Still thanks for the favs and reviews ^.^ I have gotten myself a beta reader ^.^ Say thank you to the wonderful 'LunaTaichou'
for looking over this chapter ^.^

Warnings: In a way I think you can say character death, but hey, half of the people in Bleach are dead. Oh, and Grimmjow is still jumping Ichigo.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters belong to the great Tite Kubo ^.^

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Fallen Hero

Chapter three – Gone

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The two Arrancars turns confused, as the last woman of their kind smashed down the wall to the library, leaning tired against it as she had run as fast as she could there.

"Nell?" asked Grimmjow confused, looking at the once more resurrected number 3. "What the hell are you doing here? And in that form?"

"Ichigo… they ordered… his execution…" She pants, Grimmjow running off right away, Nell looking over at Ulquiorra for a sign of what he wanted to do.

"Let us get going." Ulquiorra whispers, Nell smiled relieved, following him as they ran after Grimmjow to the one portal they used to hide their traveling back and forth. "Our top priority is to save and protect Kurosaki Ichigo."

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"I am disappointed with this." Zaraki Kenpachi grumbles for himself, looking at the tired Ichigo, who was leaning against a fence. "I came here after I heard that Kurosaki Ichigo had been infected with a strong and evil force, but this is even worse than our last fight."

"I'm sorry, I am kind of sick." Ichigo muttered, looking over at Ikkaku and Yumichika, who were both watching the fight as witnesses for their captain. "You two are also kind of freaking me out right now. I just want to pass through here and find a place I can hide, - at least until someone finds me and wants to kill me again…"

"Sorry Ichigo, we have top orders, and also, the captain sees this as his last chance to redeem himself." Ikkaku answers, Ichigo giving a tired sigh, there was a reason he had kept away from that guy! He was getting more and more intensive on getting him into a fight!

"Ok then! I`m in a hurry! The first one to make a deep flesh wound wins!" Ichigo yells, Zaraki looking quite content at the challenge, recalling how Ichigo had problems with it the first time they fought. "Here I come! Kenpachi, Zaraki!"

Ikkaku and Yumichika both gets up as the pressure from Ichigo's energy changed, Zaraki looking shocked as he saw the mask forming. Was this the strange force that had even overwhelmed Byakuya? The power that made Ichigo a hundred times stronger than any other shinigami!

"Great, Ichigo! Here I come!" Zaraki laughs, moving fast against the still Ichigo, who moved his sword slowly. Ok… he had to cut to hurt, but not so hard that it would kill! But if he didn't make at least a small effort on the killing, he would dishonor Zaraki. "Why aren't you attacking?! Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo yells, Zaraki slashing against to stop the blood colored attack, looking shocked as he found it impossible, the attack hitting him hard and severe. "Thank you for the chance to fight you again, captain Kenpachi."

Ichigo takes his mask off, bowing his head before the laughing Zaraki, and then he walks away, the laughter going silent as Zaraki fell hard to the ground, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Yachiru running terrified towards him. How was it possible? To beat the captain so fast…

"I didn't cut so deep, he will be ok until Inoue and the others come. Make her heal him." Ichigo whispers.

"We will. You should get running again." Ikkaku replied, looking a little sad at the smile Ichigo gave them before he took off. Ichigo had always been a mystery to him; he had to be the kindest warrior in the world. It was a little ironic that the kindest sort of warrior also seemed to be the ones to gain the most destructive powers. "Good luck, Kurosaki Ichigo."

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Ichigo gives a sigh, leaning tiredly against the wall of an abandoned building as he had decided to take a new break. It had to be at least a few minutes between him and any followers now. If he had just learned how to hide his presence, he would have been able to get away easy by now.

"Kurosaki-kun?" someone whimpers, Ichigo looking confused at the tired Orihime, who were climbing up the side of the tall building towards him.

"Ah! Inoue! Are you ok?!" He asks worriedly. It seemed like she had climbed a little too much for her small body. "Shouldn't you be healing Kenpachi?"

"I already did! He is up and running again!" She cheers, Ichigo giving a nervous laughter.

"You could have healed him just a little… now he is running around, waving with his sword again…" Ichigo stammers. Orihime shuddered at the thought. "I hope all of this will end soon, I am getting a little anxious for myself and about the town."

"I bet it will be all over again soon!" Orihime added, making her normal bouncy pose, Ichigo laughing over her cheerfulness as he sat down again. Orihime sat down beside him. "Did you get hurt?"

"No, just tired, I think my fever is setting in again." He laughs, smiling gently to her as she leaned in closer, checking their temperatures together. "Heh, thank you Inoue, but I think I should get running again."

"Um, Kurosaki-kun! I…" She stammers, trying to figure out what to do. It was up to her now! "I'm so sorry!"

Ichigo gives a confused grunt, as Orihime push him backwards, setting her shield off and catching the confused Ichigo inside it.

"Everyone! I got him! Do it now!" She yells, not able to look up at Ichigo. It would all be ok, Ichigo would be normal again, and whatever he had become when coming to save her would disappear! She wanted to save Ichigo just this once! She wanted to be strong!

Ichigo looks confused around, as Ishida, Chad, Rukia and Renji surrounded him. So this was their plan? Making Orihime corner him, then all of them would attack? Heh, it seemed that he was right, Byakuya and Toshiro came too.

"Lower the shield now Inoue!" Rukia yells. Ichigo turned slowly towards her as the shield was lowered. Rukia ran towards him with her sword held high, the look in her eyes seeming more painful than Ichigo's own. Her sword went through his chest, but it didn`t hurt him. The swords action was probably something of the same kind as that Aizen had used with the hand on Rukia long ago. A ball of resemblance of that same time was released inside his chest. Ichigo`s eyes widened as he felt the other part of him fade into the ball.

But something was wrong! Why… couldn't he… think at all? Why did he feel completely empty? "Ichigo! How are you feeling?! Say something!? Ichigo!"

The ball falls out as Rukia pulls her sword back. They wait for the wound to heal, but instead of healing or becoming a sword wound, a giant hole opens trough his chest, and the empty Ichigo falls to his knees, looking straight into the air, no life left in his eyes.

"Hey! Kurosaki! Say something!" Ishida shouts, shaking him hard as he leaned down behind him. "I don't find this joke funny at all, Kurosaki!"

"Something must have gone wrong!" Rukia shrieked, grabbing the ball. "I'll put it back in; maybe we will find another way to do it!"

Rukia halts in her steps as her brother stopped her from doing it, slowly unsheathing his sword.

"But, Nii-sama! There has to be a way!" She pleaded in panic, trying to stop her brother, but he pushed her gently aside. "Nii-sama! Please, don't!"

"We were ordered to get rid of any trace of the former shinigami named Kurosaki Ichigo. I will honor him with death before he lives any longer in this sorry, mindless state" Byakuya whispers while kicking the ball away. "If he loses his mind like this when we remove the evil presence inside him, then it means there is nothing but that evil presence left."

"Stop it!" Orihime screams, about to attack Byakuya, Chad and Ishida with her, as he brought his sword down against Ichigo, but Toshiro and Matsumoto stopped them. "Kurosaki-kun!"

"I am sorry Kurosaki Ichigo, but I will not perform even a soul burial for you…" Byakuya whispers. But as his sword was about to hit, a pressure hits him hard in the side and Grimmjow sends him flying.

"Screw you shinigami's and your soul burials!" Grimmjow howls, giving a big grin as Ulquiorra opens a portal for them, and they are sent back to their own world. Then Grimmjow sits down to check how Ichigo is doing. "Hey, we were a little late is seems. That idiot with hat and sandals sent Nell really far away, but it appears you managed to survive."

"Hey, some words of gratitude would be nice." Grimmjow murmured, knocking on Ichigo's forehead. "Oi, anyone home?"

Grimmjow keeps talking to the silent Ichigo, doing his best not to look into the empty eyes, or the giant hole trough his chest that was bigger than any hollow hole he had seen on one of their level before.

"Grimmjow, stop it." Ulquiorra orders, as Grimmjow had started shaking Ichigo while yelling at him, close to tears. "Let me check him."

Grimmjow moves slowly away, looking confused at the small ball Ulquiorra held in his hand. Had he picked it up?

"They must have tried to save him." Ulquiorra whispers, showing the ball. "This contains the other soul; the hollow."

"Then what about Ichigo?!" Nell yells, sitting down beside him. "Don't worry Ichigo, Nell is here, I will take care of you now, nothing bad is going to happen to you… Nell promises!"

"A human turning into a hollow can't go back to being human, so if they remove the hollow from the human… the human part will hide away, it is only natural." Ullqiorra explains, hesitating, before he pulls his own eye out. Grimmjow and Nell looked confused at him as he lets his eye drift into the hole, and it turns to dust inside it. "He will never turn into a human again. It seems… his human body died the moment his chest opened again, but… there is still that part of him that won over me. It is inside him, a power he has yet to learn; that is him and not the sealed one's powers. If he one day awakes them, he will have a chance of regaining consciousness."

"Isn't there something we can do?!" Grimmjow roars, both Ulquiorra and Nell seeing that he was close to crying each time he looked at the lifeless Ichigo. "If we put the other soul back in… or something like that?!"

"The souls got severed when the hole opened, if we put the other back in, he will as the main hollow spirit take complete control, then we will be sure that Ichigo is eradicated." Ulquiorra answers, brushing Ichigo's cheeks gently, before he brushes away the remnants of his eye from the hole. "Get him up from the sand, he still has a fever, don't let him get worse."

Grimmjow nods, lifting Ichigo gently up, laying his head against his own chest, not able to look into the empty eyes now. Damn! He knew he had said he owned Ichigo's body… but it wasn't the same without the mind inside it either! What he liked about Ichigo wasn't his body! It was… his kind being.

"Grimmjow, put him in the master bedroom." Ulquiorra whispers, Grimmjow looking confused at him.

"That Aizen bastard's old room? Why?" Grimmjow asks.

"Because if Kurosaki Ichigo wakes up again, he is our Zero." Ulquiorra replied, Grimmjow looking down at where Ulquiorra pointed, at a now permanent zero mark over Ichigo's neck. "He is one of us now, and it is our duty to take care of him."

"I'm in on that." Grimmjow laughs, hesitating, before he looks over at Nell. "Can you try to close his eyes?"

"Ok." She whispers, brushing her fingers over his eyes, Grimmjow relaxing a little, as it now looked like he were sleeping peacefully.

"Heh, I guess we are all becoming full-time nurses." Grimmjow laughs, stopping as Ulquiorra opened the door to the bedroom for him. Ichigo`s soon laid down in the bed with Nell pulling the blankets over him before she gives him a warm kiss on the cheek. She didn't like being an adult anymore, but… she wanted to take care of Ichigo like an adult, to not be a nuisance now that he would need her for such a long time.

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Grimmjow gives a tired yawn, before opening the door to the master bedroom. He had decided to sleep in there with Ichigo, `cause maybe he was afraid or something? It was at least a possibility… How pathetic, he felt a weak hope that Ichigo might be afraid, and that he would clutch to him, to at least show a little emotion.

"Hey, little Ichigo, I'm coming in." He hollered while walking into the dark room that was dimly lit by the moon. "Hey, you moved… you were sleeping on the bed when we left you…"

He looks at the still form that was Ichigo, sitting in the bed looking weakly at the door. Grimmjow noticed the shivering hands that were clutching the bed blankets. Ichigo… he had been afraid. Without a mind at all, Ichigo would be nothing but a newborn in an adult body.

"Hey, you don't have to be afraid." Grimmjow whispers, sitting down beside Ichigo, patting him gently on the head, noticing that the shaking stopped slowly. Ichigo's hand moved slowly from the blanket to Grimmjow's wrist. "Don't worry; I will be here with you."

Grimmjow pulls Ichigo slowly down in the bed, pulling him into his embrace as he nuzzled his face gently into the orange hair. Ichigo closing his eyes slowly, once more falling into a peaceful slumber.

And this was how most of the next three years went for Grimmjow, as he used all his waking time taking care of Ichigo. It seemed that food wasn't something he needed. He fed off the energy from outside; it was ok as long as the window always stood open for him. He didn't need to shower or go to the toilet, and other than his hair growing, he didn't change at all over the years, other than turning paler. Grimmjow had started fearing he would turn as white as Ulquiorra soon.

But during the new-year season of the third year, something happened; something that gave the Arrancars a small glimmer of hope for changes.

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"So you feel that a little fresh air might be good for him?" Ulquiorra questioned, as Grimmjow had just come and asked him for permission to take Ichigo to the human world for a small trip. "How good is his walking now?"

"He won't walk alone, but if I pull him along he follows easy." Grimmjow answers, pointing over to Nell. "She will come with us too, just in case."

"Where did you think of taking him?" Ulquiorra continued.

"Karakura town." Nell whispers, Ulquiorra trying to figure out if it was a good idea, or the worst possible. "Ichigo told me about his family before, his mother died many years ago, so I thought we could take him to her grave."

"Will you be able to hide him good enough? He might be a soul, but he has for some reason a lot of people around him that can see souls." Ulquiorra says, Grimmjow nodding. "Ok, let us get going then."

"Us?!" Grimmjow and Nell both yell out.

"Yes, I am coming too." Ullqiorra whispers. "Find some clothes that will hide Ichigo good enough and we`ll be off."

"Right away." Grimmjow whispers, walking back to the room. Ichigo is sitting upright in the bed again, as he always did when he left him. He would sleep for a little while, wake up, and if Grimmjow wasn't around, he would sit up and shiver until he came back to him. "Hey, we are going for a walk now, what do we do when we are going to walk?"

Ichigo takes a hold of Grimmjow's arm, letting him pull him gently up from the bed. Grimmjow takes one of the jackets he had brought with him ant put it on the youth, pulling the hood over his head to cover his hair.

"Heh, you look really funny like that." Grimmjow laughs and kisses him gently on the cheek, before leading him out of the room to go meet Nell and Ulquiorra outside. "We are ready. This guy won't be recognized by a soul!"

Ulquiorra nods in approval; before he arranges the hood a little making sure that the last of orange hair was out of sight. He then opens a portal for them all, and soon they are back in the human world. Grimmjow felt Ichigo's hold of his hand get harder, as a part of his mind must have recognized the place they were. Outside the Urahara shop.

"A! Kurosaki-kun! I didn't think you would honor us with your presence again so soon!" The ecstatic owner cheers, as he came to greet the travelers. "And sorry about the transport Nell-chan! I have no idea why it got tossed so far off!"

Urahara laughed nervously as he stood before them, expecting Ichigo to give him the hard smack he had waited for the last few years. He had heard from Orihime and the others that the Arrancars had taken Ichigo away, so he guessed he had been ok.

"Oh? Not going to yell? Not even give me a hard elbow in the face?" Urahara asks confused, Grimmjow hesitating, before pulling Ichigo's hood back. Urahara looked at the empty eyes, that didn't seem to notice him at all, dreadfully. "How long has he been like this?"

"Since we rescued him." Nell sadly answers, brushing his hair gently, before she puts the hood on him back on. "It seems they tested out a new weapon on him, a sphere that sucks out the soul, it took the hollow inside him, and the rest just locked itself away."

"A soul-sucking weapon?" Urahara whispers, looking sadly at the son of one of his old best friends. "I have no idea what you can do for him, only time can heal a locked away soul."

"We know, we are taking him to his mom's grave, do you know the way?" Grimmjow asks. Urahara looks confused for a moment before nodding. It might be a good idea; Ichigo had been really close to his mother after all.

"I'll just tell the kids I'm going out first." He laughs, walking over to the two curious kids peering at them. "I am going out for a trip with my nice and not suspicious-looking friends. If anyone asks; you have never seen them."

"Ok, Kisuke-san." Ururu whispers, looking at the man with the hood. Hadn't that been Ichigo? He didn't look so good; was he sick? Then she hoped they would get help for him soon, everyone missed him a lot.

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"And we are here!" Urahara cheers, waving his fan triumphant before the grave. All of them looking a little mortified at it as it had two names on it. Masaki and Ichigo Kurosaki; mother and son that left this world far too early. "It was really a sad funeral" Urahara said. "No one discovered the Ichigo`s body before the day after the incident… Kon had been occupying the body at the time and when the accident happened he was forced out. In pill-form he wasn`t able to tell anyone of what happened. It has been the first time in history that almost the entire 13 squads came to a funeral. Really something, and considering it`s in the human world…"

"Keh, it was all their fault to begin with!" Grimmjow yells furiously, before he looks down at Ichigo to see if he was reacting at all to the grave, but even though his gaze was fixed on it; no emotion stirred trough his gaze.

"Is there any shows of emotion at all?" Urahara asks worried.

"He doesn't show some at all, but he shakes when Grimmjow isn't with him." Ulquiorra answers, motioning to the hard grip Ichigo had on Grimmjow's arm. "And he will sit up and stare at the wall if he isn't there when he is going to sleep."

"Oho? First love and all, you are such a lucky guy Grimmjow-san!" Urahara remarks humorously and he is falling quite pleased to the ground as he got the elbow he had longed for.

"What the hell is your problem, old man?!" Grimmjow yells, about to hand him a new smack, when he felt something wrong. Turning fast around he understood what it was; Ichigo had let go of his hand! "Oi! Ichigo!"

All of them confused turn around, looking after the youth, who had started running away from them. Grimmjow about to run after is stopped by Ulquiorra and Urahara.

"Let him go where he wants." Ulquiorra says with a soft voice. "He might be onto a memory that can help him."

"But what if someone finds him?!" Grimmjow yells frightened.

"I placed a bracelet on him when he went. Only we and people with high spirit powers like ours can see him." Ulquiorra reassures. Grimmjow surrendered, though furious. He didn't trust anyone else than himself, Ulquiorra and Nell with Ichigo! No one else ever seemed to care for his best interest at all! "There, now you can follow him…"

"Eh? But you just said…" Grimmjow stammers.

"I said to let him go, I never said anything about not following after him and being sure that he is ok." Ulquiorra retorts, Grimmjow nodding in understanding before running after Ichigo, being sure to do so at a distance.

After a little while Ichigo stops, Grimmjow looking confused at the house he stopped beside. Ah, the Kurosaki clinic… Ichigo had found his way home. Grimmjow walks over to stand beside Ichigo as he looked through the windows. The life inside seeming as cheerful as ever as the three years older family went on. Ichigo was looking around for something Grimmjow couldn't understand what was. Was there something missing there? He didn't have more than two sisters did he?

Ichigo jumps up and diminishes trough the wall of the second floor into his old room where he looks around. It was still the same; it hadn't changed at all since Ichigo lived there. Grimmjow watched the feverish search Ichigo made. Just what could he mean was missing? Grimmjow puts on his own bracelet and follows Ichigo down the stairs. He moved to stand beside him as Ichigo looked over the living room in panic, tears starting to run down his cheeks as he seemed to scream desperate to the family before him, but no voice came out.

Grimmjow didn't want to watch this; he wanted to know just what was upsetting Ichigo so much! Who was he looking for?! His eyes go over the living room, the teenage girls complaining to their father about something when Grimmjow's eyes scanned over the family pictures. No… it couldn't be… he looks back at the crying Ichigo, who was screaming with no voice.

"You… are looking for yourself…?" Grimmjow whispers, wrapping his arms around the crying youth. Ichigo was used to being needed by everyone, and now he wasn't there anymore. He came back to see a family that had gone on without him. There was no place for him there anymore. "Let us get going…"

Grimmjow was about to take a gentle hold of his Ichigo`s hand again, but he hit it away hard, before he ran off again. Grimmjow hurriedly follows him fast as to not lose him. How long would he try to search? For someone that still needed him?

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"Come on Tatsuki-chan! Let us have an all-out eating contest!" Orihime cheers, showing her nervous guests the ingredients she had bought for the dinner party she had decided to set together for New Year's Eve. "Sado-kun can be a bouncer! And Ishida-kun can be a referee! Keigo-san and his sister are audience, while Mizuiro can be the cheerleader! And me and Tatsuki-chan will be the champions! Yay! All-out eating contest!"

"Orihime-san… I think you are thinking weird things again." Ishida stammers, not able to keep from smiling at her eagerness. "How about we try having a food-making contest instead? Each can choose some of the ingredients and make something, since nothing of this really should be used together."

"Ok! That will be really fun too!" She cheers, all of them laughing as they tried to figure out what they would make, no one seeing the silent form standing alone in the cold snow outside. "I'm going to get some more stuff from the store next door!"

"Ah! Don't just run off like that!" Tatsuki yells, all of them following after Orihime into the winter darkness. They were smiling happily, like there had never been any sadness at all among them.

"Do you want to go back home now?" Grimmjow whispers, looking down at Ichigo, seeing a faint smile on his lips, but as he reached his hand out to take a hold of Grimmjow's hand again, his face went back to emptiness. "Nell and Ulquiorra are waiting for us. We shouldn't let them wait any longer."

Ichigo obediently followed Grimmjow, turning away the moment Orihime turned towards them. So weird; she felt like someone was watching, someone that smiled at her. She gives a weak smile and folds her hands.

"I'm doing my best Kurosaki-kun. We are all… trying our best to be happy, so… keep looking over us." she whispers, Grimmjow clinching his teeth. Damn, those guys couldn't know that Ichigo was alive. They thought he was a spirit. They wanted to keep looking happy so that if he one day came back to watch over them, he would see that they were ok. But… those damned idiots couldn't know that Ichigo was too gone to understand that now! He came there to look for them, and none of them was able to see him! That meant that they didn't need or feel like seeing him! "Please… come back to us one day… so we can all… say how sorry we are…"

Orihime looks slowly up again, about to run after the others, when she saw the hooded youth in the distance. He had warm smile on his face lighted up by the starting fireworks. Orihime jumps at the sudden sound. Ichigo and Grimmjow are gone when she opens her eyes again.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She yells, startling the gang that had been about to go on without her. "Come back! Kurosaki-kun!"

"Inoue-san?" Ishida whispers and grabs her quickly as she had been about to run out into the road.

"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime hiccups, clutching hard to the confused Ishida's arms. "I saw him… he was smiling to me… why would he smile to me? Why?"

"Let us get going." Chad whispers, as the traffic light turned green for them.

"Where?" Orihime asks confused.

"We can still catch him if you just saw him." Ishida answers, Orihime giving a happy cheer, as even Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro are coming with them as they run off as fast as they can. The weak set of prints is leading them towards the graveyard.

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"Someone saw him?" Ulquiorra asks confused as Grimmjow puts down the silent youth on the ground again, taking a hold of his hand as he reached out for him. "Who?"

"That Orihime." Grimmjow grumbles. Nuzzling Ichigo's hair gently as the hood had fallen off in the quick retreat, he scolded "You damned little womanizer. I take my eye off you for a second and you attract all the girls."

"Then you won't enjoy this Grimmjow." Ulquiorra remarked. Grimmjow looking confused up at the grave that they had distanced themselves from, where a shaking form were on all fours, crying desperate. "She came about the same time you left; she has been like that since…"

"That is the shinigami bitch that cut him down isn't it?" Grimmjow hisses, about to pull his sword out, but Nell stopped him. "What? I have something I have been planning to give back to her!"

"Listen!" Nell insisted. Grimmjow gives a growl before he did as she ordered, listening to the sobs from Rukia.

"Ichigo… I'm… so sorry…Ichigo!" She cries over and over again, her crying getting more and more painful.

"They were all fooled by soul society. It seems that the head of research wanted to get a specimen to work on so he made that orb, and made them think it would help Kurosaki-san." Urahara explains, as he had stood by for a little while. "They originally had the order to kill Kurosaki Ichigo, but they would never have gone through with it. Soul society gave them a weapon that would do the job, without them even knowing it."

"That is horrible." Nell stammers, feeling a newfound pity for the shinigami before her. "But why is she here today? Wouldn't his death day be more natural?"

"She comes here each day from Christmas to New Year; it is the week she takes a leave from work." Urahara whispers, moving his hat down a little as he saw the tears run down Ichigo's face. "She cries all she can, so she won't do it in front of any other than Kurosaki-kun."

"Kuchiki-san! Kuchiki-san!" The eager Orihime shouts. The confused Rukia gets up quickly as they had come before they were supposed to. All of them knew she went there long before them, so no one said anything about the red eyes. "Did you see him?!"

"See who? Inoue-san?" Rukia asks confused, seeing the excitement in all of them. "It can't be! You saw him?!"

"Kurosaki-kun smiled at me! I know it was him!" Orihime cheers and dances around with Rukia, both of them cheering happily. The ones around them are all laughing happy with the sudden light mood.

"Hey! Aren't we all going to start the New Year picnic earlier today!?" Someone suddenly suggests. The happy gang turned towards the grinning Isshin, who came with Yuzu and Karin. Each holds a basket with food with them. "With our extended family we will have many fun games! And the winner will be allowed to marry one of my beautiful daughters!"

"Shut up you retarded dad!" Karin yells, kicking her father down, everyone laughing over the family fight. Even if Orihime had just said it to make everyone feel better, or because she had seen something, at least all of them had a new hope that at least a bit of Ichigo's spirit was still with them.

"What a weird family! Having a party at a family-members grave! Isn't that a little morbid?" Grimmjow huffs.

"Yeah it is… but this is… my family we are talking about…"

The three of the Espada confused turns; looking at the smiling Ichigo, who gave a laugh as his father was leveled to the ground by Karin and Rukia.

"Ichigo…" Grimmjow whispers before he quickly letting go of Ichigo`s hand, looking away as he didn't want to show his joy over a sign of life from him. "Keh, your family is as messed up as you."

"No helping it I guess; we have the same genes after all." Ichigo laughs, scratching his head nervous before he grabs the confused Grimmjow's hand again. "Let us get going."

"Where?" Ulquiorra asks, as the three of them followed him.

"Home." Ichigo whispers while opening a portal between the worlds easily himself. "For now… I'm not needed her at all."

"Let go of my hand." Grimmjow muttered as they walked through the portal, appearing in the castle. Hm, it was a strong portal; it could even penetrate the forbidden portal zone of the castle?

"Ah, sorry." Ichigo laughs, before he gives a weak smile to Grimmjow. "I'm really sorry…"

Ulquiorra quickly grabs Ichigo as he fell backwards, but he is hit away, taking Nell with him, as a terrible energy released from Ichigo. Grimmjow used all his energy and powers to stay standing as the energy strong enough to seep through worlds engulfs Ichigo. He gives a painful cry, feeling the mask form over his face.

"Fuck this!" Grimmjow yells, a surge of energy released as he surges forward and grabs hard onto Ichigo; holding around him as the new mask started taking form and doing his best to ease the suffering at least a little. "I'll give you a real beating if you don't return after this. Turn hollow on me and I am personally feeding you, be it humans or hollows, until you turn back…, I'll feed them all to you…"

"Thank you… Grimm…"

As the energy that was sensed through all three worlds fades, the tired and beaten Grimmjow lays the once more empty-eyed Ichigo back down onto the bed. Brushing the hair that lays over the mask gently away.

"It is the other hollow part of him." Ulquiorra whispers as he had gotten back up. "The part that easily won against me."

"Heh, the first little angel I have seen with horns." Grimmjow laughs, before he pulls out his sword. Ulquiorra and Nell watches in silence as Grimmjow starts hitting the mask off, leaving the left side of the jaw and the left eye. If he took all of it; Ichigo might die before waking up, - after all, he was a hollow throughout now. "So, how long do we wait this time? I have a feeling that he is empty again."

"This time might be faster, or it might take longer…" Ulquiorra whispers, giving a weak smile. "But it seemed your idea worked, he needed some fresh air."

"We all did." Grimmjow laughs, closing Ichigo's eyes gently. He gave a damn about time. He was going to be around for as long as he was alive, and as long as he was alive, he would keep Ichigo. And he would never let Ichigo have to cry again!

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A month later

The green-eyed hollow looks slowly up from his book as the bored Grimmjow came walking into the library. Looking around a little, he saw Ulquiorra and walked over to him.

"It is rare to see you out of the room, and even rarer to see you in the library." Ulquiorra points out as Grimmjow slip back in the chair beside him. "I have a feeling you are here to talk."

"I'm bored, and I don't want to wake Ichigo just to pat him on the head a few hours." Grimmjow murmurs.

"Nell then? I bet she can entertain you." the still emotionless current leader suggested.

"She is out with those brothers of hers. They were going to run around a while I think." He responds and looks tired up at the roof. "So, what are you reading about?"

"An old legend." Ulquiorra answers, Grimmjow looking both shocked and amused at him.

"Heh, never thought you would be the sort of guy to read stuff like that? Old vampire stories and the sorts?" Grimmjow laughs, but goes silent again as Ulquiorra doesn`t even pull a smiling muscles. "I am listening…"

"In an old book from soul society a story is told of a creature that Soul society fears more than anything. It has usually been used like a boogeyman`s scaring children, but the stories interest me; it is more like a prophecy than a legend." Ulquiorra tells, Grimmjow starting to listen closely. "He is called the Hollow king; a creature that can only come to be when a human is born with the soul of a hollow already inside. The human will grow to become a shinigami, and if he becomes a hollow; there will be two hollow's inside him. The one he was born with as a guardian; a knight for the king. And the hollow he himself will become; the king of Hollows."

"You can't possibly mean…" Grimmjow stammers, Ulquiorra nodding. "Soul society knew didn't they? And that was why they were so set on destroying Ichigo?"

"After the downfall of Aizen; the hollow race has had no leader. Soul society wants it to continue like that." Ulquiorra whispers before giving a smile to the dumb folded Grimmjow. "I am really looking forward to his awakening; I hate being the leader. I am more the kind that enjoys taking orders rather than giving them."

"The complete opposite of me; I always knew I hated you for a reason." Grimmjow laughs, grabbing the book from the confused Ulquiorra. "And thank you for that, I need something to read to my little pet. He have to be really bored looking at the wall all day."

"Just remember that I want it back." Ulquiorra sighs before getting up. He should find another book to read; he just couldn't do anything else at that place.

"Hey! Little Ichi! I am bringing a new book for you!" Grimmjow shouts, opening the door slowly too see Ichigo sitting silently at the bed as he always did when he woke alone. But he had stopped shivering without him now, so it might be a good… or a bad sign. "It is about how strong you can become. I can't wait to exploit all this; I own the king of hollows after all."

Grimmjow's smile from when he entered fades. He was getting good at putting on fake smiles too now. The few minutes of seeing Ichigo back to normal had been like heaven to him, but then he was lowered back into hell right away! Once again left with the empty shell.

"Ok! Scoot over!" Grimmjow says, sitting down beside him. Ichigo moves a little away from him and taking a hold of Grimmjow`s arm as he laid the book between them. "Heh, I hope you aren't as cuddly when Ulquiorra reads for you."

Grimmjow lays the book in Ichigo's lap, Ichigo looking weakly over the images. But he soon got bored of it, and looked back at the door. Grimmjow was used to all this now. He would show things to Ichigo, and then he would lose interest shortly after. But one thing he never did… to just look at him! He looked at Ulquiorra and Nell, but he never looked at him! It tore him apart!

"So, want me to read for you?" Grimmjow whispers, no answer or sign from Ichigo at all. "Ok! How about we use the time for a really fun game then?! It is called: Look at my face good damn it!"

Grimmjow pulls Ichigo around, holding him in close range of himself, but their eyes never meet as Ichigo`s looking down at their laps instead. Grimmjow growls, placing his grip on Ichigo`s waist before he lifts him up hoping that he at least would look down at him, but Ichigo's gaze were already changed to the top of the wall behind Grimmjow.

"Shit! Look at me!" Grimmjow yells, pushing Ichigo hard down in the bed, but Ichigo still didn't look his way. "Damn it Ichigo… I know you looked for someone who needed you… and you fell into despair when they didn't need you, right?"

With no answer at all; Grimmjow hides his face in the crock of Ichigo's neck.

"Just screw all of them! I hate humans! I hate shinigamis! I never need anyone! I… never needed anyone…" Grimmjow whispers; hitting hard at the pillow beside Ichigo who doesn`t even flinch. But as Grimmjow finished his next sentence; Ichigo`s gaze turns slowly towards him. "…But I need you… Kurosaki Ichigo…"

Grimmjow gives a weak smile as Ichigo looked at him. His masked eye is that of a hollow, his other eye like it had always been; a weak color to the returning brown eyes.

"Screw it all, here goes nothing." Grimmjow whispers, kissing Ichigo gently before he kisses down his neck and hears the first sound from Ichigo in weeks as he gave a weak cry. Oh yeah, Ichigo hadn't faded that one time because of body contact, maybe that was the final thing he missed? "If this doesn't work; please don't tell Ulquiorra or Nell `cause they will kill me."

Grimmjow gives a weak smile as Ichigo wraps his arms slowly around him. His adorable little property. It was a little fun when he was being so obedient.

He soon had both of them stripped, moving his hungry tongue all over the whimpering youth's chest, licking the border of the hole, happy as he understood that it was a really sensitive spot for his young lover.

"You look really cute when you look so helpless and innocent." Grimmjow whispers while pulling Ichigo into his lap, continuing to lick at his chest as he moved his fingers gently down his rear. "Don't ever hate me for this."

The broken hollow gives a confused moan as Grimmjow pushed his fingers into him, deciding to prepare him gently this time. Grimmjow continues to move his fingers, feeling the loud youth clutch hard to his shoulders. Maybe this was one of the basic instincts for Hollows? Even one without a mind would surrender to it.

Nothing but the small cries from Ichigo echoes in the room as Grimmjow did his best to restrain himself from moving too fast.

Then the time came. Grimmjow, steadying the confused Ichigo's hips as he held his own hard dick ready, gives of a pleased groan as he sheeted himself inside, holding one arm against the whaling Ichigo who bit desperate at his shoulder. Like Ichigo was now; he was more of a wild animal than a human, but Grimmjow could relate; he was a wild animal himself.

"Hush, don't cry. You are doing good." Grimmjow whispers gently into his ear and brushed his hair gently as he placed a kiss on his mask. "Everything is going to be alright, just trust me."

He starts moving in a slow and steady rhythm, keeping Ichigo close the entire time, swallowing up his cries with loving kisses, being sure that they never lost eye contact. Then it is over as Grimmjow feels himself come hard, the youth in his grip giving a terrified cry.

The both of them fell down into the bed with Grimmjow holding the panting Ichigo gently; not letting go of him as both of them falls into a slumber.

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Tired eyes open slowly, a pale hand brought up to rub some sleep away as the dim light from the moon shone down on him. He shifts a little, hoping to find a mirror in the room as he couldn't get to his left eye. But as he found no mirror he started to brush his hand over it trying to map out for himself the form of what had attached itself to his face.

It wouldn't budge thought there was no glue or anything; it just wouldn't move! Ichigo gets up in frustration, using both his hands as he was doing all he could to get the mask-fragment off of himself.

"You damned …" he growls for himself before he gives a cry and waves his hand around. He had been unlucky to cut himself really bad on the jaw. "Ah! I'll get you! Whatever you are!"

"Who is being so damned noisy?" Grimmjow grunts half asleep, sitting up as the racket was getting worse. He looks confused at the growling Ichigo who had taken his sword to try and hit the mask apart. "Oi! Stop it you suicidal bastard!"

"But this damned thing is in the way!" Ichigo complains, stopping confused as Grimmjow punches him and his arm goes right through his chest. "Ah… I guess the mask is supposed to… be there then?"

"Yeah, it was a whole mask, but I hit away most of it for you." Grimmjow murmurs, not able to say anything of all the things he had wanted to say when Ichigo came back to him. "Don't worry about it, it seems you feed well enough of the energy from outside."

"How long have it been? I feel like I have been gone for a while, but I can't really feel any time when sitting still like that." Ichigo stammers, brushing his forehead as he tries to think.

"Three years and a little over a month." Grimmjow answers, pulling the shocked Ichigo into his embrace, kissing him gently on the head. "Welcome back… idiot."

"Heh, who is the idiot?" Ichigo scoffs, clutching hard at Grimmjow. "It is… good to be back."

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End of chapter 3

Well, this is so far the shortest chapter XD Next Ichigo will have to get used to his new life in Hueco Mundo, just how will he do ?XD