Stray

A/N: Ah, another update at last! Sorry for the wait, but this chapter was especially difficult for some reason. Maybe it’s cuz this time, there’s no smutty lemony goodness? Eh. Who knows. I tried not to make them seem TOO OOC. I might have failed at that. Miserably. BUT! It’s called *A/U* FANfiction. I’m exercising my writer’s creative license thingy. XD This chapter features Hanatarou, Kenpachi and Yachiru! Enjoy the fluff. :D



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The next day, Ichigo decided Grimmjow’s been cooped up long enough inside. “Grimm? Wanna go to the park? It’s a really nice day out. Let’s get some fresh air, ne?” he asked, as he played with the cat’s triangular ears.



Said ears twitched in interest at the prospect of going out from Grimmjow’s current position, lounging on the couch with his head on his little master’s lap. “Park?” he asked in his low, rough voice of his.



“I’ll take that as a yes,” Ichigo smiled, “We could have a picnic, just in time for lunch. I could make you tuna sandwiches and pack a bottle of milk for you. How does that sound?” He laughed when Grimmjow flipped over and pounced on him, purring and nuzzling his cheek in thanks.



“Sounds good,” Grimmjow smirked, before letting his mate up to make the preparations. After the basket was packed, Ichigo hooked a leash to Grimmjow’s collar next to his tags, and the two headed out to the park about 10 minutes away. They took their time, enjoying the sunshine and lush greenery on the way.



Grimmjow never before thought he would ever see the day when he would be walked on a leash. Granted, Ichigo was holding it loosely, but the fact of the matter still stood. In the past, he had been a rather wild, violent animal, having to fight to survive every day of his life since he was forced to leave his mother when he was only a kitten. Time passed, and under cruel training regiments, he grew used to his harsh new way of life, even growing eager for the next fight, and became dangerously aggressive and bloodthirsty and never to be tamed. That all changed when he realized how far he'd fallen into that hellish pit, and decided to escape as soon as he could. He’d been lucky and seized the opportunity to break out when police busted in on his previous owners, and captured them to be sent away to prison. And then, Ichigo found him, and the rest was history.



He never thought he’d ever be so…domesticated, but he found that he didn’t really mind nor care. Grimmjow was actually quite content with walking beside his little master. His hands were in the pockets of his white hakama pants held up by a black sash that Ichigo had bought for him. The tom cat was also dressed in an open white half jacket with its sleeves rolled up, showing off his muscular arms and chest, which Ichigo personally liked very much. Black socks and white sandals adorned the feline’s nimble feet, completing the outfit. His dexterous tail swaying behind him lazily as they finally reached the park and found a shaded spot among the trees to settle down for their picnic.



Ichigo took the blanket inside the basket and spread it across the grass, slipping off his shoes before sitting down. Grimmjow followed his master’s example, taking off his sandals before settling down close to the teen on his stomach where some sun shined onto the blanket. He purred happily and pillowed his head onto folded arms for a nice sunbath. Ichigo smiled as he pulled out a couple of sandwiches, turkey for himself and tuna for his feline. The pair spent their time eating in an easy silence, Ichigo pulling off bits of tuna sandwich to feed to Grimmjow. He blushed when the older male playfully nipped and lick at his fingers, the scowl on his face not matching his heated cheeks which made Grimmjow chuckle darkly.



After finishing their meal with some nice cold milk, Ichigo sighed, relaxed, and watched the clouds roll by while Grimmjow slipped into a light doze. A nap is in order after having his fill, but just as he was getting comfortable, a scent on the wind made his whole body stiffen instinctively, and he quickly looked up to try to find the source.



Ichigo noticed his cat tense, and concerned, he asked, “Grimm? What’s wrong?”



After a moment’s pause, Grimmjow snarled one word, “Dog.” His sharp, cyan eyes locked on and didn’t move from his target. The teen looked up in the direction of the feline’s glare and saw a huge canine hybrid running towards them with what looked like a little pink-haired pup on his shoulder pointing straight at them. It looked like their small owner was being dragged along for the ride, clutching their leashes tight like a life line. Thanks to his reflexes, Grimmjow was up in a flash and seated in a crouch. His ears were flat, his tail stilled, and his body was taut and ready for anything.



Just as Ichigo thought the massive hybrid was going to bowl them over, the dog stopped, and plopped down into a crouch similar to Grimmjow’s right in front of the feline, panting audibly. “B-bad boy, Kenpachi! You don’t go chasing the first cat you see, you crazy dog,” a winded voice chided, carrying through from behind the giant canine. A small boy with longish black hair stepped around his hybrid, leaning against his well-muscled arm to catch his breath and a pale, slim hand over his erratically beating heart.



“Hanatarou-san?” Ichigo asked, blinking at his fragile-looking friend, while his mind tried to catch up on what just happened. Hanatarou looked up quickly.



“Oh! I-Ichigo-san! Hello. I’m sorry. Please forgive us for startling you. Kenpachi, h-he’s…eh…still new at this,” the smaller boy stuttered and smiled apologetically, sheepishly scratching his head. “He may look intimidating, but don’t worry! He’s not that bad once you get to know him. But Yachiru wasn’t really helping any, the rascal,” Hanatarou shook a finger playfully at the little pup still on Kenpachi’s shoulder. Yachiru just yipped cheerfully before continuing to play with the little bells hanging off of Kenpachi’s hair, done up in menacing spikes. Ichigo smiled at the sight, noticing the juxtaposition yet odd compatibility about the two dogs.



“Ah, don’t worry about it. I must admit though, I thought he was gonna run right through us there for a moment,” the two humans laughed, “but I’m glad we’re now in the clear, right, Grimm? …Grimmjow?” This whole time, Grimmjow hadn’t allowed his body to relax nor let up the hard, dangerous look carved onto his face. He couldn’t afford to, not when another alpha male was present. His mate was behind him, and he didn’t know what this big intruder’s intentions were.



Kenpachi seemed either oblivious to the hostile aura surrounding the cat, or he just wasn’t worried about it. He flashed a wide grin full of sharp looking teeth at the blue-haired hybrid before speaking in a low timbre, “Pretty kitty.” The startled look that crossed the feline’s face made him chuckle deeply.



Grimmjow was snapped out of his shock when a long, wet tongue took a big, slobbery swipe at his face.



“O-Oh, dear,” Hanatarou murmured, surprised, as Ichigo laughed at his hybrid’s prediction, “it seems Kenpachi wasn’t looking for a fight like I had initially thought.”



“Stupid mutt,” Grimmjow hissed, an angry blush staining his face as he attempted to wipe the saliva away. Kenpachi just wagged his tail excitedly with his furry, pointed ears up and alert, the wolfish grin still in place.



The blue-haired male snarled and cranked back a clawed hand to strike that grin off the canine fiend’s face, but was stopped by Ichigo’s firm scold, “Grimmjow! Put those claws away. Kenpachi’s hasn’t done anything to you.”



“Yet,” the tom cat muttered bitterly, but reluctantly dropped his hand, as well as his gaze.



“Be nice. Don’t be so unnecessarily defensive, you paranoid cat,” the orange haired teen said, stroking Grimmjow’s back soothingly which made the hybrid loosen his muscles involuntarily. “Hanatarou-san said he was all right.” ‘Oh, if only you knew what I knew, Ichi,’ was Grimmjow’s mental reply, eying Kenpachi who was eying him in turn, but in a totally different manner.



“Play! Play! Play with Kitty-chan!” Yachiru chirped suddenly, little tail wagging at hummingbird speed.



“Oh, you want to play with Grimmjow?” Ichigo asked, not noticing the lewd gleam in Kenpachi’s visible eye at his words unlike his vigilant cat.



“I-I don’t know about that,” Hanatarou began uncertainly, “Kenpachi can be quite relentless during play time. H-He used to be a street fighter.” Dread filled the poor feline when Ichigo nodded his consent.



“I’m sure it’s all right. Remember, Grimmjow used to be a fighter, too. He can hold his own.”



“Well, a-all right. Play nice, Ken. Please, don’t hurt Grimmjow, okay? I don’t need another patient,” Hanatarou said. As soon as he unhooked the canines from their leashes, Grimmjow was gone in a flash, both dogs hot on his heels. “Oh, dear. D-Do you think that was such a good idea?” the smaller boy asked, worriedly.



Ichigo grinned. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Grimm’s been a tad lazy lately. This will allow him to get some exercise,” he chuckled. “How’s the clinic?”



“I-It’s going well. The other vets have been all very nice and I’m learning a lot. And how is Grimmjow? His injuries should have completely healed by now, ne?” Hanatarou was a vet intern at the local animal shelter, and had been the one to look at Grimmjow’s wounds.



“Yeah, they’ve all completely faded. I’m glad none of them scarred.” Speaking of scars made the orange haired male touch the one at the base of his neck unconsciously. Hanatarou looked on curiously, and gasped in surprise when Ichigo moved his hand away.



“He…er…m-mated with you?” the smaller boy asked, blinking his wide eyes.



“Ah…yeah,” was Ichigo’s reluctant answer. Hanatarou smiled warmly in understanding as Ichigo rubbed his neck sheepishly. Wanting to change the subject, Ichigo cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, tell me,” Ichigo started, watching the large canine still chasing after Grimmjow, “How’d you find Kenpachi? He’s enormous!”



“O-Oh, well, someone found him and Yachiru on the streets and managed to bring them into the shelter, because they had minor wounds that needed to be attended to. The poor man, h-he looked like he’d been put through the ringer. The other vets thought we’d have to p-put Kenpachi down because he was a fighting animal and so a-aggressive, but for some reason, he tolerated me when we first met. S-so, my superiors told me that if I could t-train him and work on his behavior, he may be adoptable. Yachiru was fine behavior-wise, and would have been a perfect adoptee, b-but she won’t leave Kenpachi. So, whoever adopts Kenpachi will get a two-for-one deal. Turns out, they don’t want anyone else to adopt them.”



“So, did you? Adopt them I mean?”



“Eh, t-they didn’t give me much of a choice,” Hanatarou scratched his head ruefully, “b-but it’s been rather fun having those two around,” he gave a small laugh. Suddenly, Yachiru came running and barreled into the unsuspecting intern, knocking him flat on his back. “Oof!”



“Hana-chan! Hana-chan! Kitty-chan went up a tree and won’t come down!” the little pink haired pup whined from her spot sitting on his stomach. The two boys turned their attention to where Grimmjow was perched high in a tree with Kenpachi shaking the tree by its trunk to get him down. In retaliation, Grimmjow clung onto the swaying branch with his whole body, sticking his tongue out childishly down at the huge canine hybrid. Kenpachi grinned and leaned forward a bit, clicking his shark-like teeth together in a little bite. Grimmjow hissed a heated response.



“Oh, dear,” Hanatarou gasped, as Ichigo sighed and stood.



“Let’s go get him down, eh? Yachiru, try to lure him with this,” Ichigo handed her a glass bottle of milk, “It probably won’t work, but give it a shot.”



“Mm’kay!” she took the milk and dashed off while the two humans gathered their things and grabbed their leashes. “Kitty-chan! Kitty-chan! I got you milk!” she said, holding it over her head.



Grimmjow snorted. “I don’t want milk, kid.”



“Maybe he wants a different kind,” Kenpachi leered which made the cat bristle.



“Leave me the hell alone, you idiot mongrel!”



“Eh? How many kinds is there, Ken-chan?” Yachiru tilted her head cutely.



“You’ll find out when you’re older, brat,” he grunted, patting her head.



“Aww, Ken-chan! You never tell me anything!”



“M-Maybe that’s a good thing,” Hanatarou remarked as he and Ichigo made their way over towards them. Kenpachi stopped shaking the tree, allowing the intern to hook him and Yachiru onto their leashes without much difficulty while the other teen went right up to the tree.



“Grimmjow, get down from there,” Ichigo demanded, his hands on his hips.



“No,” the blue haired male crossed his arms, refusing to budge. Ichigo turned exasperated yet amused eyes up to his stubborn feline. Time to take out the big guns.



“…Please?” Grimmjow glanced down and tried and failed to resist the wide, hopeful eyes looking at him. Then, Ichigo had to go and raise his hands up to beckon him down like a little child. That was overkill, but so cute…! He rolled his blue eyes and sighed dramatically, before nimbly making his way down the tree, landing gracefully on his feet. “Good boy,” his master murmured proudly, sliding his arms around Grimmjow’s waist and giving his neck a nuzzle.



The blue haired hybrid huffed, slightly miffed that he had been manipulated so easily, before deciding he didn’t really care and wrapped his mate up securely in his arms. Slitted cyan eyes sent a quick warning look towards Kenpachi, receiving another wide, annoying smirk, before he buried his nose into tangerine hair and inhaling Ichigo’s sweet scent.



Kenpachi cocked his head at the sight, and then looked at his little owner, who had a soft, wistful, almost sad smile on curving his lips. The canine then looked back to the embracing couple, his bell jingling all the while as the gears in his head turned. “Hmm…”



The intern then looked at his watch. “Oh, dear. I-It’s getting late. Well, it was nice see you again, Ichigo-san. I-I’m glad Grimmjow is doing. I’ll see you soon, ne?”



“Yeah. Later, Hanatarou-san,” Ichigo waved as the smaller boy smiled again and nodded before walking

away, his dogs in tow. Kenpachi sent the two one last unreadable look, before tamely following his small owner with Yachiru skipping beside him.



“Looks like you have a couple new friends, Grimm,” Ichigo mused. He laughed when Grimmjow grumbled irritably into his hair. “C’mon Mr. Sexta Espada, let’s go home.”



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A/N: Sooo…yeah. I luv Kenpachi. And Yachiru. And Hanatarou. XD Dunno where this came from, but it decided to stick inside my head until I typed it down. This chapter was basically me indulging in my crack pairings, which will happen from time to time in my fics. Next chapter will probably be the last, and won’t come out until next week after I get back from AnimeBoston. Until then, please review! :3