A/N: Ah, thank you for reviewing, my lovelies~! I truly appreciate it, and it has inspired a new chapter! Although, I should be working on my other fics.

Ichi: No kidding! You have 9 fics besides this one that you need to update! Baka!

Anna: Ah, don't be so mean –sniffles-

Grimm: Aw, come on Ichi, don't be like that. She's just excited to have so many reviews on one chapter. –pets Anna's head-

Ichi: -sighs- Fine. Annamae2243 doesn't own Bleach. Obviously.

Anna: Special thanks to my beta, xRememberxMe~

A comfortable sigh left Grimmjow's lips as he stretched out on his black leather couch. Renji grunted as he came in the room, a plate full of pizza in hand. He glared at Grimmjow, the blue haired male just grinning at him as he tried to find a place to sit. Finally deciding on the floor, the red-head plopped down, narrowly avoiding spilling his soda all over the white carpet.

"I swear if you get soda on my floor, I'll kill you." Grimmjow growled, eyeing the tattooed male. Renji just waved his hand at him, showing that he had heard him. Grimmjow rolled his eyes, a smirk back in place on his handsome face. Renji stole the remote from the blue-haired teen, eliciting an annoyed huff. He smirked, flipping to some random movie channel. As the movie started playing Grimmjow's phone began to ring, Three Days Grace's "Break" blaring loudly over the phone's tiny speaker. Grimmjow grinned, that was Ichigo's ringtone.

"Yo, Ichi! What's up?" Grimmjow asked, his grin shining brightly at the ceiling. His smile dropped and he propped himself up on his elbows slowly, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion as the person on the other end of the line spoke.

"Karin? What'cha doin' with Ichi's phone?" There was a moment of silence as Karin answered before Grimmjow shot up into a sitting position, startling the read-head on the floor. Renji turned around, becoming more concerned as he watched the panic spread on his friend's face.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute. Don't go downstairs, alright?" Grimmjow growled before snapping the phone shut and pushing himself up off the couch. Renji stood up as his friend launched to the door, hurriedly slipping into a pair of shoes and pulling his jacket from a hanger in the closet.

"What's goin' on, Blue?" Renji asked, jogging up to the panicked male. Grimmjow didn't answer, only grabbed his keys before running out the door. Renji was getting really worried; Grimmjow never blew him off like that. Was Ichigo in danger?

Ichigo looked up from his position against the wall, slowly raising a hand to wipe away the blood that blurred his vision. The woman had really done a number on him this time. The cut above his eye was still leaking blood, along with a few jagged gashes on his chest. Bruises were littered about his face and torso, a few even scattering down to his thighs. He could feel the blood seeping through his ripped shirt, staining the once-grey material a deep black color. But that didn't bother him, he was used to that. What frightened him was the fact that she was nowhere near done with him, not yet.

She smirked at him, letting her fingers slowly dance across his shoulders. It was gentle, almost as a mother's touch should be. It almost made him believe that she regretted hurting him. Almost. Soon her fingers were replaced with the flat of a knife blade, the cold metal sending shivers down his spine. She turned the blade, letting the smooth edge glide over the skin on his neck before pressing in, oh so lightly. She drew the blade gently across the skin, watching in fascination as a thin line of red appeared in the shallow cut. A cruel smile curled her lips as she moved to stand over him. Pressing the tip of the blade into his shoulder, she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"You're such a good big brother, taking the pain for your darling little sister. But you won't be here to protect her forever, you know. One day, this knife might just slip a little… too… far…" she whispered, her words trailing off as she pressed the knife deeper into his shoulder. She laughed as she watched him writhing in pain beneath her as the sharp blade pierced through muscle and scraped against bone. Suddenly the doorbell rang, startling the woman and making her jolt the knife in the teenager's shoulder. He ground his teeth, refusing to make a noise; He wouldn't let her hear his pain. The woman cursed and wiped the blood from her hands with the kitchen towel she always kept on hand during their "sessions".

"I'm coming!" She called sweetly as the ringing gave way to someone pounding at the door. She glared down at the boy, the look clearly telling him, 'Make one noise, and I'll kill you.' Ichigo watched her walk down the hallway, moving his hand up to rest on the hilt of the blade protruding from his shoulder. He could hear her talking, her voice sounding sickly-sweet as she addressed the visitor.

"I'm sorry, boys! Ichigo went out a few minutes ago." The woman sighed, looking apologetic. But Grimmjow could tell, the look in her eyes stated something of all to familiarity. He snarled at her, his cerulean eyes narrowed dangerously.

"The fuck he did! Where is he?!" Grimmjow yelled, causing the woman to flinch. Grimmjow was breathing heavily, a fire burning behind his eyes. He hated it when people lied to him, especially when it was about something as crucial as the current situation. He knew Karin would never lie to him, and she definitely wouldn't make something like this up. Ichigo was hurt and the woman standing in front of him was to blame. Renji, who'd had the situation explained to him on the way to the Kurosaki residence, was downright growling. He cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling into the silent house.

"Ichigo!" No answer came. The woman sneered at them and opened her mouth to tell them off when a weak voice broke the silence.

"Ren-" Ichigo gasped. The blood loss was starting to affect him, making his vision swim as he tried to stand. He slid back down the wall, choking back a groan as the knife tip slid against the bone in his shoulder.

"Went out my ass!" Grimmjow roared, pushing past the woman into the dark house. He stormed down the hallway, nearly passing Ichigo. The orange-haired male groaned, catching the older teen's attention. Grimmjow felt his eyes widen as he stared down at his best friend, taking in the damage. Even in the limited light, the boy looked pale. Grimmjow knelt down beside him and grabbed his shoulder, hissing when something sliced into his palm. He let go quickly, finally noticing the knife as the sunlight bounced off of the blade.

"Shit! Renji, go get Karin." He commanded, slipping his arms underneath the orangette. He picked the smaller male up bridal-style, careful not to move him too much for fear of agitating his injuries. He grimaced when he felt the wet shirt in his arms, the tangy scent of blood reaching his nose. He needed to get Ichigo out of there, fast.

"Come on, Ichi." He whispered, quickly making his way outside as Renji came down the stairs, a bag of clothes under one arm and Ichigo's book bag under the other. Karin followed close behind him, a bag of her own slung across her shoulders. Renji took the lead, shoving their friend's stepmother out of the way and running to Grimmjow's car. He threw the bags into the trunk and retrieved the blanket that was stored there before sliding into the backseat. He spread the blanket out as Karin jumped into the passenger's seat and waited for Grimmjow to put Ichigo in the car. As soon as the younger teen was lying across Renji's lap, Grimmjow was in the car and speeding toward the hospital.

"Hold on, Ichigo!"

A/N: And there you have it! There's chapter two for you, my lovelies~

Ichi: You seem to be in a good mood to have just written this...

Anna: -deadpans- not really, I just want to try and be cheery. My readers don't need to know about my problems.

Grimm: -Nods- Yeah, her psycho mother is her business.

Anna and Ichi: -facepalm-

Grimm: ... Right. My bad. Oh well, review! :3

Ichi: Please do... I need to know what she plans to do to me...