Author's Note: First off, I'd like to say how sorry I am this took so long. Almost two months! *faints* Good grief. I had a huge influx of work recently, and it seemed like every time I sat down to write this, someone came up and was all "Hey, hey, what's that? What're ya doing?" -_- So annoying. My love for yaoi and fanfiction is…kind of a secret on my side of the computer screen, so I can only write when I'm alone.

Secondly, thank you so much to those of you that favorited and followed this story! And an extra special thank you to those of you that left me such lovely reviews: GrimmIchiLover, firetrap, IndigoButterfly, llLesGeMeAuxll, Zenzola, and -it-calls-meXX. You guys are great! On a final note, I will be going on vacation this Saturday and I will be gone for a week, no computer or nothing (so I'm not tempted to do any work .), so my next update won't be for at least 2 weeks. Hopefully my next chapter won't take as long to complete as this one did…But anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I look forward to your reviews and feedback!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. I only own the story, and do not make any money from it.

Copyright: Second Chances © Misc. Ink

Warnings: AU, OOC, swearing, violence, and yaoi in later chapters.

XOXOXOXO

"Itsygo! Itsygo, wake up!"

Chocolate brown orbs, cloudy from sleep, blinked open slowly, registering the childish, high-pitched voice that had called out to him. The orangette sat up slightly, propping himself up on his elbows as drowsy eyes focused on the little girl next to his bed. Bright and very awake wheat-greys looked up at him expectantly as small hands clutched at the side of the mattress. An excited smile adorned her face while long, wavy, sea-foam hair hung down her back.

Ichigo smirked down at her, rolling onto his side and patting the spot next to him. A happy squeak left the child as she scrambled up onto bed with him, bouncing a little in her enthusiasm. A tan hand sifted through messy tangerine spikes as he glimpsed over at the digital clock on his nightstand. An orange brow quirked before the man turned back to look at the bubbly girl next to him.

"Hey Nel, you're up early today. Usually I'm the one to wake you," he mumbled, still trying to fully wake up. He wasn't that much of a morning person.

Nel had a huge grin plastered on her cute face as she explained. "That's 'cause it's show-and-tell day, Itsygo! I get to bring Kon with me today!"

The young man chuckled at the simple joy that radiated off the child, ruffling her hair fondly. "Oh, I see now. Well, how about we get some breakfast, and then we can pack Kon up for his little adventure today, hm?"

Again Nel beamed up at him. "Ok!"

With that, he scooted to the edge of the bed, picking the toddler up and setting her back down on the floor, allowing her to scamper off ahead of him. Turning down the hall outside his bedroom, the orangette made a stop at the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth before heading downstairs into the kitchen. Nel was waiting for him there, bouncing around in her seat at the table. Ichigo chuckled again as he set about fixing breakfast for both of them.

It has been two years since Ichigo had adopted Nelliel and, although it had been a bit rough in the beginning, both of them had settled into a routine. Ichigo had done just what he had said he would, taking online classes to finish up his first year of college and the second. Over the summers, he had also picked up extra courses, so now he only had one more year of schooling. Ichigo had taken Nel with him when he had worked at the flower shop and Urahara's, who saw her as his "grandchild." This had earned the crazy blonde more than a few head-slaps and verbal assaults.

Nel had adjusted to her new life very well, and Ichigo couldn't have been happier. When she had first moved in with him, it had been a little odd having the three year old around. Before he had set up her own room, the girl had slept with him, cuddling up to him throughout the night. It was almost like having his sisters around again, which had left him with conflicted emotions. It had been hard for him to go into their old room to convert it into Nel's, though he had enlisted the help of Urahara and Starrk. The older men had set aside a weekend to help him sort through the twins' things, re-paint, bring in furniture, and keep Nel occupied so the result would be a surprise.

He'd never forget the way her face lit up as she took in her new space. A small, white twin bed was tucked against the left wall, adorned in soft pink sheets, with a matching dresser at its side. The closet on the right wall had been painted white, along with the ceiling, while the walls were a pale yellow. Ichigo had added a personal touch by painting a flight of pink butterflies that flowed across the wall over her bed; he had learned during her stay at the foster home the girl loved them. Nel had proceeded to squeal in delight and tackle-hug the three males. For days afterwards, she would want to rush home so she could play in her new room, inevitably pulling Ichigo along with her. Not that he minded, of course.

A couple months ago, Nel had started going to kindergarten. She was always excited for school, which was a relief for Ichigo; he didn't know what he'd do if she hated it. Every afternoon she would rattle on about what they learned that day, what she did during recess, and bring home any drawings she had done; he had quite a collection going in his studio.

She even had a friend, a very hyper, pink-haired girl named Yachiru. Ichigo had met her father one day while picking Nelliel up. That had been interesting, to say the least.

Ichigo finished preparing their breakfast, transferring the scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast to each plate, before sitting down to eat with Nel. The wavy-haired child dug in enthusiastically, obviously impatient to get the meal over with so she could play with her favorite toy.

Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle as he took a bite of his toast slathered in blueberry jam. "Nel, you know you're supposed to chew your food, right?"

Bright eyes looked over and up at him, a wide smile showing around her fork and eggs. Finishing off her bite, she started scooping up more food as she talked animatedly to him.

"I know that, Itsygo. But I'm just so excited I get to bring Kon with me today! I get to tell everybody how great Kon is, and I can keep him with me all day! I can take him on the slide, and the monkey bars, and he can eat pudding with me, and then Nel can-"

The young man interrupted her with a light cough, quirking an orange eyebrow.

"Oh…" Nel blushed and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck (a habit she had picked up from her caretaker). "I'm sorry. I meant I can finally show him to Yachiru."

Ichigo nodded and smiled over at her as he started to clear the table of their now empty plates. Nelliel had always referred to herself in the third person, for some unknown reason, when he had first met her. After adopting her, it had been one of the many things he had started to work with her on. It had taken what seemed like forever to break her of the habit, but now it only slipped out when she was very excited or scared. She still didn't say his name properly though, but it was something he didn't mind, and secretly even enjoyed. It was a special name only Nel called him.

After cleaning the plates and setting them in the dishwasher, Ichigo looked over at the table to find Nel was no longer there. Shaking his head, a small smirk on his face, he proceeded to go upstairs and walk down the hall to her room. Sure enough, she was sitting in the middle of her floor, talking to her stuffed lion, Kon, as she tried to carefully fit him into her backpack.

Kon had originally been Ichigo's stuffed animal, given to him by his mother when he was six. He had loved that thing to death, though as he got older, Kon had remained in his sacred place on top of the youth's dresser. When Nelliel had started to live with him, however, that quickly changed.

During one of the first nights at her new home, Nel had caught sight of the plushie lion, and it was love at first sight. Every time she was in Ichigo's room, she would ask if he would take the animal down and let her play with it. At first, he had been hesitant to allow her to do so. It was his favorite and most cherished toy, after all. After several attempts to dissuade her from the idea, he finally relented and let her handle the plushie, but only while he was with her.

She would often just sit with Kon on her lap, gently patting his head or holding him while Ichigo did his homework or chores around the house. She would talk with Ichigo, and then ask Kon for his opinion or approval on things they were talking about. It was a surprise to the young man that she was always so gently with his toy, as he would expect a toddler to be dragging or throwing it around. Nelliel seemed to understand how important the plushie was to the orangette though, which left him in silent awe and appreciation on more than one occasion.

After a year and a half of this, Ichigo came to a decision. On Nel's fifth birthday, he gave the girl Kon. Needless to say, she had been ecstatic, which had led to more of her excited rambling to the party guests in third-person. After that, Kon was hers, but Ichigo did have one rule. She could not take Kon to school with her. He still loved that lion, even though he had happily given him to her, so he just couldn't help but worry about him getting damaged around all those other kids. Last week, however, he had said it was alright if she took the plushie there on show-and-tell day, as everyone else would –hopefully- be preoccupied with their own special items to try playing with hers.

Ichigo was brought out of his thoughts by a bubbly laugh, as Nel had just told a very funny joke, in her opinion, to Kon. From what the man caught of it, it had something to do with a tomato and salad dressing.

Walking over to where she sat in the middle of the room, Ichigo crouched down and gently plucked both Kon and her book bag from her grasp. Chuckling at her indignant pout, he carefully moved her school supplies around so he could tuck the stuffed animal comfortably into the large pouch. A small hand touching his elbow halted him from his task. Ichigo turned curious chocolate orbs to his adopted daughter.

"Itsygo, you have to leave it open so Kon can breathe!" she reprimanded, her eyebrows and lips scrunched up in concern.

"Whoops, sorry Nel. I should have thought of that, huh?" he replied, playing along with her, as he left an inch of space in the zipper, so Kon could 'breathe.'

With an approving nod from the sea foam haired girl, Ichigo handed her back her book bag before getting up to return to his room to get dressed for the day, as he was still in his pajamas. He had seen that Nel was already dressed in a pale blue shirt and a pink skirt; having been so since she had come to wake him up.

Shutting the bedroom door behind him, he quickly changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a plum colored V-neck tee. Slipping on a pair of socks, Ichigo grabbed up his backpack, checking to make sure he had everything for class that day, and his overnight bag for Urahara's.

Today was Wednesday, so he would be working at the Candy Bar every night until Sunday. On those nights, he and Nel would stay at the older blonde's place, since he got off work so late and both of them had to get up for school the following days. The goofy man didn't mind, of course, though it had taken quite some time for Ichigo to agree to this arrangement. After much protesting and negotiations, Starrk had come up with an agreement both men could be happy with.

On nights that Ichigo worked the bar, he would bring clothes and other necessities for himself and Nel and sleep at their apartment. The orangette's shift didn't end until 2 a.m., so it really was just common sense. Then, since Ichigo was adamant about still living in his childhood home and not free-loading at the couple's residence, on the days Ichigo didn't work they could stay at his own house. So, on Sundays he would get off work early, go home with Nelliel and settle back in. Then, Mondays and Tuesdays, they would spend time at the Kurosaki residence. It wasn't exactly what Ichigo wanted, but it actually worked out well for both of them, and Nel loved seeing her 'uncles' anyway.

Grabbing his bags up, Ichigo left his room, finding Nel waiting at the top of the staircase, her own bag in hand.

She stuck out her bottom lip as he walked over to her. "Are you ready now, Itsygo? You're just taking forever today!" She said, waving her short arms around in her cute, childish exasperation.

The young man rolled his eyes with a smirk, following her down the stairs and into the kitchen again. He opened up the fridge, pulling out her yellow and pink Chappy lunchbox and his own plain, plum purple one. Once each of them had their respective lunchboxes, they slipped on their shoes in the foyer and Ichigo grabbed his keys. Doing one last check to make sure they had everything, he opened the door and stepped outside with Nel beside him and locked up the house.

At the side of the house was his bike, which he had gotten a few months after adopting Nelliel. Urahara, as well as some of his friends, had not been keen on the idea of him walking around everywhere with the three year old in tow. He hadn't been too happy about it either, but he didn't have the money for a car at the time, and Urahara and Starrk could only pick them up and such so often. So the blonde had been the one to take them to a bike shop on the other end of town, where he had picked out his current ride. It wasn't anything amazing, just a plain black bicycle with a metal carrier on the bag and a child seat attached to the front.

As Ichigo lifted Nel up and buckled her in, he began to become anxious, not for the first time, over how soon she wouldn't be able to use it anymore. There was a weight limit to all child carriers, and although Nel was a bit small for her age, it would only be a few more months at most before she outgrew it. When that happens, Ichigo will have to get a car. Not that he was against a car, who would be? He had even been trying to save up for one, but he just wanted whatever he got to be practical for taking Nel around, not to mention affordable (or as affordable as he could manage). Oh well, he would think about that more another time.

After strapping down their overnight bag on the carrier, Ichigo hopped on and took off in the direction of the elementary school. From their house, the elementary school was only a mile and a half away, and only one mile from Urahara's. Ichigo's college was four more miles past him, and the young man was oh-so happy he did not have to walk that anymore. Before he had his schedule changed after his first semester, he had walked back and forth from campus, Urahara's apartment, and home. The difference on a bicycle was amazing, and it was a gift that Ichigo definitely appreciated.

Eight minutes later, the orangette was pulling up inside the walls that surrounded the school. At the front of the building was an open area with a cement walkway that led to the front doors. To the left of the building was a large field that held the playground, and around back was the parking lot. As Ichigo stopped close to the wall near the front steps, he caught sight of long, dark orange hair. Looking over, he smiled and waved to Nelliel's teacher as he put down the kick-stand and unhooked the toddler.

The young woman smiled back as she approached the pair.

"Hello Kurosaki-kun. Hello Nelliel. How are you this morning?" she chirped happily.

Ichigo was about to answer when the little girl animatedly began talking to her teacher. "Hello Miss Orihime! I am great! Today, Itsygo let me bring Kon so I could show him to everyone at show-and-tell. I'm so excited, I don't know if I can wait 'til lunch time!"

The buxom woman giggled and beamed down at the wavy-haired child. "Well, I am glad you are so enthusiastic, Nel. I'm sure everyone will love Kon."

Nel giggled and was about to say more, but caught sight of her best friend hurrying through the front entrance. With a squeak of delicate, she raced over to Yachiru and started to talk happily with her.

Shaking his head in amusement, Ichigo turned around to find Orihime looking at him, a kind smile on her face.

"And how are you, Kurosaki-kun?" she inquired.

Shrugging, he offered her a small smile. "I'm fine, Orihime. Just another day, although you would think from how Nel's acting it's Christmas or something. I swear, I thought I loved that plushie, but she just takes it to a whole new level."

The woman giggled again, nodding in understanding. "Children are incredible that way. They are able to find joy in the simplest of things."

The orange-haired man nodded, looking over again at the sea foam-haired girl. She was making her way over to him again, one of her hands cupped around Yachiru's as they swung them back and forth. When they reached the adults, they both smiled at Orihime as the pink-haired girl greeted her, and then turned their attention to Ichigo.

"Hi Ichi!" Yachiru giggled.

The orangette mentally shook his head at the nickname, but replied none the less. "Hey Yachiru. How are you today?"

The bubblegum-haired five year old grinned up at him, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement (there seemed to be a lot of that today).

"I'm great! Nelly-maid* told me she brought Kon today, so I am super excited to meet him! And Kenny let me bring his championship belt for show-and-tell!" At that she stopped and looked around cautiously before she leaned in closer to the young man. "But don't tell anyone, it's a surprise!" she whispered loudly.

Ichigo smirked and leaned down so he could whisper back. "Oh no, I wouldn't do that. But how did you get Kenpachi to let you bring it?"

Yachiru straightened, obvious pride and amusement in her voice. "Well, silly, I just asked him. And Kenny's a big show-off, ya know? He was happy when he gave it to me!"

Again, the man could only shake his head. Of course Kenpachi would be more than happy to let Yachiru show that off. He didn't flaunt his accomplishments constantly, but if someone was feeling froggy, he wouldn't hesitate to put them in their place and let them know exactly who had done it. Not that Ichigo could imagine many people trying, as the man was huge! Seriously, one of his parents had to have been a giant or a mountain, because the guy was ripped like a bodybuilder on steroids and tall as fuck to boot (and that was without the intimidating spikes he called his hair).

Ichigo looked over at Nel, smiling while he crouched to envelope her in a hug. "Alright Nel, have a good day. Take care of Kon, and be safe. I'll see you after school."

With a ruffle to her aqua waves, the man stepped away, saying his goodbyes and waving at the trio as he hopped back onto his bike before he took off through the front entrance again. Turning down the sidewalk, he started the short ride towards his own school.

XOXOXOXO

"This is fucking bullshit."

Grimmjow was pissed. Well, more accurately, he was irritated as all hell. Why the fuck did he have to sit through this dumbass meeting again?

"Grimmjow, control yourself please," the blonde woman next to him said, not even bothering to look over at him.

"Tch, how can you say that shit? I'm fucking serious, this is bullshit!" Grimmjow slouched back in his plush leather chair, scooting back slightly to prop his feet up on the large wooden conference desk in front of him.

Around the table sat his co-workers, if you could call them that, though their scattered seating arrangement only served to irritate him further. There had been a time when ten members sat around that conference room, but now there were only 5. The most prominent loss was seen in the chair to his left; the one at the head of the table. He grumbled under his breath before looking over at the main speaker for the meeting.

"Isn't this old news? We already know Aizen wants to merge with us and gain our territory, so why the fuck are we here talking about it, again?" the blunette groused as he drummed his fingers on one of the armrests.

Large, emerald eyes stared blankly at him, their owner unimpressed by Grimmjow's outburst. "Because, Grimmjow, Sosuke Aizen has come forward again to request an audience with us, and has become more persistent in his attempts to get us to join his organization."

The blue-haired man sneered and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, isn't that amazing," he drawled. "We tell the fucker 'no' and being the pompous, arrogant, narcissistic douchebag that he is, he doesn't just stop and leave us the fuck alone. I am thoroughly shocked." Grimmjow glared pointedly at the green-eyed man across from him, lips curled back to show off pearly white teeth. "Just tell him 'no' again, and leave it at that. Next!"

Ulquiorra just blinked at him before he shook his head slightly, organizing his papers before sitting down. The pale man was the shortest one there, standing a good seven inches shorter than Grimmjow himself. He was wearing a sharp black suit with a matching black dress shirt underneath, the only color in his outfit the green tie that was a shade darker than his eyes. Short, choppy black locks framed his face and brushed the top of his shoulders, while a stubborn strand hung between his unusually large eyes.

Ulquiorra Cifer always took care of the paperwork and legal matters for the group, keeping their schedules and handing out the jobs that each of them needed to complete. As much as Grimmjow disliked him for his emotionless appearance and his sometimes condescending comments, the green-eyed man was a very valuable member to the group, and should they ever lose him, they would be thoroughly lost.

The man turned those large orbs to Grimmjow again. "Then may we start going over the funds that need to be collected?"

The blue-haired man nodded and gestured for him to proceed, propping his head up on a closed fist.

As Ulquiorra started to go over the accounts and those that were overdue and needed to be collected, Grimmjow slowly looked around at the others that sat with him.

The group's lead weaponry expert, Tia Hallibel, sat to his right, her bright blonde hair choppy and short in the front while three longer strands hung loose in the back. She wore a charcoal blazer that hugged her massive bosom, a smoky gray shirt peeking out from beneath it. A matching charcoal skirt that stopped just above the knee and black pumps finished off her outfit, her sharp green eyes focused on Ulquiorra as he went over the report.

Two seats down from her, at the end chair, sat a very slim, pale man with eyes that seemed forever closed and slanted, making him resemble a mischievous fox (though some would argue he looked more like a snake). Gin Ichimaru was a relatively new member of their organization, having been inducted barely three years prior after he defected from Aizen's gang. Grimmjow, as well as several others, had been suspicious of the willowy man at the beginning; though considering how underhanded and conniving Aizen could be, no one could really blame them. It had been their leader at the time that had vouched for Gin's trustworthiness, and had brought him into the fold as their intelligence specialist. Grimmjow had to give it to the man, he had proven his worth time and time again, and always seemed to know everything that was going on; even the best kept secrets seemed to somehow reach his ears.

Gin was resting comfortably in his own plush chair, slender fingers woven together and sitting in his lap. The closed-mouth smile that rarely left his face was present as he too listened to the account reports, nodding every now and again as he took in the information. Soft, pale silver hair framed his face and covered his brow, sometimes falling in the way to shadow his creepy closed eyes. His fitted black suit, black tie, and crisp white undershirt only added to his innate sinister appearance; even without trying he looked like a yakuza boss.

One seat over from Gin, on the opposite side of the table, Nnoitra Gilga was slouched over his section of the desk, one long arm outstretched carelessly while he had his other against his cheek to prop his head up; much like Grimmjow was doing. Nnoitra was the blunette's best friend, though with how much they argued and made fun of one another, not everyone would be able to tell. The giant of a man came in at seven feet even and was skinny as a rail, though if you asked anyone who had ever gotten a beating from him they could attest to him being solid as a rock wall. Plus those bony limbs of his hurt like a motherfucker! His long black hair was straight and reached the middle of his back, and a specially-made, black eye patch covered his left eye and a majority of his left cheek. When he had been younger, he had gotten into a particularly nasty street brawl that had led to him losing his left eye. While he liked to freak people out with the scars, most of the time he kept them hidden beneath the patch. He used to tell Grimmjow it was his 'secret weapon' when he wanted to interrogate people. Nnoitra said he didn't have to use it often, but when he did quite a few cowardly saps had pissed their pants.

Currently, Nnoitra was wearing simple black slacks and an open black blazer, his plum purple button-up shirt open slightly at the top, showing off a little of his collarbone and chest. His expression clearly screamed how bored he was, thin fingers tapping lightly on the dark wood in front of him, a frown pulling at his lips and his good eye turned upward, as if asking for some higher being to shut the emo-looking man up.

Ulquiorra, who was one seat down from Nnoitra and sitting across from Hallibel, was reaching the end of his reports. Grimmjow took that time to plaster on a business-like face, having heard all of the information even though he hadn't paid any attention to it. When Ulquiorra was done, he looked over at the blue-haired man again, waiting for his input.

Grimmjow was the makeshift leader of the group, even though he never liked to consider himself such and had even outright refused the position when the remaining members had voted for him to take the position. First off, he didn't want to lead anyone, much less deal with all the bullshit that came with the territory. He liked his job as the main interrogator and overall muscle, his hot temper and somewhat sadistic personality were perfect for both jobs. But when their former boss had stepped down, leaving the group to have a 'normal life,' Grimmjow had somehow been the one to take up the role, even if it was informally. The blunette had too much respect for his old boss to take his place, as he thought there was really no one else who could fill the role as well as he had. So Grimmjow had tried to create a compromise, and for the most part it worked. The remaining heads of the Arrancar group, a well-known gang organization that operated legally through the use of a financial firm, would work together closely while still dealing with their own areas of expertise. All of the members would have a say in the discussions that affected the whole organization, but Grimmjow would have the final say on the matters. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but he could live with it.

Heaving an inner sigh, Grimmjow gave his final comments for the meeting.

"Alright. Ulquiorra, hand out the standard accounts that need collecting to Nnoi. I will take the ones that have not been paid in several months and…persuade their owners to pay up and continue to make their payments on time from now on. Gin, see what you can find out about what Aizen is doing now, and make sure that bastard gets our message this time. Keep it diplomatic though. As much as I wanna punch his face in, I don't wanna start anything with the guy if he isn't getting physical either. Hal, there really isn't much in your field going on right now, so you can either go with Nnoi or Gin on their assignments, or do personal projects. It's up to you. So, everyone keep in contact with each other and me, and let me know if there are any issues that come up. If there is nothing else we need to discuss here…I'm going the fuck home."

At the nods from everyone, Grimmjow rose from his chair and left the conference room, heading down the hall to the elevator. Once inside, he sighed heavily and loosened his black tie with one hand while the other plowed through his sky blue tresses. He couldn't wait to go home and get out of his navy slacks and black dress shirt, his blazer already off and stuffed in the crook of one elbow. When the door opened with a soft ding, he strode powerfully through the parking garage towards his electric blue Dodge Charger SRT8, grinning as he opened her up and slide into the comfy leather seat.

Whipping out of his parking space and speeding off towards his residence, Grimmjow began to think more and more that he needed to do something outside of work. He hadn't hung out with any of his friends outside of his organization in quite a while and, no offense to Nnoi, but he needed to get away from that shit and just relax. Smirking, he made a mental note to call his old friend Kenny when he got home.

XOXOXOXO

*Yachiru always gives people nicknames in Bleach, so I decided to keep that going with Nel here. This nickname will be explained later. Anyone wanna guess at why she calls her this? ^^

The Arrancar organization will be explained more later on, as well as why the group has less members now and who the old boss was. Anyone wanna guess at who that was as well? Also, I'm planning on this being a decently long story, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. Grimmjow and Ichigo will meet in the next chapter or two, but I wanted to draw their meeting out into two parts. A fleeting, chance meeting, and then something more memorable.