My dear guest reviewers:

Setan: Thank you! I'm glad you like the name!

PJ: I'm glad you find it interesting!

Sapta: Thank you very very much for thinking it's cute! Yes, Ichigo without a scowl is the cutest thing... I think I might have to make him smile some more... (fanservice hehehe)

Also thank you very much thebookworm90 for bringing to my attention that kittens shouldn't be fed cow milk. So I added a few extra bits in the previous chapter about Ichigo telling Grimmjow to feed Sora kitten milk formula.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Warnings: Language. Extreme dorkiness on Grimmjow's part. Nnoitra's suspect humor.

Learning To Let Go

Chapter 2

Grimmjow hefted the carry bag full of kitten stuff over his shoulder as he carefully caried the basket, Sora wrapped up snugly inside it. Ichigo had told him to keep the kitten warm, and to always wash his hands before he handled her so she wouldn't be too exposed to germs. Her immune system was weak right now and she required a lot of care and careful handling.

And Grimmjow wouldn't dream of going against the angel's wishes. The angel with the enigmatic aura and a halo of fiery hair and brown, brown eyes.

He stepped into the garage with a huge grin. "What's up, ladies?"

"The fuck are you carrying in your hand?" Was his kind greeting in return.

"Stuff you know batshit about, Nnoitra! Come see my little kitten!"

"Is that what you call your junk? Hurr hurr," Nnoitra snorted, and Hallibel rolled her eyes at the stupidity she had to put up with on a daily basis. Starrk yawned and ambled his way to where Grimmjow was standing.

Grimmjow was proudly showing off his newly acquired pet, preening under the attention his colleagues were giving Sora. What could he say, he was a complete show off whenever the opportunity presented itself. Not like he didn't have good reason for it anyway.

Nnoitra bent at the hips so he could squint down at Sora with his one eye, scrutinizing her as if she was a piece of meat and he was a butcher. "Ey, who's this tiny fur ball?"

Grimmjow shoved him away with a hand on his face, annoyed with how he was looking at his pet. "I took her in from the rain yesterday night. She's staying with me now."

"Aww, little Grimmy has a soft spot for baby animals, hmm?" Gin sauntered over from the restroom, wiping his hands on a rag as he walked. He reached out and stroked a single finger under Sora's chin, grinning at Grimmjow teasingly.

Grimmjow slapped his hand away as well, giving him a deadpan look. "Yes, I do. What's it to ya? And stop calling me that, asshole."

Gin chuckled, raising his hands defensively. "Relax, Grimmy, I was only kidding!"

Grimmjow grumbled but Hallibel effectively cut him off with a look. "What's her name?"

"Sora! Ain't she adorable?" He grinned, previous annoyance forgotten.

Gin stared. Nnoitra made a gagging noise. Hallibel blinked. Starrk smirked. "That name's tasteful, so I'm sure you didn't come up with it. Who named her?"

Grimmjow's grin melted from proud to positively dreamy. "Ichigo."

The looks on the others' faces ranged from alarmed to disturbed. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez did not grin dreamily. Period. His doing so was proving that some universal balance was shifting and a nuclear winter was on its way. Hell had probably frozen over by now.

"Would you please stop smiling like that? It's creeping us out." Starrk effectively cut through his daydream, and Grimmjow went back to scowling again.

The others sighed in relief. Much better.

"Who's this Ichigo anyway?" Nnoitra tried not to twitch at the sight of Grimmjow fussing with the cat's tshirt-blanket. He wisely turned away to muck around with the inside of a car so that he wouldn't have to subject himself to that disquieting sight.

"The clerk at the pet store?" Starrk questioned, looking a little confused. He had known Ichigo for a while now, and he knew for a fact that the man didn't give away his name to anyone who asked. Heck, even he knew it only because he'd heard Dr. Ukitake call him a couple of times.

"Yup!" Grimmjow smirked, obligingly holding the basket up as Hallibel tickled Sora under the chin. The kitten mewled.

"How'd you manage that?"

"I asked for it, he told me." The blue haired man left out the teasing part because he didn't feel like elaborating. It was something special between the clerk and himself, and he wanted to keep it that way. "Why?"

"Well, I've known him for three years now and he isn't the type to give out personal details like to random people like that."

"But I'm not some random stranger! I'm going to be a regular customer you know," he huffed out. "And by the way, thanks Starrk, I'll gladly let you drive me home in your car."

"But I didn't- oh right, I see what you did there." The perpetually sleepy man sighed, rubbing his neck. "In that case, you're welcome, I guess."

"What do you mean, 'drive me home'? Aren't you working?" Nnoitra yelled, a little outraged.

"I'm on leave for the whole week. Kittens need a lot of care and attention, you know. I can't leave her alone at home and I sure as hell can't bring her here. She might get hurt."

Nnoitra gaped at him like he was an alien. "But you can't blow off a whole week of work like that! That's- that's- you bastard!"

"Grimmjow has plenty of sick days so he can take a holiday if he wants, Nnoitra." Hallibel spoke up, effectively ending the lanky man's tirade.

Sometimes Grimmjow was really thankful they had hired the no-nonsense, hard working woman despite the initial ruckus caused by male customers who refused to let their vehicles be looked at by a 'woman doing a man's work'. Sod all of them, Hallibel was one of the best mechanics Grimmjow had ever seen and he'd be damned if he let a bunch of sexist idiots influence him. Besides, Hallibel's sisters made her packed lunches and they were to die for.

Nnoitra had joined after Hallibel, and he'd been a sexist idiot as well, until Hallibel threatened to castrate him with a spanner and came damn near finishing the job too. After that, the tall man had backed down, but over time even he had come to admire the blonde's impeccable work.

Soon Grimmjow found himself slipping into the passenger seat of Starrk's black Mitsubishi Pajero, kitten-basket in his lap and bag full of supplies in the back seat. The tall brunette checked the rear view mirror before he backed out of the parking lot they shared with the green grocers next door.

"So. What did the vet say?" Starrk looked out of the corner of his eyes, noting the gentle smile adorning his friend's face as he stroked the kitten's tummy.

"The vet wasn't in. I got an appointment for today at six in the evening."

"Ichigo's just as good as the vet, the only thing he doesn't have is an official degree."

"Oh, that's cool. He did seem like he knew what he was doing." Grimmjow pondered saying something else, but he stayed silent.

"Spit it out." Starrk smirked, knowing his friend enough to guess when he was holding back.

Grimmjow chuckled. "No hiding from you, is there? Anyway... What do you know about Ichigo?"

The brunette hummed softly, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. "He's a sweet kid. He's polite to the customers and adores all the animals, really goes above and beyond to care for them. And all the animals love him too, it's like he's some sort of pied piper or something, the way they flock to him."

Grimmjow hummed.

"So... Ichigo, huh?" Starrk prodded, genuinely curious. He knew Grimmjow since their college days, and in the eight years they had spent together, he had never seen the blue haired man show anything other than a passing interest in other people. He went out occasionally, had a few beers, had a few hook ups, had a few dinner or movie dates. But Grimmjow had never ever ever smiled like that when he thought of any of them. "What happened to 'not being tied down to one single person'? I thought you weren't interested in relationships?"

Grimmjow sighed, looking pensive. The car had stopped in front of his house, but neither of them made a move to get down. "I know I wasn't interested in relationships or anything even remotely close to that, but... one look at Ichigo and... And there's fireworks in my head and and stampeding rhinos in my heart and butterflies in my stomach. It's... I don't even know what I'm saying."

Starrk stared incredulously at his friend. That had to be the cutest thing Grimmjow had ever said. "Is this where you turn to me and say, 'I think... he is... the one'?"

Grimmjow snorted a laugh, and whacked Starrk on the back of his head. "You wish, asshole. Now help me bring these things inside."

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The entire day had been spent taking care of Sora. Grimmjow found that he adored the little fur ball, petting her and cuddling her and talking to her. Two times he'd found himself dissolving into a pile of cooing mush at her antics, and he'd freaked himself out so much that he had to pull out some of his action movie dvds and watch people blow shit up and shoot shit down just to make himself feel manly again.

He'd set up a scratching post, the litter box, and the cat bed (which was the basin she'd slept in the previous night, only decked out with a warm fleece blanket and a small circular pillow. He read through everything in the book, and also did some research on the internet to make sure he wasn't missing anything.

Before long, it was five thirty and Grimmjow was getting ready to go see the vet. And Ichigo.

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Ichigo was at the counter when Grimmjow stepped into the shop.

"Hey there, Ichigo," he greeted, a small grin on his face. "How are you today?"

"Same as I was in the morning, thanks?" The angel looked at him suspiciously, and Grimmjow found it adorable.

Grimmjow found everything the man did adorable.

Ichigo's face was expressive, and Grimmjow could tell by the slightly squinted eyes and the frown that Ichigo was trying to figure out if Grimmjow had any ulterior motives behind his actions.

"Relax Ichi, it's not a crime to be polite, yeah?"

'Ichi' bristled. "Don't shorten my name without permission."

The 'asshole' went unsaid.

"Okay, may I have your permission, then?"

"No. Now sit down and be quiet till the vet calls you." Ichigo huffed and turned to rearrange something on the shelf behind him.

"Wow, Ichigo, do you talk to all your customers like that, or am I special?"

"Only to the ones that get on my nerves." came the snappy retort, accompanied by a too-sweet smile. "Now, sir, it's time for your appointment."

"You wound me. I told you to call me Grimmjow didn't I? I'll even give you permission to shorten my name, how's that sound?"

"Just great, now if you'd just step through that door," the orange haired man gritted out, clearly at the end of his line, "you can meet the doctor and leave."

Grimmjow laughed, but moved toward the door anyway.

"You'll need a pet carrier. I'll get one ready by the time you're done." Ichigo's voice reached him as he closed the door.

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Dr. Ukitake was a nice man, around his late thirties, with long white hair and kind, green eyes. He had a gentle way about him, his very presence was soothing and reassuring. Now Grimmjow understood why Starrk trusted this man with his dogs.

He told him the same things Ichigo had, about warmth, vaccinations, grooming and feeding. He even patiently cleared Grimmjow's doubts with a smile on his face (when can I give her normal food? Is it okay to start off with dry cat food? I thought cats liked milk, should I give her any milk at all? Is it enough if I change the lining once a day? Is it okay for her to sleep with me on my pillow? Ichigo told me something about a weak immune system, should I be worried? Does she need any medicine apart from the vaccines?), explaining his answers well.

He was pretty cool.

The minute he stepped out of the door, he was met with the sight of five females in the age group 16-60, standing at the counter and flirting with a frazzled, irritated Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded at him, a vein ticking at his temple. "I got your pet carrier."

The minute the women's eyes fell on him, they abandoned Ichigo to rush over to him.

"Oh! I've never seen you before!"

"Your kitten is so cute!"

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"What's its name?"

"What's your name?"

"Aw, it looks just like my little Prince Xavier Lecroix the third!"

"When is your next appointment?"

"Isn't Dr. Ukitake the best?"

"Are you single?"

"Er..." Grimmjow fumbled, not really knowing how to get out of the spotlight.

And Ichigo was laughing at him from behind the counter!

Just when Grimmjow was about to lose it, a masculine voice drawled out from further inside the shop, putting an end to the chattering. "Now now ladies, can't you see you're scaring the poor lad?"

Grimmjow scowled at the man who had just revealed himself, half thankful for getting the women away and half pissed because he had called him scared. "I wasn't scared."

The man chuckled as he walked over and held his hand out. "Shunsui Kyouraku. I'm the owner of this little place. Pleasure to meet you."

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Likewise." he smirked, noting the man's laid back attitude and lazy smile. He was wearing a pink yukata and his long, wavy brown hair was pulled into a loose pony tail at the nape of his neck. A hamster sat on his shoulder.

"Ne, Kyouraku-san, who's the little cutie on your shoulder?" asked a girl who looked to be in her late teens. And that seemed to be the cue for the rest of them to descend on the man. He didn't look like he needed any help, so Grimmjow edged his way toward the counter.

He saw abandoned 3 pet carriers on the bench.

Ichigo shook his head sadly. "I can't believe they'd just leave their pets alone like that."

Grimmjow didn't want to say something and end up sounding like a misogynistic jerk, so he didn't say anything, just nodded.

Ichigo handed him a box with a grey and blue pet carrier. He printed out the bill, and Grimmjow paid.

"Did you set up all the things like I told you to?"

The mechanic grinned, "Uh-huh. I prepared the cat bed and placed it close to the heater, and I placed the litter box in a secluded place. I fed her the formula and I rubbed her down and burped her just like you told me. She's a smart little thing, barely any trouble at all. All my colleagues think she's amazing. I took a lot of pictures"

"I see you're turning into a veritable cat lady, huh?" Ichigo smiled at him, and Grimmjow felt like he'd been kicked in the chest again. By a rampaging elephant.

"I- what- Shut up! I'm not a cat lady!" he petulantly groused.

"Not yet. But you will be. Pretty soon too, by the looks of it."

Ichigo snickered into his hand, and Grimmjow couldn't even be mildly pissed at him for it. What was happening to him?

"Smart ass." He smirked, reaching out and ruffling his mop of orange hair before escaping, laughing as Ichigo's indignant sputtering followed him out the door.

**********continues...

Also yes. I know about the Pajero thing. It's funny so I guess it can just remain like that :P The Pajero is called the Montero in the Spanish speaking countries, I think. (But I've been told some specifications are different, Thanks for the info Clarit and Zef chan)