still don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, that’s just too bad! I haven’t seen him act like this in a very long time…that’s how he used to behave around Yoruichi and if you’ve done something to hurt him, I wanna know about it!”
“W-We just had a bad day yesterday. That’s all there is to it.”
“Not good enough, Rukia. Tell me what I want to know.”
“Fine!” She spat, “I’ll tell you what I can. The Aizen clan has something that my father desperately needs and in order to get access to it, I have to convince Aizen Ulquiorra that I want him. Yesterday, Ukitake-sama came over for a visit and Ulquiorra came with him. I wasn’t prepared for a confrontation yet, so I kind of freaked out.”
“What does that have to do with Ichigo?”
There was no question that she had tears now, “He was with me when I saw them and…I forced him to act like a fucking slave. It would have been fine, but Ulquiorra was acting like a total ass. Ichigo tried so hard to hide his feelings, but Ulquiorra could tell that he was jealous, so he set out to torment Ichigo by touching and kissing me. Ichigo reacted badly and forced him back before he could kiss me.”
“You know how Ulquiorra treats his slaves and I had to convince him that I was seriously interested in him and that…Ichigo was nothing to me. I had to punish him, Nel.”
Nel’s eyes narrowed suspiciously on Rukia, “What did you do to him, Rukia?”
The light of comprehension dawned in her soulful eyes, “Is that why he’s got bruises on him? Did you hurt him?” Nel rose quickly from her seat, absolutely incensed to think of anyone hurting Ichigo, even if it was one of her best friends.
“Yes, I hurt him,” Rukia snapped back. “Are you happy now? Yes, I’m a horrible fucking person, okay? I don’t deserve to damn well live, let alone have such a wonderful man belong to me. Is that what you want to hear?” Nel didn’t respond to her tirade, so Rukia continued unabated, “You want to know what I did to him. Do you want to know how I punished the man I love?I hit him, I kicked him, I called him a slave and a-a whore.” Rukia was caught up in her retelling and her shame knew no bounds as she recounted her horrible tale, “I forced him to grovel on his knees before us and I-I hurt him even more. I told him he was nothing…I said he was less than a man.” She whispered that part, “Then, Ulquiorra kicked him, hard, in the face. After I watched Ichigo struggle back to his knees, that sick little bastard started touching his hair and calling him pretty. I watched terror cross his beautiful face. I knew I had to get Ulquiorra away from him without raising his suspicions so, I kissed him…What the hell am I saying? I practically fucked the bastard right in front of Ichigo.” Rukia’s head was down as tears ran freely down her face, “I’m so sorry, Nel. I never want to hurt him again but I can’t seem to help myself.” It was said with a whisper and although Nel was sympathetic to her pain, she was beyond angry at how she treated Ichigo.
“You took it too far,” She said coldly. Fun-loving Nel was gone and replaced by the centuries-old blood demon, Neliel. “You could have done anything to get your point across. You could have sent Ichigo away so that he wouldn’t have to face them at all. Why did you do all of that to him? Did you enjoy hurting him, Rukia? You wouldn’t be the first woman to like causing him pain.”
Rukia’s head shot up and her eyes were defensive, “No, I didn’t enjoy it…I-I don’t enjoy it!”
“Look, Rukia, I don’t want to fight with you. I can see that you care for him and you’re sorry for hurting him but,” Nel ran a frustrated hand through her bright locks as she tried to get a handle on her temper, “Ichigo’s been through so much in his short life and I hate that he’s still not happy. I had hoped that since he was here with you, he would be treated better but instead, I find out you aren’t just using his body like everyone else has…you’re fucking with his heart and soul. I love you, Rukia-you’ve been my friend for a long time-but I won’t let you or anyone else hurt him ever again. He is too important to me to let that happen.” She looked Rukia dead in the eyes to make sure she understood the warning, “I will do whatever it takes to make sure he has a good life.”
Rukia tried to quell her urges, but she felt anger welling up inside her. She knew Nel was right, but the way she was defending Ichigo set Rukia on edge. It all seemed a little too personal to be the simple defense of a friend. At this point, she was lucky she hadn’t leapt on her friend yet-Very lucky, because in her anger, she seemed to have forgotten that Nel was one of the most powerful blood demons alive. Either that or she just didn’t care, “Nel, exactly what is your relationship to Ichigo?” She practically growled the question.
Nel was a bit shocked at Rukia’s abrupt change in manner but recovered quickly, “What do you mean? He’s my friend, of course, and before you say that I’m overreacting, I would do the same to protect you from someone who tried to harm you!”
Her words served to deflate Rukia’s anger and she sank into the nearest chair. She was right. Nel has always been like that…always ready to defend a friend. She spoke softly, “I’m sorry, Nel. I’m just so confused right now. I love him and yet, I don’t know how to love him properly. I’m so angry with myself because of how I behaved yesterday and you’re right, I could have done things so differently. I guess I just panicked.” Rukia sighed heavily, “Just so you know, Nel…I’m doing my best. I don’t want to hurt him and I’m going to try my damnedest to keep from doing it.”
“See that you do, Rukia. Just know that I will protect him…even if I have to protect him from you.”
~X~
Rukia was afraid that dinner was going to be a tense affair; however she was immensely relieved when Nel seemed to act like nothing was wrong. She’d given her warning and now they were back to being friends- Nel was good like that.
The wine and spirits flowed freely as everyone seemed to be relaxed and happy. Ichigo and Grimm were, predictably, acting like two young boys (which they kind of were) while the two women had a slightly more mature conversation-something about whether sex with inanimate objects counted as sex. Nel said no and Rukia said yes…it was a stalemate until the boys served as tiebreakers by both agreeing that it was most certainly not sex. That settled, Nel decided to send the conversation in a more productive direction.
“Ichi, guess what?”
“What Neli?”
Shit, tone down the familiar names!
“I’m giving you a tattoo later!”
“Since when do you give tattoos, Nel?” Ichigo took a drink.
“Since…oooooohhh, I guess it would be about 400 years ago, maybe.”
Ichigo just raised one dark eyebrow.
“What, you don’t believe me?” As he shook his head and grinned, Nel stuck her nose in the air, “Hmph, I happen to be a master tattoo artist. When you’re as old as I am-don’t ask, by the way-you get tired of doing the same things all the time. I decided to learn a new craft. I studied for a time in China, Japan, and I spent the most time in Taiwan with the best master I’d ever seen-Master Shou.” Her eyes got a bit misty, “He taught me so much.”
Her smile was back, “More recently-I guess around 200 years ago-I made a trip to a large group of islands known as Polynesia to learn their special techniques. The islands were beautiful and the tattoos they made were striking.” She laughed quietly, “I was actually able to stay there for quite some time-with all the sex and blood I could handle, mind you-because I had those people convinced that I was a goddess…It was so much fun! They would send their most virile young men to satisfy their ravenous goddess…they always seemed a bit confused when I didn’t eat them though.” Grimmjow growled menacingly until Nel leaned over and gave him a scorching kiss, “None of them could ever compare to you, my lovely.”
Ichigo was secretly envious of their obvious affection, but didn’t let it show as he rolled his eyes before urging her to continue, “Sorry,” Nel smiled sheepishly, “Rukia and I talked about it and since you already have a very prominent animal, I thought I would try a fusion of Polynesian tribal art and the dark lines of Japanese form…I think you’ll really like it.”
“You expect me to trust that you do good work, Nel? No offense, but I need proof before I let you put permanent ink on me.”
Yeah right. Rukia wants it so I’m getting it. No questions fucking asked. This is for Nel and Grimm. Gotta play along. Don’t want ’em to worry. He took a long, slow drink of the burning liquid in his cup. He couldn’t focus. What was it called again? Bourbon? Nel found it on her extended vacation. Once you got past the taste, it was fucking magnificent. He was already kind of numb.
“Ugh, fine…Do you remember that panther tattoo Yoruichi put on Grimm?”
Ichigo tried to focus on the conversation once more and nodded, “Of course I do.”
“Well, I kind of tweaked it just a bit. I thought that he should have something far more impressive so I gave him one of my favorite animals…the tiger. I chose it because tigers are associated with power, ferocity, passion and sensuality, beauty and speed, cruelty and wrath…all traits that perfectly describe Grimmjow. Another reason I chose the tiger for him is because he wanted some representation for his friendship with you, Ichigo. Since you are pretty much each other’s complement, the tiger was perfect to represent that duality. In our culture, the Dragon is the defender and the tiger is the aggressor-both equally fierce and beautiful. If the Dragon and the Tiger are on the same level, it is most often considered Yin and Yang-Opposing forces in equal balance, as it were. Therefore, I placed Grimmjow’s tiger on his back-opposite of where your dragon sits.”
Ichigo was stunned, “You did that, Grimm?
“You seem surprised, you punk! Did you think I was just fucking with you when I said you were my brother?”
“I-I just didn’t think…” Ichigo stuttered.
“That’s right, dick, you didn’t think. This shit is for life, motherfucker!” Yep, the liquor was definitely working its magic when Grimmjow was expressing his ‘softer’ side.
When the two tipsy men decided to hug it out, Rukia had a violent coughing fit to cover her laughter. “So when can I see this fuckawesome tattoo, brother?” Ichigo eloquently asked as he gulped down the last of the amber liquid swirling in his glass.
“How about we see it now?” Nel asked, “And after you see his, take your shirt off so Rukia and I can see the combined finished product.”
Grimmjow gave them a cocky grin, “You know it baby. I never pass up an opportunity to flaunt that shit!” Ichigo nodded his drunken agreement and Grimm stood quickly and walked a few feet away. He stared Nel dead in the eye before performing a semi strip tease for her.
Ichigo laughed loudly at what he thought was a terrible attempt at seduction. However, when he glanced over to see Rukia’s reaction to his friend’s little performance, he got a bit of a shock. He watched her watching Grimmjow and could see her getting hotter by the minute. He felt jealousy rear its ugly head before he shoved that shit down deep and instead, thought of all the ways he could make her even hotter. This could be interesting.
Rukia hoped no one was watching her because seeing Grimm’s strip show had really turned her on. She glanced at Ichigo to see if he noticed and lust slammed into her. He was watching his friend with an amused smile and, for some reason, the mental picture of her in between both those gorgeous men came unbidden to her mind…and that image was conjuring the dirtiest of possibilities. She could feel how wet she was becoming and squeezed her thighs together in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. She just hoped when Ichigo took his shirt off that she’d be able to keep from moaning out loud.
When Grimm finally had his shirt all the way off, all three of their eyes were glued to his torso. Nel and Rukia couldn’t get past the pleasing aesthetics of his body…Ichigo was just thoroughly impressed by his new tattoo. This was no ordinary tiger. Its fierce head and massive front paws that reached down his left bicep seemed to be coming out of a dense mist. Its body stretched over his shoulder while the tail curled to the center of his back but the most intriguing part was the impressive set of wings that graced its back.
“Wings, Neli?”
There it is again, idiot.
Nel actually blushed, “Well, even with all of the things the tiger symbolizes, my Grimm-kitty is still more. He has a softer side that almost no one gets to see-almost angelic-so I gave him wings.” She shrugged beautifully.
“Hear that, bitches? I’m a motherfuckin angel!”
“Way to ruin the moment, dumbfuck,” Ichigo deadpanned.
“Do you guys like it?” Nel asked nervously while ignoring their childish banter.
“It’s exquisite,” Rukia complimented.
Ichigo gave her a glorious smile as he nodded enthusiastically, “It really is amazing, Neli.”
Shut the hell up, you stupid, drunk mother fucker!
“Speaking of…get up there next to Grimm and lets see both of those bad boys at the same time!”
Nel’s enthusiasm was catching and Rukia was very excited to see the show. Ichigo joined his friend and decided to show Grimm the proper way to seduce a lady.
He turned slowly and fixed his come-fuck-me eyes on Rukia. As he focused on her, he let his lips turn up in a grin that had never failed to devastate. Tonight was no exception. His sensitive nose picked up on the scents of two arousals and his seductive eyes flickered to Nel as he licked his lips. He watched her eyes darken for a few moments before he turned his attention back to Rukia. He was surprised that she didn’t look ready to kill since he was practically eye-fucking Nel. Instead, she looked absolutely ravenous. He knew the look in Rukia’s eyes…it was a look he’d seen many times before.
She wants us. Both of us. At the same time. Dirty little slut.
Ichigo finally brought his nimble fingers to the first button on his incredibly expensive shirt. Incidentally, Rukia had gone on a buying spree one day and Ichigo had a full wardrobe imported from England, France, and Japan. She now had to keep all of the clothes in a separate room because there were so damn many. This particular shirt was custom made for him and happened to come directly from Paris. The outline of his muscles could be seen clearly through the soft material and both women were doing their best not to rip it from his body.
Ichigo knew exactly what he was doing to them-it was his job to know-and decided to give them a little reprieve. He began systematically opening the shirt, pretending like he was alone in his room until it was opened just below his pectoral muscles. He then looked up, seeming modest and shy, before quietly asking, “Should I continue?” The ladies couldn’t speak, so they chose to nod emphatically. Ichigo glanced over to his friend and saw him roll his eyes when inspiration struck.
He turned to Grimmjow and gave him a conspiratorial wink before asking softly, “Grimm, would you mind undoing the rest for me? I think the ladies would enjoy that.”
You could have heard a fucking pin drop.
Grimm’s immediate answering smile was wicked before he suddenly let it fall as he picked up on his friend’s devious game. He managed to adopt a shy persona, “I-I guess so, Ichi…If they really want me to.” His electric blue eyes darted uncertainly to the shell-shocked pair sitting ten feet away as he walked to within a few inches of Ichigo. “Is that…alright, with you two?” He asked as he slowly brought his hands up in between them.
They were choking on their desire. Literally. They were coughing, trying to draw air into their lungs, while nodding so hard that Ichigo thought their heads would fall off and trying to squeak the word ‘yes’ out of their dry mouths. God, they were actually squirming in their seats. It was funny as hell, but his laughter would have ruined the mood they were in.
Ichigo was actually nervous about playing like this. He’d never tried it before and he honestly didn’t know if he could get through this little performance. But this was Grimm and he wasn’t a threat-it was all just a game for them to amuse their highly excitable women…and boy was it was working! When he saw the raw, unadulterated lust written across both their faces, Ichigo knew that it was worth a bit of mental discomfort.
“Okay then,” Grimm said quietly, still in character. He brought his trembling hands-Trembling…seriously dude?- to Ichigo’s shirt and slowly let the button slide through the hole. Fuck, Grimm can act better than I thought he could, Ichigo thought with an inner smirk. Grimmjow continued down the line until he reached the last one before he glanced shyly at the women. Both of them were leaned all the way forward on the couch. Nel was gripping the cushions like she wanted them to die and Rukia was doing the same thing to the yukata she was wearing. Their mouths were slightly agape…they were like clay in the hands of master sculptors.
Ichigo stamped out any trace of amusement from his face as he turned his body and the full force of his smoldering gaze to Rukia, “Did you like that, baby?”
She couldn’t think straight. His shirt was unbuttoned and the small sliver of skin that it revealed had her wanting to lick it. “I-I-I…y-y-yeeeessss,” Rukia moaned.
He didn’t bother to hide the wicked smirk her stammering produced. Instead, he continued his assault, “Do you want more of it?”
Rukia didn’t think she could breathe anymore. “Mmmmore,” She begged.
He turned his attention to Nel, “And what about you? Did you like it?”
“F-fuck y-yeah,” She replied breathlessly.
“Then I think we should give them what they want, Grimm.” Grimmjow came up behind Ichigo and for a moment, he almost panicked. Grimm knew about his hang-ups and when he saw Ichigo stiffen, he quickly moved beside his friend. He kept his low-lidded gaze trained on the two anxious women as Ichigo turned to face him once more. Grimm could see that he was once again in control and they continued with the show. He brought his hands up and gripped Ichigo’s shirt as he slowly peeled it off his shoulders and down his arms. The women were panting.
Nel’s breathy, “Fucking perfect,” and Rukia’s simultaneous moan of, “Fuck me,” were easily heard by both men but loudest of all was the shout that came from someone else.
“HOLY MOTHER OF ALL HOT AS FUCK FANTASIES!” All four of them turned to see Rangiku standing in the doorway, mouth agape, and eyes glued to the men.
Rukia and Nel were still in a state of shock but they were beyond furious that the most erotic thing they’d ever seen had to end. However, none of them could speak.
Rangiku was the first to force herself out of her stupor, “L-Look guys, I-I’m not sure what I just walked in on and I really can’t believe I’m about to fucking say this but…I-I-I maybe you should put your shirts on.” She rushed through that sentence like it killed her to say it. She took a few more seconds to compose herself, “Karin and Yuzu are putting their things away but they’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Shit,” Ichigo said as he dropped all pretenses and pulled his shirt back on, “Hurry up, Grimm. I don’t want you corrupting my baby sisters with your…,” He gestured to his chest, “You know…all of that…and try to keep the swearing to a minimum, please.”
Grimm grinned wickedly and looked like he wanted to speak but decided against and instead quickly pulled his shirt on, “There…ya happy now?”
“No!” All three women shouted, startling the men, but no one said another word as the girls arrived a few minutes later to see their brother.
“Karin, Yuzu,” He smiled happily as he hugged them each; “I want you to meet some very good friends of mine. This is Nel and that big, blue-haired idiot over there is Grimm” Grimmjow muttered something under his breath but shot the girls his trademark, devilish grin. He sauntered over, kissed each of their hands and asked how such pretty girls were related to such an ugly guy. When both of them were blushing and giggling sufficiently, he dialed the devastating charm down a notch and was immensely pleased when he saw that Ichigo looked ready to kill him. Mission accomplished.
Shaking off his irritation, Ichigo asked the girls about their trip and the group shared a bit of dessert. When the twins could barely keep their eyes open, he sent them back to their apartment with the admonishment to sleep well…or else.
Rukia was ready to take Ichigo upstairs and let him pound her until she couldn’t walk, however, Rangiku had other ideas. Ran pulled outside the dining room, “I have a message from your father. By the way, it’s really annoying how your sexy-as-fuck daddy always sends your messages through me. Anyhow, he wants to see you tonight to discuss some business and Hisana-sama is insisting that you stay the night with them.”
Rukia looked confused, “Did he say what business?”
“How the hell should I know, Ruki-chan? Nobody ever tells me anything. Seriously…Nel and Grimm are here and I had NO clue; Ichigo and Grimm are getting naked in the dining room and I’m not informed; you and Nel are about to gang bang those two fine pieces of man-meat and I’m not fucking invited? What kind of friend are you?” She wailed dramatically.
Rukia rolled her eyes, “We were not going to ‘gang bang’ them, Ran…we were just looking at their complimentary tattoos.”
“Suuuuure, Rukia, placate the ditzy girl-she’ll never know the difference, right?” Damn that girl was good-she had actual tears in her eyes…who does that?
Secretly amazed by her friend’s acting abilities, Rukia tried to get her back on topic, “Okay, so you have no idea why I’m being summoned yet again?”
“Nope.”
“Well, are you going to go with me or are you staying here?”
“Which would you prefer ‘O Friend Who Does Not Share Fine Ass’?”
Again with the rolling of the eyes, “Okay, Ran, sorry I didn’t let you know that we were about to have a dirty, nasty, filthy, fuck-fest,” Well, that was a hot idea, “Next time we do, you’re first on the invite list, okay?” Rukia swallowed nervously, hoping Ran bought her ‘sarcasm’.
Thoroughly placated, Ran nodded graciously, “I accept your apology and if you want some company, I would be more than happy to tag along tonight.”
The pair rejoined the rest of the group and Rukia informed them that she and Rangiku were leaving for Kuchiki manor and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Fighting her instinctively jealous nature, she asked Nel and Grimm to stay the night so that Ichigo could have more time with his friends. When they happily accepted, she and Ran quickly gathered their things and left.
“Well,” Ichigo said with a frown, “That was weird.”
“Little bit,” Grimmjow agreed.
Nel daintily shrugged her shoulders, “Not really…When the soudaishou of your clan orders you to appear, you do it-no questions asked.”
“So,” Ichigo began, “When can we get started on the ink? Tomorrow?”
“Nope, we can do it tonight…Rukia made sure that I had all the supplies I need, so we’re good to go.”
“You’re not too tired?”
“Is that a joke, Ichi? You know how much stamina I have, big boy!” She winked suggestively.
Grimmjow laughed loudly, “That was so cheesy, baby…you really need to work on your lines!”
“Shut it, Grimm. Ichigo, are you ready now?”
“I guess so.”
“Do you think you can bring out your demon form for this? If so, I can do the same and work much faster than I normally would…then Rukia can see it when she gets home!”
“Uhhh,” Ichigo nervously rubbed his neck, “I guess I can try. Promise you won’t make me look stupid?”
“I promise, Ichi.”
“Then let’s do this.”
~X~(For this part I was channeling Eminem and Rihanna-Love the way you lie-might wanna listen on repeat while you read it:)
Ichigo sat in his and Rukia’s room just staring at his new tattoo in the mirror. The bright red that was present initially had already faded, thanks to his demonic form, and now he could gauge the full effect of his new addition. Nel said she based it off the tribal art of those island people but gave it her own flair.
Even though the ink wasn’t his idea, Ichigo had to admit that it looked pretty awesome. Grimm had said it looked very ‘badass’ and Ichigo was inclined to agree. It began at the wrist of his left arm, went up the length of that arm, and ended halfway up his neck. The alternating curves and points of the design made it seem as though black fire was snaking its way up his arm.
Nel told him that she thought her design went perfectly with his other tattoo and that Rukia was going to love it. That’s really all he needed to know because as long as Rukia liked it, Ichigo would be happy. Ever the dutiful slave, he thought scathingly. Ichigo smirked with self-deprecation as he thought of how appropriate the tattoo really was…apparently, the blackness of his soul had finally been given outward manifestation.
Ichigo let out a small, hollow laugh at his morose musings before he finally turned away from the mirror to start getting ready for bed. As he went about his usual routine, Ichigo couldn’t stop his thoughts from drifting to Rukia…too much alcohol and too little sleep-deadly combination for a beleaguered mind. Before he knew it, he started getting anxious, pacing the floor and pulling at his hair.
She still hasn’t noticed a difference in me. This entire day, she’s acted like everything was fine. I’ve been slowly dieing inside and she thinks everything’s fucking perfect! How could I have been so wrong…so stupid?
As much as he hated to let down his mental guard, Ichigo seemed to have no filter on his mind. He thought about everything. He thought back to Rukia telling the girls about him, hurting her, her confessing to love him, and then…yesterday. Rukia kissing that skinny bastard, Ulquiorra; touching his disgustingly pale body; then he imagined her fucking him. His pacing brought him to the wardrobe that his belongings were in and he was so distraught that he didn’t even notice when he started punching it. His mind was racing, his emotions running unchecked. What about tonight? What about the way she was looking at Grimm? She liked him. She liked looking at him. She wanted him. She probably still wants him. Then she looked at me and I knew…I knew she wanted us both. She wanted us to fuck her at the same time. That’s why I put on that little show for her. She fucking loved it. Filthy little slut. If she only knew…
The only reason he stopped punching the piece of furniture is because his hand went through it, splintering the mahogany wood. “Damn it,” He said quietly. Rukia wasn’t going to be happy about this.
More thoughts tumbled through his chaotic mind; Rukia’s punishments, her love, and her mind-fucking-games. All of it only served to heighten his anxiety. He fought to shove down his rising panic-to ignore the burning need he had to relieve it-but it was all still so fresh-the wounds, too deep. It was just yesterday that she sucked the soul from his body and today, she thought it was okay to just leave him? Just like Yoruichi…pretend it never happened and it’ll all go away. Yeah, like that works.
Heartless bitch. Heartless fucking bitch! Why the hell did you have to leave me? You didn’t even ask me to go along…probably gonna go fuck some other guy. No. No. No. No! You wouldn’t do that, would you, baby? I know you don’t love me, but I know you love fucking me. God it hurts. It didn’t even register with him that he’d picked up the small dagger he kept with his clothes. I’m sorry baby…I’m sorry I’m so fucked up. –CUT- Why the hell can’t I stop loving you? I don’t want to do it anymore-it fuckin kills. –CUT- I didn’t mean it, baby. I’ll never stop. I don’t want to stop. I like the way it hurts. -CUT- I don’t want you to stop either. Even if you don’t mean it, I love hearing that shit. –CUT- I hope you keep lying. Lie to me. I fucking love the way you lie. Beautiful, heartless bitch.
Nel heard the sounds of Ichigo punching something and she and Grimm went to check on him. She knocked on the door, trying to get his attention, but he wouldn’t answer her. They knew he was there-Nel could hear his heavy breathing. Grimmjow had enough waiting and busted through the door. He and Neliel stopped short at what they saw.
When they busted through the door, Ichigo looked up and stared quietly at his friends. He was on his knees, tears pouring down his face, knife clutched tightly in his left hand, blood dripping on the carpet. “Ichigo?” Nel said hesitantly as she knelt carefully before him.
He said nothing, “We heard some loud noises and came to check on you…are you okay?” She said gently.
He looked confused by her words until he looked down and saw his current position…and the blood currently running down his forearm. “Fuck,” He said quietly as he closed his tired eyes.