New story guys! I'm super excited about this and I hope you all will be too. ^.^ Let me know what you think and share your ideas with me because I'd love to hear it! Here's the first chapter and hopefully the next one comes soon so enjoy~

Chapter 1: The Proposal

"Alright I'm off to school, Dad!"

"Have a wonderful day my darling son!" came a booming and overly jubilant voice from upstairs.

The orange haired teen shook his head at his father's ridiculous antics and waved to his sisters as he headed for the door. "Yuzu, Karin! Either of you know where the hell Shiro is?"

"He got tired of waiting for your sorry ass so he left!" Karin barked from the kitchen as her brother was already half way out the door.

"Language!" the red head snapped just before he slammed the door shut behind him, beginning the four block journey to Karakura High School.

Ichigo Kurosaki almost couldn't believe he was seventeen years old and nearly finished with his senior year of high school. He along with his twin brother, Shiro, were notoriously known throughout the small town of Karakura. The two were harassed constantly throughout their childhood years, all simply because their looks were quite "unique". Ichigo was teased for his fiery orange hair and freckled cheeks, but he'd be first to admit that Shiro had it a lot worse than he did. Shiro used to be bullied constantly for his pale skin, ash white hair, and his lightening yellow eyes. Back when those kids used to tease them, they'd both sit back in silence, not wanting to disappoint their dear mother, Masaki. Those kids used to tell Shiro that there was no way he could be Ichigo's real brother and that he had to be adopted. They would also say that perhaps that wasn't true because no grown up in their right mind would choose a freak like him as their child. Countless times there were nights where Ichigo would stay up till the wee hours of the morning with his brother, assuring him that they were wrong. It was those painful memories that led Shiro to be so possessive of him, even as they grew into young adults.

They'd been able to bear the constant hell called school because at the end of the day, they'd get to see the bright smile of their dear loving mother. That was all that mattered to them, aside from each other. They'd always shared an indescribable bond only understood by the two of them alone. In their minds, they were much more than just brothers, they were one soul separated between two bodies. They were inseparable, you would never see one without the other and both would do anything to protect their twin.

As difficult as things had already been, some spiteful higher being had thrust them into all the wrong situations, bringing about an unfortunate turn of events which left them motherless at the mere ages of nine. She was tragically killed by a drunk driver in a car crash, leaving her family wounded and broken at the loss. Isshin had been forced to take on the role of both parents, and he'd become the brainless goofball that he is in hopes of learning to live without her. Although, the older twins knew that he was dying inside at the loss of his beloved wife.

As they entered their middle school years, the bullying never stopped, and it was Shiro who proposed it was high time they fight back. The fights were near constant, each one more brutal than the last. They'd had entire gangs challenge them and still they never backed down. In every fight they'd give their opponents hell, and somehow always managed to walk away from it alright, though that was more than they could say for their enemies. Their fighting skills had become notorious throughout Karakura and they'd earned the title of "Shinigami" somewhere along the way. By the time they'd hit their tenth grade year of high school, hardly anyone dared to challenge them anymore, and they'd gone from having only each other to having a small circle of friends. Which brings Ichigo back to the present.

The red head picked up his pace when he caught sight of his brother just under half a block ahead of him, still a bit shocked that his snowy haired twin had just taken off like that. Without him no less. "Shiro!" he shouted.

Said albino paused mid-step and whirled around with a shit eating grin on his face. "Yo, Ichi!" he yelled as he waved a hand in the air wildly.

"You left without me, jackass!" Ichigo snapped as he jogged to catch up with his brother.

"Hey, Yoruichi-sensei would chew my ass out if I was late ta first period again," Shiro grumbled as he fell into step beside his twin. "I ain't tryna face her wrath this damn early in the mornin', so ya can kiss my lily white ass."

Ichigo merely scoffed as they headed towards their first stop before Karakura High. His best friend, Shinji Hirako, lived just two blocks from their home, and just a block further lived Shiro's best friend, Gin Ichimaru. The red head smiled at the thought of his blonde friend who'd been by his side since freshman year. Shinji was totally flamboyant, openly gay and didn't give a rat's ass who knew it, which was what initially drew them together. Despite the red head never having revealed his sexuality, the blonde knew from the first time they'd met that Ichigo was just about as straight as a fucking rainbow. Though Shinji was rather bold and brash, they'd become fast friends and now they were almost as inseparable as he and his twin.

Okay maybe that was pushing it just a bit.

Shiro's best friend, Gin, was about as wild and unpredictable as Shinji. At first glance, he could quite possibly be the creepiest looking guy anyone could ever meet, but once they actually got to know him, he had quite the sense of humor. He constantly wore a face splitting grin and his squinted eyes hid their ice blue depths. Despite his carefree and cheerful demeanor, he hid a dangerous sort of intelligence only known to those closest to him. And boy, everyone and their mother knew that Gin had the biggest crush on Ichigo's twin, though the albino himself was completely oblivious to it. Shiro was rather blinded by his current boyfriend, Nnoitra Jiruga, and though Ichigo hated him to his very core, he kept his mouth shut so long as his brother was happy.

Now they were just a few houses down from Shinji's, and they could already see the blonde waiting outside of the front gates. Once they were spotted, Shinji bounded towards them with his signature piano key grin and an excited gleam in his honey hued eyes. "Ichi! Shiro! How are my favorite twins on this lovely morning?" the blonde chirped enthusiastically.

"Fuckin' fabulous, Shin," the twins answered routinely with matching grins on their faces.

"That's what I like to hear," Shinji beamed. "Oh Ichi! You absolutely must see my new design! You're gonna love it, I already know," he babbled as he began pulling his sketch pad from his messenger bag. Shinji had always had a knack for fashion design and Ichigo had to admit, he wasn't too shabby. He stared wide eyed and open mouthed at his best friend's latest design, looking up and finding that his twin's expression mirrored his own. It was a classic K-pop styled design with wild patterns and a punk feel to it and Ichigo knew he would just kill to wear something like it.

"Fuck, Shin," Shiro began in awe, "when the hell are ya gonna start gettin' paid fer this shit?"

"Seriously Shin, this is amazing!" Ichigo sighed dramatically and tossed an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "You must teach me, oh great master!"

"Oh hush," Shinji replied with a playful shove and the slightest blush adorning his cheeks. "Alright Ichi, I held up my end of the bargain. I design something absolutely breathtaking and you have to sing a song for me. After all, a deal's a deal right?" the blonde added with a devious smirk.

Ichigo rolled his eyes dramatically despite the almost bashful smile on his face. It took entirely too much to get the redhead to sing, though his voice was down right angelic, which was why this deal had been made. Shinji hadn't designed anything in an awfully long time, said he'd lost his muse, so Ichigo, knowing the blonde absolutely adored his voice, offered to sing for him should he design something amazing. Of course, Shinji took the challenge and now he stood grinning smugly at his red headed best friend.

"Don' worry, Ichi," Shiro began teasingly as he tossed an arm over his brother's shoulders. "Whatever song it is, I'll play it on ma guitar jus' so ya don' hafta be alone, eh?"

"You can kiss my ass, Shiro," Ichigo replied playfully.

They all shared a hearty laugh as they quickly approached Gin's apartment, Ichigo making quick note of the bounce in Shiro's step as they got closer. In no time at all, they spotted the silver haired teen just a short ways ahead, hands shoved in his pockets and gazing up at the sky pensively.

"Gin!" Shiro practically sang with a bright grin on his face.

Ichigo and Shinji glanced at each other with knowing smirks on their faces. The two nearly shook their heads at the blatantly obvious way Gin lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of the snowy haired twin. Ichigo honestly couldn't understand why the silver haired teen seemed to be so smitten for his idiot brother but hey, the heart wants what the heart wants.

"Mah, mah. If it isn' ma favorite lil Snowflake," Gin drawled with his signature grin stretching his lips. He swiftly fell into step at Shiro's side, sending a two fingered salute to Ichigo and Shinji. "Mornin', Ichi-berry! Mornin', Shin-chan!" he beamed.

Ichigo merely shook his head while Shinji played right into Gin's childish antics. "Good mornin', Fox Face! And how are you on this fine day?"

"I'm fuckin' fabulous!" Gin shouted at the top of his lungs, causing a few heads to turn their way and sending the four of them into mad fits of laughter.

Once their laughter died down, Ichigo glanced at Gin over his brothers head. "Yo, Fox Face, did you finish the assignment for Ukitake-sensei's class?" he asked conversationally.

"Ah shit," Shiro growled as he tossed his hands in the air. "I always fuckin' ferget ta do the assignments fer that class! N' the shit was twenty five percent of our damn grade! Goddammit!" The snowy haired albino released a frustrated growl and fisted a hand in his hair.

"Mah, Shiro-chan. I jus' knew ya were gonna ferget," Gin commented nonchalantly.

"Gee thanks. That makes me feel better, jackass," Shiro muttered with an utterly deadpan expression.

Gin's smile never faltered as he shrugged his slender shoulders, suddenly producing a small stack of papers from his backpack. "N' tha's why I took the liberty o' doin' it for ya," the silver haired man stated as he handed the papers to a dumbfounded Shiro. "It won't getcha anythin' more then a B but it's better then nothin'."

As they approached the front gates of the school, Shinji leaned over to whisper in Ichigo's ear with heated and exasperated tones. "Gin is so totally whipped, why the fuck is your brother the only one who doesn't see it?"

Ichigo tossed his hands in the air in a "you know what I'm saying?" kind of manner and just shook his head as they entered the school grounds. They'd arrived just on time as the passing bell for first period rang, signaling for them to all go their separate ways.

Shiro turned to Gin with a rare genuine smile on his face, unknowingly causing butterflies to erupt in the man's belly. "Ya really saved my ass with this one, Gin," the albino began softly, "I dunno how ta thank ya."

Gin's grin stretched just a tid-bit wider as he bent forward, his face just inches from the albino's. "I know how," he said with a hint if suggestiveness in his teasing tone.

Two sets if brown eyes flicked between a grinning Gin and a wide eyed Shiro before landing on each other, matching smirks on their faces as they scurried off to class to give the two a private moment.

Shiro gulped just the tiniest bit at the close proximity between he and his best friend. "N' wha's that?" he asked, proud of how utterly calm he sounded.

Gin's entire aura was suddenly filled to the brim with a sort of childish glee as he tilted his head to the side and tapped a slim finger against his cheek. "Why dontcha go 'head n' plant one right there, ne?"

Shiro rolled his eyes in an exasperated manner even as his smile stretched wider. "Gin, ya know I can't kiss ya. I got a boyfriend n' I sorta have a badass reputation to uphold," he replied in a teasing manner.

"Ya do realize those two things completely contradicted each other right? I mean 'boyfriend' n' 'badass reputation' shouldn' even be said in the same sen- Oof!" Gin rubbed the sore spot on his chest where Shiro had smacked him rather roughly and chuckled. "C'mon Shi, it's jus' a lil kiss on the cheek, ain't no harm done," he cooed.

Shiro unconsciously bit the inside of his cheek as he contemplated Gin's words. The man was right, it was just a simple kiss on the cheek, and he did owe him. Relenting with a heavy sigh and inwardly cursing the man for making him do something so girly, Shiro got on his toes, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss to Gin's cheek. He was completely and utterly baffled when at the last second, Gin turned his head and pressed their lips together in a soft, but admittedly breathtaking, kiss. Almost as quickly as it happened, Gin pulled away and scurried off before Shiro could even react.

Once the albino managed to get his whits about him, he balled his fists and raced after the silver haired teen, cursing quite colorfully as he went. "Yer fuckin' dead, Fox Face!" he shouted. It only briefly crossed his mind that Gin's dumb ass must have forgotten that they had the same first period so there was really no where he could run. But how dare Gin kiss him?! Given, it was just a peck, but still! Was the man crazy?!

The moment the two bolted into the school building, just about every student in the halls moved out the way, all going wide eyed at a cackling Gin and furious albino. Shiro's cheeks were burning red, from embarrassment or rage even he didn't know, and he continued cursing at the run away teen. He wasn't so much angry that Gin had kissed him, but more so at the fact that he'd...enjoyed it. That damned kiss had brought on unnameable feelings and confusion, so of course his default emotion had been anger. That's just how he dealt with things.

He'd been quickly gaining up on Gin when he was suddenly snatched rather roughly and yanked into the boys bathroom, momentarily disoriented as he was shoved into a stall. Quickly shaking his head and whirling around with his fists raised, he sighed heavily at the sight of the all too familiar piano key grin and beady violet eye. Nnoitra Jiruga, the fifth ranking member of a wide spread gang known as the Espada. He was one of the youngest members of the group and yet he'd earned a place in the top ten before even graduating high school. Rumor has it that the lanky teen was on some sort of drug to enhance his strength and that's what got him his position, no matter, every student in Karakura High feared him, all but Shiro. The albino had a knack for attracting danger and it was all fun and games until the Espada learned how to trap him.

"The fuck do ya want, Jiruga?" Shiro snapped, not bothering with the 'happy couple' facade now that they were alone.

"Aww, didja wake up on the wrong side o' the bed, Snowflake?" the one eyed man replied mockingly.

"I thought I told ya not the call me that, asshole!" the albino snapped before thinking. He couldn't honestly say he was surprised when he was roughly grabbed by the collar and slammed into the wall with Nnoitra snarling angrily in his face.

"Ya better watch yer fuckin' mouth, bitch," he growled, "n' I'll call ya whatever the fuck I feel like. Why's that fox lookin' mother fucker the only one that can call ya that, huh?" Nnoitra paused, breathing heavily and narrowing his eye. "Ya know what? I think ya need ta be reminded jus' who ya belong to."

Shiro's eyes widened just a fraction and he yanked the man's bony hands from his collar. "I don' have time fer this shit, Jiruga! I'm gettin' detention fer sure if ya make my ass late again!"

"I think detention is the least o' yer worries right now," Nnoitra replied in a dangerously low tone. "On yer knees," he commanded. Before Shiro could even protest, the dark haired man cut him off. "Or have ya forgotten what'll happen ta yer dear baby brother if ya refuse?"

Shiro knew all too well what would happen. Nnoitra would unleash his lap dogs on his little brother and allow them to do unspeakable things to him, they would taint his innocence in the worst ways and Shiro would be forced to watch if he didn't submit to this monster. Gritting his teeth painfully, he reluctantly got down on his knees and suppressed the shudder of disgust that wanted to rip down his spine.

Bustling into their first period class, Ichigo and Shinji took the two seats in back closest to the windows, still grinning like idiots. "Ya think Gin finally took our advice n' went for it?" Shinji inquired excitedly.

"I don't know but it sure seemed like he was gonna do something didn't it?" the red head replied, his eyes shining with glee.

"Oh I really hope he did!" Shinji said exasperatedly. "I can't even begin to comprehend why your brother is still with that asshole and not Gin!"

"Well Shiro doesn't seem to be complaining so there's not much we can do except hope that Fox Face finally grows a pair and confesses."

"Hmm, I wonder how that'll work out," the blonde mumbled wistfully. When he received no response, he glanced at Ichigo and watched warily as a face splitting grin slowly began to form upon the boy's lips. Shinji nearly fell back in his chair when Ichigo suddenly threw himself at him in a dramatic fashion and began spouting a poor but comical imitation of Gin.

"Mah~, Shiro-chan! Oh how do I love ya? Lemme count the ways!" Ichigo exclaimed as he tossed an arm in the air for extra effect. "Probably something like that, right?" he asked the blonde who stared wide eyed with surprise.

After the initial shock wore off, Shinji burst in to hysterics at the red head who had so casually thrown himself in his lap as the rest of the class watched in amusement. The blonde was beginning to think that his crazy was rubbing off on Ichigo because he only ever acted this insane around him.

"Ne Ichi, ain't that a bit much?" he chuckled.

"This is Gin we're talking about here," Ichigo responded as he moved back to his own seat.

The movement of all the students scrambling to their seats signaled the presence of Kyoraku-sensei just as the next bell rang. The teacher strolled in with his usual air of laziness about him and he carried a small slip of paper at his side, the green slip normally used to excuse a student from class.

"Kurosaki-san?" he called.

Standing from his seat, Ichigo bowed respectfully. "Hai, sensei?"

"The head master wants to see you in his office immediately," Kyoraku-sensei drawled as he held out the slip.

The class "ooed" in unison as Ichigo exchanged a worried look with his best friend, his mind immediately going to whatever he might've done wrong in the past couple days. Shinji smiled reassuringly and ushered him towards the front of the class where the teacher waited expectantly. Without further ado, Ichigo grabbed the pass and started for the head master's office as his natural scowl gradually tugged at his brows.

Upon arrival he nearly halted in his tracks at the sight of men in black suits lining the hall just outside the office doors. There were maybe twelve of them and Ichigo eyed them warily as they bowed, two of the men pulling the doors open for him. Slowly and cautiously he made his way into the office, all kinds of bizarre scenarios springing to the forefront of his mind. He shook them off as he caught eyes with the head master, or as all the kids called him, Yama-ji. The old man sat across his desk from a man who's face Ichigo couldn't see, all he spotted was slicked back chestnut brown hair. He bowed respectfully to his head master and said man nodded in acknowledgement. "Kurosaki Ichigo, there's someone here I'd like you to meet." Ichigo noticed that Yama-ji was speaking in English, so he followed suit with the assumption that whoever else was there spoke said language.

As if on cue, the mysterious man gracefully rose from his seat, revealing his pristine white suit, and in an almost dramatic fashion, rotated on his heels to face Ichigo. The red head had to stop himself from taking a sharp breath of air at the sight of the man's handsome face and deep, calculating brown eyes. A single rebellious lock of hair hung between those eyes and the man's kind smile betrayed nothing of his intimidating aura. "A pleasure to meet you Kurosaki-san. My name is Sosuke Aizen," the man greeted, his voice deep and smooth.

Ichigo appreciated that though the man spoke English, he had the respect to use the proper endowments when addressing him by name. He bowed his head slightly, wondering why the name "Sosuke Aizen" sounded familiar, and turned to Yamamoto with a questioning look. "Uh, what exactly is this about?" he asked with an upturned brow. He glanced between the two of them before a thought suddenly struck him and his eyes widened. "Did my brother do something? Is he getting arrested?"

To his surprise, the man named Aizen chuckled and even Yamamoto cracked the tiniest grin at his panicked expression. "No, for once this isn't about another one of your brother's shenanigans," the old man replied. "Why don't you take a seat, Kurosaki." Ichigo did as told with his usual scowl in place and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for someone to begin the conversation.

"Kurosaki-san," Aizen began, "you'll be graduating in about a months time. Have you thought about which college you'll be attending?"

"Uh, I just figured I'd be going to the local university," Ichigo replied in a confused tone, "why do you ask?"

"Are you familiar with the Las Noches Academy of the Arts?"

"Ummm..." Ichigo racked his brain for a few moments before a light bulb lit over his head and his eyes widened slightly. "Yeah actually. I hear its one of the most prestigious musical art schools in America. Its in New York right?" Aizen nodded in response. "I also hear the head director is-" Ichigo suddenly cut himself off, realization hitting him hard and making him feel like a complete idiot. "Sosuke Aizen. You're the head director," he grumbled as he dragged a hand down his face.

"Indeed I am," Aizen replied with an amused tone.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize who you were earlier, but, do you mind my asking why the head director of a prestigious American art school is here in Japan?"

"Why, I'm here for you, Kurosaki-san," the director replied all too smoothly. "I'd like for you to attend my school, in fact I have a proposal. I'm willing to offer you a free ride scholarship. No tuition fees and no payments for on campus housing."

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just that you contribute your skills to Las Noches."

Gaping open mouthed, Ichigo turned to Yama-ji, expecting all of this to be some sort of joke, but found that his principle's expression was as serious as it had ever been. Shaking himself off and switching his gaze back to Aizen, he asked dumbly, "You flew all the way to Japan to ask me to go to your school?" Turning once more to address his principle, Ichigo switched back to speaking Japanese. "Do Americans not understand the use of a phone or something?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Kurosaki!" Yamamoto shot back angrily.

"Well, actually," Aizen jumped in, speaking perfect Japanese much to Ichigo's dismay, "I'm here by my son's personal request."

Ichigo went red with embarrassment, staring awkwardly between Yamamoto and Aizen. Trying his damnedest to forget that he'd just insulted one of the richest men in America, he replied shakily with "Why is your son interested in me?"

"As far as I've been told, he'd been here in Japan on a small vacation a few months ago and came across you at a local park. As my son was passing through, you were singing to a group of small children along side your twin, who by the way was playing the guitar rather skillfully. Would this happen to ring any bells, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo recalled the event perfectly, however he didn't remember seeing anybody else there that day. "Hmm," he mumbled, rubbing his chin pensively, "well Aizen-san, as flattered as I am that you came all the way here, I'm going to have to decline your offer." Without further ado, Ichigo rose from his seat and proceeded to exit the principal's office, only to be stopped at the door.

"Might I ask why, Kurosaki-san?"

Without missing a beat, the fiery redhead responded, "I'm not going anywhere without my brother."

Pearly white smile ever present, the head director replied with, "That can be easily arranged."

Staring slightly wide eyed and open mouthed, Ichigo muttered, "You're son wants me that badly." It was meant as a question but sounded as more of a statement.

"Well I would certainly say so," the older man said with a smile. For just a fraction of a second, Ichigo appeared to be pensive, but once again shook his head. "If you happen to change your mind, I'll be in Japan for another week. Here's my card," Aizen added politely as he held forth a small business card. Ichigo reluctantly accepted the card and bowed respectfully, finally taking his leave.

Rising from his knees, Shiro wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve in shame, shoving himself from the bathroom stall and heading straight for the sink. Nnoitra followed with a cocky grin on his face, lazily pulling at the zipper of his jeans and barely righting himself. "Yer gettin' pretty good at this, Snowflake," the one eyed teen drawled, "but I could still get a five dollar whore ta do better."

"Yeah? Then why don' ya, Jiruga?" Shiro snapped back.

Narrowing his eye, Nnoitra stepped dangerously close at Shiro's back, looming over him in what was meant to be intimidation. "Yer startin' ta build a real bad habit o' talkin' back to me," he growled lowly. The albino only stared blankly at him through the bathroom mirror, waiting to see if the man would use another act of violence to get him to submit. However, before he could find out, the chime of a cell phone broke the silence and both teens looked to each other questioningly. "Who the fuck?" Nnoitra wondered aloud when he realized it was in fact his phone. Slipping the phone from his pocket, he squinted at the screen and brought it close to his eye. "Oh, it's Tesla."

Snickering, Shiro muttered, "Ya know that guy has a thing for ya, I dunno why ya don' jus' make him yer bitch."

When he didn't receive a snide remark in return, he glanced up towards the mirror and found Nnoitra staring intently at his phone, a sort of crazed fury beginning to roll off of him. Not wanting to be the victim in which Nnoitra took out his frustrations, Shiro began to quickly ease his way out of the bathroom. "I don' wanna be anymore late then I already am so, until next time, Jiruga."

He had been so close, so close to escaping this monster's web of chaos once more, but alas, just a few paces from the door he was roughly snatched by the hair and thrown back onto the stone cold tile. He landed with a small grunt of surprise and couldn't help the challenging look in his eyes as he regarded the infuriated teen. "Ya wanna try explainin' this shit?" Nnoitra spat as he tossed his phone into Shiro's lap.

Slowly picking up the device, the last thing Shiro expected to see was a picture of him and Gin lip locked by the school's front gates. Staring slightly wide eyed, the albino had not a clue what to say. If he told this one eyed gang leader that it was Gin who kissed him, he might as well be handing over his best friend's ass on a platter. However, if he lied and said it was his own doing, that could very well be his and his brother's ass. No matter what he thought to say, apparently he had taken too long to answer because just as he opened his mouth to speak, he was met with a right hook to his jaw.

"Ya think this is a game?!" Nnoitra roared with a swift kick to Shiro's ribcage, ignoring the pained yelp it elicited from the smaller teen. "Ya think ya can just whore around an' I wouldn' find out about it?! Think again ya fuckin' slut!" Another fierce blow to the ribs, only now followed by a sickening crack and a gut wrenching scream of pain. "My boys 're gonna pay yer little brother a visit," Nnoitra seethed with another crushing blow to Shiro's jaw, "and I think ya know what happens next."

All it took was one more debilitating kick to the ribs and Shiro screamed, felt his chest tighten, and suddenly was spitting up blood all over the bathroom floor. Each second it was becoming more difficult to breathe and he'd never felt so helpless. He couldn't fight back, not if there was a chance he could convince this monster not to harm Ichigo. Crouching on his knees, Nnoitra mercilessly snatched Shiro by the collar of his shirt and yanked him off the ground so that they were eye level. "I ain't done with ya yet, Snowflake. Ya better watch yer back." And before Shiro could even focus his suddenly blurry vision, the beast had snatched up his cell phone and stormed out.

Chin resting lightly on his palm, Ichigo twirled a pencil in his other hand, nearly asleep in his seat listening to Kyoraku-sensei's boring lecture. The seconds ticked by slowly, time dragged, and nobody in the classroom wanted to be there. Everyone was dying to go home and begin enjoying their weekends, even Shinji was face down on his desk with drool seeping out the corners of his mouth. Just as Ichigo was sure he was about to slip under, both he and Shinji leaped nearly three feet in the air at the blaring sirens approaching the campus. Hardly alarmed by the intrusive sound, Kyoraku-sensei casually approached the window, not noticing that nearly half the class followed. The ambulance barely skidded to a halt before the MTs leapt from the vehicle, rushing to grab all their equipment.

"Oh my goodness, Ichi," Shinji gasped with a hand over his mouth, "you think someone got hurt?"

"I would damn well say so. I just hope it's no one I kn-"

"Kurosaki-san!"

The whole class jumped and whipped their heads towards the classroom entrance. "Keigo?!" Ichigo blurted, suddenly panicked by the boy's disheveled appearance and frightened expression.

Keigo grasped his chest in one hand and pointed down the hall with the other, panting heavily. "In the boys' bathroom," he wheezed, "they found your brother. There- there's blood everywhere!"

Ichigo was practically out the door before he could even finish his sentence, with Shinji scrambling to follow. Ichigo could almost feel every drop of adrenaline rushing through his veins and every beat of his heart was like a sonic boom in his ears. There were so many questions racing through his mind. What happened to Shiro? Did he hurt himself? Did someone else hurt him? Fighting the tears beginning to form on his lashes, Ichigo grit his teeth and ran faster. "Call Gin, Shinji!" he screamed over his shoulder.

"How much you wanna bet he was the first one there?" the blonde shouted back.

Rounding the corner at the end of the hall, Ichigo came to an abrupt halt as he stared wide eyed at the MTs rolling a gurney out of the boys' bathroom. Only seconds dragged by but for what seemed like hours to Ichigo, he tried fruitlessly to deny that the still figure wrapped in white sheets was his brother. If he hadn't already known his twin was albino, he would've thought the MTs were disposing of a corpse rather than trying to save a boy's life. Shiro's face was bruised black and blue and the rise and fall of his chest was erratic. Even his skin was slightly more pale if it was remotely possible. Eyes flicking back and forth, Ichigo noticed the much less pale hand that was in Shiro's, and another that was stroking his ash white hair. Shinji was right, Gin was the first on scene, but something was very wrong. Everything about him was dark, angry, and perhaps even vengeful. Gin's ice blue eyes met Ichigo's for just a split second, but in that moment they exchanged more words than they ever could verbally. And with just that look, Ichigo suddenly knew. Shiro knew full well how to hold his own in a fight, but this was different. He had to have allowed someone to do this to him and, no matter what the reason was, there was only one person he knew his brother wouldn't raise a hand to.

"Sir, I need you to step back." Ichigo shook himself from his stupor and stared down at the female MT in confusion. "Sir?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, only to find that no words would form on his tongue. He noticed a sudden wetness on his cheeks and quickly dragged a hand down his face before anyone could realize he was crying. Luckily Shinji stepped in at this point, placing a light hand on Ichigo's shoulder as he addressed the MT. "He's our brother," he said. The woman looked confused and lifted a brow as she looked between the blonde and the redhead. "I'm adopted," Shinji added, lying through his teeth.

Still skeptical, the woman nodded and started toward the exit down the hall. "Let's go then."

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

The silence in the hospital waiting room was so thick with tension that even the ticking of the clock seemed deafening. Gin had isolated himself to one corner of the room, staring at nothing and still as a statue. Shinji sat solemnly at Ichigo's side, softly stroking his hair as the red headed teen sat hunched over with his hands over his face.

Tick-tock.

Shiro had internal injuries that required immediate surgery, so now here they were waiting. Waiting to see if Shiro would survive.

Tick.

Yuzu and Karin hadn't stopped crying since they'd arrived at the hospital and Ichigo couldn't even try to keep it together for their sake. The only one who seemed to remain sane in wake of all the madness was Shinji, mostly because he knew more than anyone that Ichigo was everyone's shoulder to cry on in times like these and he just needed a moment. A moment to be hurt and angry and heartbroken without worrying for everyone else.

Tock.

Ichigo's head suddenly snapped up, as if he'd just experienced his first moment of clarity since his brother had been put in an ambulance. However, he nearly startled Shinji into cardiac arrest and now all eyes watched him warily, unsure of his next move.

"We can't stay here," the redhead suddenly stated, deep amber eyes focused solely on his father.

Shinji's jaw dropped slightly and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Ichi, ya can't just leave yer brother-"

"No, Shinji," Ichigo snapped as he leaped from his chair, facing the whole group now, "I mean in Karakura, in Japan. We can't stay here."

Isshin slowly rose from his seat, expression more serious than Ichigo had ever seen it. "What are you saying, son?"

Ichigo glanced nervously at Gin, who still hadn't moved, and Shinji, who gazed back with a sad, confused look in his eyes. "We already know that Nnoitra is one of the top ten ranking members of the Espada and by now he's probably already put word out that Shiro is a target. He has the authority to have Shiro and everyone he loves killed if thats what he wanted. Look, Shiro and I are more than capable of taking care of ourselves but if they couldn't get to us they are not above putting a gun to Yuzu or Karin's heads and that's not a risk I'm willing to take. I don't even know why this happened but-"

"I kissed 'im."

Silence filled the room once more and several sets of wide eyes watched Gin with amazement, jaws hanging dumbly. Several moments passed before Shinji began shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well that's a head turner," he stated awkwardly, desperate to break the tension.

"Wait," Ichigo began, shaking off the initial shock, "you did what?"

Gin finally lifted his head, allowing his shining silver locks to fall from his eyes. "Betrayal is taken pretty seriously among the Espada, ain't it?" he drawled rhetorically. "I dunno how he found out, but I'd bet on that lil' blonde bitch o' his if anyone was stupid 'nuff ta tell 'im."

Ichigo scoffed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and chuckling in disbelief. "My brother could get killed over a fucking kiss," he stated condescendingly. "Shiro could get killed over a fucking kiss!"

"It ain't about a damn kiss, Ichigo!" Gin suddenly screamed, launching himself from his chair and quickly approaching the redhead, eyes ablaze. "It's about territory! It's about property! As far as he sees it, I defiled somethin' he owned." He turned to face Ichigo's family then, "Ichigo's right. Ya can' stay here. The Espada are based all over Japan, they'll have eyes anywhere ya go. If there was another way believe me I'd do anythin' ta keep Shiro close by, but the only solution I c'n see is ta leave the country."

Isshin nodded his head slowly, steadily taking everything in. "You really think its the only way," he half questioned, half stated.

"Yes, sir," Gin replied solemnly.

The room fell silent once again for a few short moments before Yuzu's small, defeated voice reached everyone's ears. "But...where are we gonna go?"

Ichigo exchanged a look with Shinji, heartbreak evident in his pleading amber eyes before he finally sighed and hung his head. He shoved his hands in his pockets and paused as he fingered the business card he'd put there, the solution dawning on him.

"What about New York?"

And there you have it~ Please review my lovlies. ^.^