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Kapitel II

Schwach

When Kilian awoke he had expected to see Grimmjow curled up in front of the small balcony window brooding over a coffee. It had been a familiar sight in the past few months, and one he was almost happy to see. When he found the window-seat vacant he panicked. The image of Grimmjow attacking random people came to his mind and he sobered up instantly grabbing his keys and running out in his pajamas to find the man. What he didn't expect was to find Grimmjow sitting on a bench muttering angrily to himself.

"Grimm-?"

"Schwach! Er sagte schwach! Ich bin nicht schwach!"
(Weak! He said weak! I am not weak!)

Kilian could tell that Grimmjow was positively boiling with anger. He was even a little bit afraid to approach him. He looked dangerous right then. Even so, he was that much more attracted to him. At first he didn't know if he should approach. When he deemed that Grimmjow was not going to lash out he moved towards him.

"Grimmjow?"

The man in question started at the timid voice. His eyes widened a fraction before setting back into a narrow scowl. "Was ist es?" he growled. (what is it?)

Kilian was at a loss. At first when Grimmjow had woken up, he had been more calm and receptive. Now it seemed that Grimmjow was angry and irritable all the time. He guessed he'd have to call the doctor and see why that was and if there was anything that he could do to reduce that. He ignored the growl in favor of finding out what Grimmjow had been angrily muttering about.

"Wer sagte das?"
(Who said that?)

Grimmjow eyed Kilian warily before muttering quietly. "Kurosaki."

That name had been heard quite frequently since he'd found Grimmjow. He didn't know if the person was real or not. Grimmjow seemed to think that he was. Even to the point of lashing out at anything that reminded him of this Kurosaki person. He often wondered in it had something to do with Grimmjow's supposed death. He had found it odd that the man could remember nothing in detail except for all the things surrounding that person. He chose to steer clear of that topic for now and went with something neutral to hopefully get Grimmjow out of his bad mood.

"Kaffee?"

He prefered tea, but Grimmjow liked coffee and for some reason had a terrible aversion to tea. Terrible as in breaking the cup if it was even set in front of him. More odd and unanswered questions. Kilian smiled when Grimmjow stood up and nudged his head once signalling that he was okay with that. As they walked back to the small apartment Grimmjow's eyes narrowed in deep thought. Kilian was sure that he was puzzling over this Kurosaki person even more. He wondered if he could get more than snips of answers about him if he got Grimmjow to open up. Maybe it could be beneficial to his memory. Seemed like a case of witbier was in his near future.

Ichigo was oddly happy today. His little escapade in finding Grimmjow had made him feel an old adrenaline rush that only had come when the two fought. Admittedly he was dampened by the thought of that never happening again, but the fact that his almost rival was alive had almost made him giddy. He didn't know why though. He'd hated the man for his rudeness and the threats he made to those that Ichigo cared about, but for some inexplicable reason he loved every second of the fighting. Even when he was getting the crap kicked out of him.

He also had found himself to be happy to work with a patient today with the doctor observing him. It was a challenge he'd been waiting for. He found it appropriate that from the child's folder he'd been picked on and was having a tough time coping. As much as he hated that, he liked that his first one would be in an area that he had some expertise in. The head doctor was going to be sitting in to translate things for Ichigo if he couldn't understand felt confident.

"Guten Tag Ichigo. Die Sonne scheint. Ich finde es toll."
(good afternoon. The sun is shining. I find it terrific.)

Ichigo smiled just briefly and greeted the head doctor. Normally the head doctor greeted him in english, so the fact that he was speaking German to him today was meant as a reminder of his first patient. The doctor's greeting also let Ichigo feel like he had the full support of the him. The positive demeanor gave off no doubts.

"Bereit?"
(ready?)

Ichigo nodded as he grabbed his clipboard and slid his glasses into place. Truthfully he didn't need them. He'd gotten them as a means to hide to ever present scowl and not appear so threatening to the children he'd be working with. When he entered his office, his charge was already in there with his mother. Unfortunately she took one look at Ichigo and lit into the doctor. She hadn't been pleased that he was having a student work with her son. And a foreign one at that. Ichigo sighed and looked over his frames. The kid looked upset that his mother was there. His eyes were cautiously sliding back and forth between Ichigo and his mother yelling at the doctor. It was then that Ichigo decided to take things into his own hands grade be damned. He walked over and knelt down so that he was eye-level with the kid.

"Mein Name ist Ichigo. Wie hei en Sie?" Ichigo prayed he pronounced everything correctly.
(my name is_. What do I call you?-formal)

After a moment green eyes turned to him. "Lars" was mumbled so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

"Freut mich." he said softly and tried to relay the warmth he might have used when talking to Yuzu in his voice. "Wie alt sind Sie?"
(pleased to meet you. How old are you.-formal)

"neun."

Ichigo smiled just slightly and stood up. He wanted to get to the bottom of this kid's submissive behavior, but he couldn't do it there with the over protective mom screaming. In fact he thought her presence was counter productive. He might get in touble for this, but he wanted so badly to help this kid not even the threat of bad grades were going to change that.

"Kommen Sie mit mir?" he asked while holding his hand out to the kid. (will you come with me?)

After a brief pause he asked again this time using the his name. Lars shook out of staring at the offered hand and gazed up at Ichigo as if entranced. Timidly he placed his hand in Ichigo's and sighed almost in relief when the long fingers closed almost protectively over his. Ichigo paused when he walked past the doctor. He smirked and apologized.

"Enschuldigung. Heute, das Wetter ist nett."
(Sorry. Today the weather is nice)

The doctor smiled a little as he watched Ichigo walk out with their patient clinging to his arm. This of course led to a new bout of yelling from the displeased parent to which he calmly told her to shut up and wait in his office while he went to observe the session. She wasn't keen on letting the topic drop, but eventually the threat of making her wait in her car for disturbing other patients quieted her enough. He knew he'd like Ichigo from the start. The kid had good instincts, was smart, and very realistic. That much was obvious today by him taking the child out of a hostile environment even if it was against how things were usually done.

When the doctor finally made it out to the small courtyard the hospital owned he was surprised to see the pair sitting in the grass. His small charge seemed to have gotten more comfortable around Ichigo and even though he wasn't looking up, he was talking. Ichigo looked up from his clipboard as he noticed his mentor sit down in front of him. Lars stopped talking just briefly and regarded the doctor and then continued right on with what he was saying to Ichigo. Every now and then Ichigo would add to the conversation, but it was mostly just him listening to the child.

"Herr Verstandt, Wir sind fertig."
(Mr. Verstandt, we're finished.)

Ichigo had adressed his mentor keeping in mind the strict time each session was supposed to be. He had been surprised at the amount of information he'd gotten on Lars. He really hadn't expected the boy to speak much at all. It amazed him how much the child had opened up to him. It haven't been anything substantial, mostly stories and what he liked, but that gave him an easy foothold for opening the session the next time. All he was awaiting now was the possible punishment for going against the rules.

Grimmjow had been grateful that Kilian had been called to work all evening. He'd been feeling cooped up for way too long and the overprotective nature of his caretaker was quite frankly getting on his last nerve. His blood was pumping and he was even more excited at the thought of maybe seeing the powerful aparition again. He figured that this being he'd seen the night previous was the Kurosaki that had been constantly on his mind. He didn't want to stay in waiting for him though. Luckily he'd relearned his way around on foot very well and had very little trouble finding where he wanted to go. His most common haunt had been a small coffee shop not too far from his current dwelling.

At first Grimmjow had wanted to stop by and get an expresso and maybe some sort of baked good and sit at the most secluded back table. His train of thought had stopped when he'd seen a familiar ginger-hair man sitting at one of the outdoor tables. Slowly he felt a grin stretch across his face as he redirected his steps. Surprised brown eyes shot up to him as he slammed his plate down on the small metal table. Grimmjow's grin fell as he noticed those weren't quite the same eyes he's seen last night. He was about to backtrack when he noticed a spark of something in them as the brown lightened slightly. Instead he decided to plop himself down and try to figure it out.

Ichigo had been surprised to see the ex-espada now sitting at his table. He had hoped that his only encounters would have been in his soul form. But just as before, Grimmjow had the annoying habit of catching him off guard. He sighed inwardly. He guessed he could try to learn more about Grimmjow as a human. It might help him decide what to do with him, and most definitely would explain about how he became a hollow. The only problem was that he couldn't communicate with him now had said it was for souls only and not to use it on regular humans, but he doubted that was the case. He turned the small translator on. A clicking noise filled his ears, but it seemed only he could hear it. No one else around could tell what was going on. His inner hollow was rebelling and vehemently cursing the noise loudly in his head. Suddenly he noticed souls standing next to his table. He cursed and turned the thing off unamused at the results.

Grimmjow watched in smug interest as Ichigo scowled at him. He noticed that something was off. Irritation was bleeding into his scowl and his eyes were starting to turn yellow at the edge of the iris. His attention was diverted when Ichigo looked off to the side and cursed. Grimmjow turned to see what he was looking at and saw blurry figures. He couldn't make out all the details, but he could definitely see what Ichigo was looking at. His attention was turned back to Ichigo from the scraping of the chair. He seemed to be debating about something. Annoyed eyes turn abruptly to Grimmjow.

"Ich komme zur ck." He muttered.
(I'll be back)

The piercing stare was all Grimmjow needed to see to know he was supposed to stay put. He wanted to see what was about to happen. He watched as Ichigo walked away with the apparitions following him. After a minute or so he felt that stifling pressure from the previous night and felt himself grinning again. He wanted to know everything now. He took notice of the folder in front of Ichigo's chair and began to nose through it. Most of the language he didn't understand, but a name caught his attention. 'Dr. Arndt Verstandt'. The name was familiar but he couldn't place it so he read on. It seemed like he was looking at an analysis of someone. Deciding that it didn't give him any information he put it back and focused on his neglected slice of spice cake.

A few moments later Ichigo returned. His eyes were back to normal and his scowl was softer. Grimmjow watched as he quietly sat down and started sipping at his drink again almost as if ignoring his presence. Brown eyes locked with his and Grimmjow found himself momentarily stunned. When he'd attacked the ginger on the street before he hadn't really taken much notice about him. Now though when he wasn't in a frenzy he could take everything in. The scowl the other wore was drawn and tired looking, but his eyes held the most unearthly light. Even in his state of amnesia Grimmjow could definitely tell those eyes held something that could not be termed as human. They were too old and pained to fit with the body sitting in front of him. Grimmjow wanted to ask, but didn't really know how. He didn't know if anything he said would be understood and that frustrated him.

Ichigo had been surprised to see the ex-Espada sit down in front of him. He'd been upset at the situation and even more so when he'd realized that Urahara had been telling the truth about the soul translator. Having it beckon lost souls too him had been annoying in the first place, but having to deal with it in such an environment made it that much worse. He looked at Grimmjow not quite sure what to think about the situation. He scowled at the very attentive look Grimmjow was giving him. It made him shiver. He didn't appreciate the stare and silence. Eventually he sighed and went back to his patient report. He could still feel the heavy gaze though. After a few minutes he got visibly frustrated and slammed his fist on the table.

"Stop it!"

Grimmjow jumped at the sudden outburst. It wasn't German but sounded close enough for him to get the gist. The tired gaze was gone and now only irritation was swimming in the brown eyes scowling at him. Grimmjow grinned menacingly deciding that he liked that look. It was familiar and to him familiar was all he had of who he was. Deciding he didn't care if the other understood he began speaking to him.

"Warum?"
(why?)

A 'tsk' was all he got in response as the ginger-haired boy turned away and began writing again. Not wanting to be ignored Grimmjow tried again. "Dein Name ist Ichigo, nicht wahr?"
(your name is Ichigo, isn't it?)

Ichigo looked up and nodded, but said nothing else. He hadn't really expected Grimmjow to speak to him, but he supposed he should have. The guy was unpredictable as an enemy and probably even moreso as a human with no real memory. If he was honest with himself, he actually was enjoying Grimmjow's presence a tiny bit. It reminded him of what he was and that there were still a few people on his level. Even if the current Grimmjow wasn't, the espada one had been. It reminded him how much he'd enjoyed fighting. He briefly wondered if Grimmjow had been a violent human, or if he'd been vastly different. He was anxious to find out.

He was jarred out of his thoughts about Grimmjow by his phone going off. A small smirk crossed his face when he saw the name. "Oi Urahara."

He watched from the corner of his eye as Grimmjow's grin fell into puzzlement. He knew that Grimmjow couldn't remember japanese in this form. He wondered briefly how he'd even known it as an espada, but he figured logically if a hollow devoured and absorbed other hollows to get stronger, he probably had picked it and probably even other things up along the way. He didn't want to stay on the phone with the other man too long, but the face Grimmjow was giving him was priceless. He knew the other didn't like to be ignored, but he never thought he'd see an almost pout on that proud face. It made him internally smirk.

Eventually Ichigo ended his call since he had important things to actually ask Urahara that he didn't want to ask in the presence of others. Even if Grimmjow couldn't understand, he just wasn't comfortable doing so. He was surprised again when Grimmjow adressed him for a third time.

"Wer war er?"
(Who was he?)

Ichigo suddenly had a feeling of mischief come over him. He was sure that karma was going to kick him in the ass for fooling around with a person with amnesia, if it that didn't happen he was sure he'd suffer abuse from Urahara when the man found out, and he would, about the lie he was about to tell. Somehow, Ichigo couldn't think to care about it.

"Mein Freund.*" He said with was he hoped was a suggestive look. Inside he was laughing at the thought of even dating Urahara much lest suggesting the man was his boyfriend. The other didn't have to know though.

Ichigo almost spit his tea out at the look on Grimmjow's face. It was a cross between confused and infuriated and made whatever hell he was going to have to pay that much more worth it. It also meant that Grimmjow had caught the suggestion in the tone. He chuckled to himself. He never would have thought to be this outgoing. Forget that fact he was sitting at a cafe in Germany with his former enemy and trying to prank him to get a reaction. Grimmjow must have noticed the slight shaking of his shoulders and the soft laughter, for his expression changed again. It became softer and almost content as if the good mood Ichigo was in had been contagious.

The pair sat in an almost comfortable silence for another two hours. Ichigo working on his patient reports and Grimmjow just watching people pass by. In that time Ichigo had taken small glimpses of the man sitting across the table. Not long after the war Ichigo had discovered his leaning toward the same gender. While he liked both and had been open to the idea, he'd found himself more attracted to the hard, flat planes of the masculine form over the soft curves of the womanly. It had stemmed mostly from his desire to be with someone who he could be himself with. Someone who he didn't have to be delicate with. Now, that thought was currently prodding at him forcing him to notice that Grimmjow was indeed a good looking man. Ichigo knew all about the body from the various fights the two had engaged in and had figured that his form was pretty much similar to that. Now with a full view of his face, Ichigo could say honestly that even with the scars in place of the jaw fragment, it was definitely pleasing. His jaw was sharp and chiseled drawing to a fine point at his chin, his nose thin and regal looking, high set cheekbones, finely arched eyebrows that almost always gave off the expression of annoyance, and then of course the angular eyes that even as a human were marked on the outer edge with a teal slash. Never would he admit it out loud though; he was too proud.

Their silence was broken again by Ichigo's phone. Grimmjow chanced a look at him again, seemingly irritated at being disturbed, but also curious to who it was. He watched as Ichigo's face softened as he spoke. The tone was soft, but he could feel the warmth from it. Grimmjow felt strange. He'd seen that expression, the secret smile. He didn't know where. He didn't have a chance to ponder it though as a surprised gasp followed by his name jarred the both of them. Grimmjow watched as Ichigo quickely ended his call and turned toward the sound. His shoulders visibly relaxed when he saw that it was just Grimmjow's caretaker. He looked like he was about to admonish him, but Ichigo decided to step in.

"It's ok. He didn't do anything. He's just been sitting here." Ichigo grumbled. "I have to go anyway." He then decided gathering his papers and standing up. "Bis später." he quickly murmured before walking off.
(see you later)

"Urahara, I have some more questions for you." Ichigo murmured into the phone.

"Things not going well?" The overly chipper voice responded.

"Hollows get stronger by absorbing other hollows and souls right?"

"Yes, even the espada. Though I'd assume that the most dominate soul is the one that the hollow's form will follow." Ichigo could almost hear the grin. "Is this about our dearest Grimmjow?"

"Don't be a jerk old man. I'm just speculating. If he was the original human that became a hollow, then he possibly had a high spiritual pressure before right?"

"Not necessarily. It could have been a really big event that made him hollowfy. And it that was the case, that one happening could have made his presence of mind stronger than the others." Ichigo was about to interject when the other continued. "I'm sure it's a mix of both since you mention he was able to see you and other souls when we last spoke."

Ichigo was silent for a moment and then decided to get to the crux of why he was calling."what's going to happen when he remembers? Will he remember just his human life or will it be everything?" He sighed. "Right down to the memories of every soul he devoured."

"Hard to say. He's the first time I've ever seen reincarnation." Ichigo sighed again knowing that Urahara himself was stumped. "I'd say that he'd only remember the most prevalent things. Being as he has some semblance of memory of you, that's probably something he'd recall. I honestly don't know though."

"I hope that's the case." He murmured darkly.

"Why is that?" The smile was back in the man's voice.

"Even if he was my enemy and I hated his guts, I'd never wish having to relive the tortures of hollowfication on anyone. If he were to remember EVERYTHING then that means it be not only his own death, but that of all the other souls that became a part of him. That's too much."

Urahara sighed knowing that even though Ichigo knew it was a necessity, the idea of killing hollows, after he'd found out they were humans previously, had never really sat well with him. He'd admitted to Urahara that he never had killed Grimmjow. He'd even saved him from what would have been the killing blow of another espada. Urahara had figured Ichigo had a soft spot for his rival even if the other didn't know himself. He had been very curious about this revelation and the researcher in him wanted to get a first hand look.

"I've got some theories I want to test, but I'll need to come see you to get you set up." he finally stated. He could hear the grunt of disapproval and grinned. "Oh, I thought you would have missed me. I'm hurt."

"Fine. But it better not interfere with my classes or anything else." He groused.

"Excellent. I'll see you this weekend."

With that, the conversation was done. Ichigo huffed in annoyance wondering what the blonde had up his sleeve. Truthfully, he'd been thinking about the idea of remembering the death of hundreds as if it were your own. It had made him feel queasy. It wouldn't be fair to give someone a chance at redemption only to screw them over by them remembering enough stuff to make them go insane or kill them all over again. Enemy or not.

The rest of the week passed without much incident and Ichigo found himself begrudgingly waiting at the train station. Why Urahara had insisted on coming into Leipzig on the train baffled him. The blonde was resourceful and probably could have teleported into Ichigo's bathrooom if he wanted to. Unfortunately he'd been intent on making Ichigo's life miserable by forcing him to be up early enough to meet him at the station. He swore the man lived to torture him.

"What's with the look? Didn't you miss me?"

Ichigo turned to the voice and was actually surprised to see the blonde in regular street clothes in favor of his normal goofy outfit. "I'm shocked to see you wearing something even the least bit stylish."

"Kurosaki-kun! You wound me so." Urahara feigned hurt, but years of experience taught Ichigo otherwise.

"Yea yea, shut up old man." He grabbed one of Urahara's bags and started walking toward his flat. "Oi! You coming or what?"

Urahara followed beside him quietly. Ichigo could tell he was observing the area though from the way his eyes would slide slowly to the right and then back again. When they stopped at an intersection he noticed the blonde "accidentally" dropping a coin. He knew better though. He bet it was some sort of weird contraption. They continued on with Ichigo sometimes pointing things out that he thought were important for the other to know. When they finally made it to the small apartment Ichigo let Urahara in with the threat of 'don't mess anything up.' hanging in the air. He then immediately was back out the door to go in for his short day at the hospital.

While he was gone Urahara had done some sniffing about town and setting up items to monitor spiritual pressure. His tasks involving the supposedly reincarnated hollow were going to take some tricksy moves. He was going to have to somehow get a tracer on him so that he could properly see what was going on with his reiatsu and if he was exibiting any signs of hollowfication by remembering things. Next he was going ot have to find a way to get the pressure sealer on him in case he went off the deep end. Of course because Ichigo's occurences with him had been random and sparse he was still puzzling out that aspect.

Late into the afternoon Urahara had begun to wonder why Ichigo had not made an appearance. He'd been assured that the hospital shift today had been a short one. He was getting a little bit impatient since he needed Ichigo for certain parts of his observation to work. He figured he'd waited long enough and could easily find Ichigo by tracking his reiatsu. His search was a short one at best though. Sitting on the corner infront of the apartment building was Ichigo, glasses on, nose shoved in a stack of documents. Urahara was surprised and pleased secretly to see the subject of their recent discussions sitting passively across from the ginger staring off into oblivion.

"Oi, you're late."

Ichigo shot up at the voice and turned. "Urahara!"

Grimmjow also turned at the outburst and noticed the blonde lazily strolling toward the table. Then the name clicked to him. Urahara had been the name the other said on the phone. The name that had been connected to Ichigo in an 'intimate' way. Grimmjow scowled slightly then found himself wanting to get under Ichigo's skin.

"Dein Freund?* Wie alt ist er?" Grimmjow asked leering suggestively at Ichigo.
(your boyfriend? How old is he?)

Urahara's pupils dialated before a sly grin crept over his face. He could almost feel the panic roll off Ichigo. He was very aware of the implications of that statement. "oh my, I wasn't aware how open you'd been about our relationship."

Grimmjow watched the interaction between the two. He'd been completely in the dark about relationships since he started his life again without memories. As the blonde's arm slid over Ichigo's shoulders Grimmjow wasn't sure how to respond. The action seemed almost familiar. Again he found himself scratching at the mental wall he just couldn't seem to break down. He could see a faint blush on Ichigo's cheeks as the other man pulled him closer. Grimmjow turned away expecting something personal to happen. He was surprised when he heard a soft embarassed mumble.

"I don't do PDA."

"You're so heartless." Urahara pouted, but quickly followed up by leaning over and whispering in Ichigo's ear. "I need you to put both of these on him so I can monitor him."

Ichigo could feel his cheeks burning at the sensation of breath against the whorl of his ear. Urahara's hand discreetly covered his own while depositing two small circular devices in his palm. Instictively he closed his hand wondering what the objects were. Urahara's sparkling smirk told him he'd find out later. Ichigo sighed inwardly momentarily wondering how he was going to get them on the other without him being suspicious. Urahara rose up and slid his hands away from Ichigo signalling his intent to leave.

"I'll see you at home Ichigo. Don't make me wait too long." He added a suggestive look just to make the other squirm.

Ichigo sighed and laid his head on the table. He could feel Grimmjow staring at him again. He was so utterly embarassed, but he should've known that Urahara would humiliate him for the little white lie. He just didn't expect it to be so soon. He sighed heavily and peeked up at Grimmjow. Suddenly he saw an opportunity to leave the small devices and he sat fully up. He hadn't noticed before, but Grimmjow was wearing a hooded vest. Urahara hadn't said to specifically put them on Grimmjow's skin, and he figured the devices would some how attach themselves to the reiatsu knowing the blonde. He'd have to pretend to bump the other, but it would be the easiest way. He started stacking his reports together and sliding them into the folder when Grimmjow suddenly addressed him.

"Er küßte nicht dich."
(He didn't kiss you)

Ichigo froze, but relaxed again as soon as Grimmjow shrugged and went back to watching people across the street. Ichigo sighed and stood up. He tipped his head to Grimmjow and then walked past him to leave. Right as he passed by his arm barely brushed Grimmjow's shoulder. Subtly he let the small devices fall into Grimmjow's hood hoping that it would suffice for whatever Urahara had planned.

"So, you two sure seem like you're getting along. Should I be worried you're cheating on me Ichigo?" Urahara grinned lazily while tilting his head to look at the ginger.

"You're not funny old man. He was snooping around last time you called, so I said the first thing that I thought would throw him off." He scowled darkly.

"Well, I can see where your priorities lie. Sure you weren't just trying to make him jealous?"

Ichigo blanched at Urahara and then threw a magazine at the man. "Be serious for a minute! Tell me what the heck is going on."

"Right." His expression changed from the jovial joking one to poker face in a matter of seconds. " The two things I gave you to place on Grimmjow are merely a means to track his spiritual pressure and for signs of hollowfication. Now, I'm not sure if reliving memories can cause that, but better safe than sorry ne?" Ichigo nodded as the blonde continued. "I'll be done getting stuff calibrated here tomorrow then I'll be out of your hair. Essentially you can monitor him from here and I'd already set up my own back at the shop to check as well."

"So what is all this going to do for us then?" Ichigo questioned while sitting down on the floor across from Urahara.

"Well, for me it will show a phenomenon I've not yet seen before and allow me to prepare for other such instances. For you, well that's yet to be seen." Urahara pinned Ichigo with a serious look. "Of course you'll find out what I want to find out, but this might allow you a deeper look into what I think is a the missing piece in your life."

"I don't follow." Ichigo's eye's narrowed.

"Rival, friend, or potential lover; it's quite obvious that something about Grimmjow had serious impact on you. You may not even know it, but you have a soft spot for him. I'm willing to bet it's because you see pieces of yourself in him. He was the one to rise to your challenge, and quite frankly, the one to get under your skin and even make you question yourself." Urahara sighed at the incredulous look he received. "I think you need to know just as much if not more than anyone else."

"Right." Ichigo sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "I'm sacking out. I have class in the morning. Couch is all yours."

Urahara's shoulders sagged as he watched Ichigo walk into the other room. If the small interaction between the human-Grimmjow and Ichigo was any indication, he was sure that his perception of Ichigo had been right. He knew the boy had an undeniable draw toward the arrancar. The two were similar and from what he'd heard of Ichigo's fights with him, the draw was mutual. He wondered if Ichigo would realize. He was hoping that by allowing Ichigo to see how Grimmjow was as a person, then maybe the violent draw would turn into something more peaceful. And perhaps Ichigo could have a kindred spirit, or at least someone who could relate to him better. Hell, he knows the kid needed it. He grinned suddenly to himself.

"Oh my." Urahara had never realized how much he cared about Ichigo's well being before. "Seems I've gotten a bit soft." He mumbled to himself.

Ichigo hadn't been able to sleep. Two o'clock in the morning found him laying his body down and attempting to sneak out the window. He paused when Urahara's sleepy voice called out from the living area. He snorted at the comment about cheating and jumped through the small opening. Being outside of his body was invigorating. Ichigo flexed his reiastu revelling in the feeling. It wasn't that he wanted something to do, rather because he was restless, he'd found that being in his spirit form relaxed him. He wasn't quite sure why, but the gentle thrum of his own spiritual pressure seemed to do so.

Grimmjow had been in the process of raiding Kilian's bookshelf trying to find anything that would tell him about himself when he felt that stifling pressure. He almost dropped the book when a newspaper article sticking out through the pages caught his attention. He flipped to the page containing it and also found a small crumpled picture. His eyes widened. It was a photobooth picture with 4 different poses in it. Obviously it was a teenage version of himself with another boy. Grimmjow scratched at his brain trying to remember. He had been close with this boy if the small pictures were anything to go by. The last frame had him stumped. It was so personal. The two were joking around in all the others, but the last one Grimmjow had his arm draped over the shoulders of the other boy while he was getting a kiss on the cheek. He frowned not sure what to make of it. He shoved the picture in his pocket and dropped the book, again focusing on the familiar pressure.

Grimmjow approached the apparition again. His eyes focused on the way the other seemed to glow against the night sky. "Wer bist du?" He felt himself growling out as he walked closer. "wahrheitsgemäß ..."
(who are you? Truthfully...)

Ichigo had know Grimmjow was there, but he made no moved to face him or even that he'd heard. He turned only when Grimmjow was an arm length away. Even then, he said nothing and turned back to staring out over the man-made pond. He sighed knowing that he really couldn't properly communicate with the other. Grimmjow stared harshly. He could feel it. And despite knowing the other wouldn't understand, he felt inclined to He looked away again.

"I wanted to hate you." Grimmjow tilted his head in slight confusion. "I wanted so bad to hate you. You hurt my friends and threatened me." He scoffed to himself. "But I couldn't. You pushed me to get stronger. I wanted to fight you."

Ichigo tilted his head back, his eyes rolling to the side to catch Grimmjow's gaze. Blue eyes locked onto his chestnut ones staring intensely. Ichigo saw all the same things he did when he'd fought Grimmjow the final time, but now it was all tainted with irritation and confusion. He wondered if Grimmjow could hear his zanpakuto, or if he'd forgotten. He was betting that now he couldn't. Ichigo found that sad. Despite how much he hated having his thoughts on display for whoever was rolling around inside his head, it had been terribly lonely with out his hollow and zangetsu in there. It wasn't quite the same now, but at least they were there again. He'd never forget the name of Grimmjow's blade either considering how many times he'd been on the receiving end of its wrath.

"I wonder if you can still hear pantera." He'd mumbled so quietly he didn't think Grimmjow would hear. Something heard him though. He felt a vibration of pressure run through Zangetsu very briefly.

Grimmjow stood frozen in place with the other looking directly at him. He didn't know if he should get any closer. He'd remembered the weight on his chest from the last time and the way that huge blade had cut the air so precisely close to his own face. Everything he wanted to know seemed to hinge on this apparition though. He swallowed whatever uncertainties he had and stepped closer slowly. The other turned fully toward him eyes still locked on his own.

"Noch einmal...Wer bist du?" He growled again.
(once again...who are you)

A smirk was all Grimmjow got in response. Grimmjow curled his hands into fists angry at the lack of response. His temper was so close to shooting off. The sensation of paper rustling in his pocketed hand dragged him back a bit. His attention went back to the small photo.

"Wer bin Ich?" He muttered dejectedly to himself breaking the gaze he had on the other.(who am I?)

"Grimmjow."

Ichigo turned to leave, but was stopped when Grimmjow's hand curled around his wrist. "Wer..."

Ichigo's eyes softened. The desperation was clear in Grimmjow's voice. It was like the last time. He'd promised the other that he could challenge him as much as he wanted when it was all done. Now he was getting a second chance. True they probably would never fight again, but this was nostaligic. And despite the pain tied to it all, a spark of happiness did flit through Ichigo. Not everyone had disappeared. He had hope then that Nel too had maybe been given another chance. He wanted Grimmjow to remember. Wanted to see the fire in him unbridled by whatever shit Aizen had spewed. He had to wait though. He wanted it to be a natural thing. He was sure that the other would remember. Especially with his "helpful prodding" at the other's soul.

"Nicht schon, Grimmjow. Nicht schon."
(Not yet Grimmjow. Not yet.)

With that being said, he disentangled his wrist from the other and slipped away. He felt a little more at ease.

A/N: I'm sorry for last chapter. I decided to take the advice of a few reviewers and keep translations in the paragraph. As much as I dislike that in the sense that I think it messes up the flow, I completely understand where you all are coming from and want you guys to have a good reading experience.

That being said, apologies again if I did screw up a translation or miss something. Again stating that it's been years since I've spoke/used my German.

I hope that I'm not being too out of character. It's a bit of challenge to keep Grimmjow how we know him when he doesn't even know himself. I am trying though to develop him into that. Likewise, I hope Ichi isn't too out of character either. I'm trying to get this whole aged more spiritually thing right for him. Also, trying to back up that I did say he tried to learn German before he came over. Also about the OCs, again just space fillers and something to try to help develop our main ones and their relationship. It's killing me to draw it out when all I want is for them to make mad delicious love. I absolutely adore them as a pair though and I want to give a more realistic feel to them getting to know each other.

*Freund is a term used only for people who are in your inner circle. Those who are not close with you are merely acquaintances. Freund also can mean boy/girl friend and that is exactly what Ichigo is hinting at. And no I do not plan to even extend that. It was a joke because honestly I love Urahara and thought it be funny to have him play along and take it over the top.

As Always, thank you for reading and your input. I am so very grateful.