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Pale Shadows	By : Yoichi-chan Category: Bleach > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1263 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any ways shape or form. This is a work of fiction and as such does not bring me any profit.

Chapter List
- 1-Introduction
- 1
Full Summary: He was always the pale and sickly shadow of his twin, the better brother as many viewed him. That all changed when he made his first friend, someone that didn't care how violent he was. A person that could care less he was over-protective and more like an animal. It was refreshing and he became very close to this friend. Then they became more than friends.....
Note: This story may not be fit for all people to read. Not because of rating but because the pairing my not be well received by many. However, that's what the back arrow is for. I am not going to force you to read it if you don't want to so don't blame me. The main pairing will be UlquiShioUlqui, and the name I use for Ichigo's inner Hollow may be different than what some are used to. For the most part I keep things familiar.
Additional Warnings: I won't stand for any hateful reviews. They aren't polite and I don't need them. However, constructive reviews are much appreciated.
~Introduction: Part A~
He'd always been told that he wasn't as good as his brother, that he was just a pale shadow of the younger twin. There was nothing his twin could do that he couldn't, even with the asthma as a health problem, but everyone praised his brother instead. No matter what he was never good enough to earn any kind of praise, not even from their father. Always the lower of them, always the one in last, and yet his brother never let it go to his head. He was always the one that his brother went to for help because they were twins and they were close. It was like that for the first five years of their lives, they had each other.
And then they were enrolled on a martial arts class and he was pushed to the shadow once more, without his brother to stand by his side. It wasn't as if he really minded, he wasn't as bright and cheerful as his brother so it was really alright with him. While Ichigo earned a lot of grief because of his hair color Shiro didn't hear the end of being so pale. And as kids are molded by experience he became angry and bitter, picking fights with older kids. Some days he would return home beat up and wheezing but he'd never say a word.
Ichigo never understood why his brother had trouble breathing sometimes. Why he would be bent over and have his eyes wide as he struggled to take more air into his lungs. Their parents didn't think it was anything that the younger would need to worry about and with a father that happened to be a doctor they needn't worry about it. His medication was always handy and he never left without a fast-acting inhaler. None of the other kids knew about it and he wanted to keep it that way.
As Ichigo progressed, gaining friends from all manner of experiences, he slowly and surely got swallowed up by the rut that he had unknowingly dug for himself. Violence became just as natural as breathing and he oozed a dangerous aura that ran everyone away. Everyone else was building bonds that would last for maybe a lifetime and he was ruthlessly shoving everyone away like a wounded animal.
He would snap and snarl at anyone that got too close to him, resorting to aggression as he had always done so that he could get some peace. Nobody wanted to practice with him because he was so mean and all of the others paired up with other kids, even one boy who seemed to be in a similar boat as he was.
Shiro was far from stupid. He felt the eyes on him, his own amber orbs going to search out emerald optics discreetly. Never had they spoke and he knew that this was another male that could become extremely popular if he tried, not that he did. Something about the jet haired child, who was as pale as Shiro was, made him feel they were similar. Both of them were lonely, though how deep it went was anyone else's guess.
As always, he went off to practice on his own the moment he entered the dojo. Nobody would offer to practice with him anyway so he never gave them the chance. It never mattered that he was going to end up never knowing the moves in the way which was most effective. All he did was stand in the farthest corner and watch everyone from the corner of his eyes.
Some tiny part of his mind was highly envious but otherwise he was perfectly fine with never having a partner. As long as Ichigo had friends and the like his parents would be happy, and he could just take care of the bullies as he'd been doing. Anything to earn some kind of recognition from his parents for being a good son.
Didn't every kid want their parents to be proud? To acknowledge them as just as good as the others?
-P.O.V. change-
He was always watching that one person. Well, always watching both of them really but the elder stood out far more. Alabaster skin and spiky hair to match in pallor, with golden and obsidian eyes that glared loneliness on everyone even as a pale mouth spewed nothing more than hate.
Emerald orbs watched, as always, from behind the relative cover of his current book. The lithe child wasn't fond of the lessons he was forced to take at the dojo but his family never listened when he said how much he hated it. Hate was too strong a word, more like he didn't need it. And all he really did was watch those two.
One was like the brightest sun, blinding everyone with a kind of radiance that was his personality, and had orange hair to match. The other was much darker in some way, even though he was so white. There was that dangerous air that screamed of violence and kept all the others as far away as possible. Children would even go as far as to pair up with himself to avoid the pale one.
As he was reading he noticed that once again the other was training by himself, posture all wrong without anything to hit. Ulquiorra saw his chance and closed the book, setting it aside and ignoring the sensei asking what was wrong. A fool could tell that nothing was wrong.
He grabbed the necessary equipment and stood before the other male, gaze steady as he got ready. White teeth were bared in a snarl and there was a faint gasp somewhere but Ulquiorra held firm. The first punch thrown at him was far to soft and tentative but they slowly increased in force until he was almost grunting with the effort.
Only when everyone was going to soon leave for home did he think to ask for a name. But before he could ask the other beat him to it. It saved a lot of embarrassment over how to start the conversation on his part.
"Who're you anyway?"
"Ulquiorra..."
Before the pale boy could adequately reply he was being called over by his mother and he frowned. Each step was more a medley of shuffling inches and then he tossed a look back at the odd boy he'd just met.
"Call meh Shiro."
~Introduction: Part B~
He'd had a really bad feeling about the day, from the moment he'd woke up he didn't like it. Shiro stubbornly refused to go out of the house for any reason and it resulted in a fair amount of stress on both of his parents. Some part of his mind had hoped that his mother would have made the ever excited Ichigo stay home as well but she grabbed his hand and left the house as always. They were going to continue on with the same schedule as always and make their way to the dojo for Ichigo's lessons, at the younger twins insistance of course. Shiro had no choice but to watch as his mother and younger brother walked out of the house, glaring at the head of orange hair and almost grinding his teeth at the thought that Ichigo must have been laughing and rambling to their mother.
Yuzu and Karin were having a nap so it was a good thing he didn't have to go and check on them. Despite his seeming disdain towards his family he was actually fiercely protective of them all and enjoyed being around them. Even if Ichigo was the poster child he was at least loved enough to avoid him becoming a tyrant towards his siblings. And reading something to Yuzu and Karin was an indulgence in and of itself to him because they didn't judge him no matter what.
But that bad feeling was still coiling in his stomach like writhing worms and he bit into his cheek to stiffle the need to go outside and chase after his mother and brother. Father assured him that everything would be fine and he had to believe it would be. Maybe he just needed to get his mind off of it!
In an effort to busy himself and draw his attention from the fact that he was deeply worried about nothing in particular he grabbed a book and went off on his own. Getting into fights may have been something he was well-known for but he did love to read more than anything, mostly in private. Sometimes he lost himself in a book and when he finally left his hiding spot he'd have worried parents beginning to chasten him over getting lost. Maybe it was that reason that they had lost so much faith in him as a strong sibling.
It was always the same concerns too. He didn't have access to his inhaler if he needed it, nobody could find him, what if he got kidnapped, and so many more. The truth was that he hardly ever left the house because of their worry, he usually just hid in a closer with a light and read. So far he'd also managed to avoid having an asthma attack because of it.
The moment he sat down and tried to start reading he couldn't seem to focus on the words on the page, his attention was elsewhere. What if something bad was going to happen? What if it already had? Should he really just read a book and allow the feeling to grow until he could no longer function because of it?
A tiny growl escaped and he put the book off to the side while he quickly grabbed his coat and rain boots, because it had started raining. Then he got the umbrella and had to creep past his father, being as silent as possible while opening and closing the door. Shiro turned and began running, going in the direction he'd seen his mother go. He had to be really careful while running because if he strained himself he could end up having trouble breathing. And he hadn't thought to grab his inhaler before leaving the house.
What seemed like an eternity later he saw the orange hair of his twin. Amber eyes caught the sight of a car coming at them both and he gasped. Shiro tried to call out without first catching his breath and all that came out was a wheeze. His eyes went wide and then he had to double over for a moment so he could breathe deeply. When he looked up again to yell he watched as his mother shoved Ichigo out of the way and then the car was slamming into her.
The scream that rang out came from his little brother and had he been able to breathe he might have joined in. As it was his chest was heaving and he tried to draw in air. The last thing he saw as he fell was his brother screaming and running towards their mother.
After that incident the two twins hardly spoke and they weren't as close as before, not that they were ever really close before. Shiro withdrew from everyone of his family members and took on some more responsibility. He stopped fighting for Ichigo and no longer read for his sister's. His inhaler was kept with him at all times and he spent more time leaving the house so he could sneak to the grave.
Even though Isshin knew about his ventures he never tried to stop his son. He took on the role of goofy dad to help his family but he was always there for his family. If it helped his son to make the trip to the grave as often as he did then he wasn't going to say anything. On occasion there would be a child waiting in the yard on the days Shiro left, and they would walk together to the grave. Isshin made sure they got there safely and then home.
But on the times when the whole family visited the grave Shiro refused to go, instead he would hide away and not come out until the next day. That's how it went for years to come....
~Chapter End~
End Note: Why does it take me so long to write a chapter? -flops over and rolls- Hopefully some good feedback happens. I added more to this chapter because I really need to set the whole scene for later chapters.
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Pale Shadows