Disclaimer: I do NOT own bleach. This is all for educational purposes.

"Normal speech"

'Thoughts'

Flashback

WARNINGS:

Yaoi, Boy-and-Boy pairing as in GrimmIchi, and yes, it's in that order so if you don't like uke!Ichi, then too bad. There is hurt/comfort with an equally passionate romance beneath - I hope. And most important of all, this is all AU, so as long as you do not find this disturbing, I hope you enjoy this story that just so happened to contain one of my favorite bleach pairings. Rated M just in case 'cause I'll most likely put in lemon!

The past is never where you think you left it.

-Katherine Anne Porter-

#4#

Yoruichi, on the other hand, just sighed as she sat down in front of the silent group of people. Her golden eyes scanned them all as if wondering whether they should be risking such classified information. She shook her head, though, reprimanding herself for her foolishness. They were Ichigo's guests. Trustworthy or not, they had to be told.

"Well, I guess I should start with the basics, but there is something that must be cleared up for better comprehension and communication. Mugetsu is Kurosaki Ichigo undercover, yet Kurosaki Ichigo is also covered by the surname Shiba. This is necessary because Kurosaki Ichigo is presumed M.I.A by the government and its enemies, and it should stay that way. This is top secret information, and from this point on, anything and everything you are told must stay in this room."

This apparently had been enough to silence all those present. Not a single sound came from the group, for they were all too busy digesting the words said to them. It was definitely hard to believe, but they didn't exactly have much other choice in the matter. Even if it was completely surreal.

The purple-haired woman, however, just sighed and threaded her fingers through her ponytail, her gaze flickering to the locked door as she narrowed her eyes in a knowing glare.

'He's listening even now.'

"Yoruichi, I don't think you should leave the kids hanging like that… it'll only get worse."

She turned to look at the blonde, who was now slowly standing up from the ground. All playful banter was gone, instead replaced by a weary frown. He was not particularly happy with this, but it had to be done.

"You're right. Sorry, I just… I need to ask you six to not interrupt. Just wait until the end. It's not even my story to tell; I'm just filling in the basic information."

Grimmjow, who was the only one with a cool head in their situation, narrowed his eyes, his curiosity and uncertainty rising to alarming levels. It seemed he almost felt betrayed, and he could not even imagine how Ichigo's longtime friends would feel if he - who'd only known the orangette for a day - was already so wary. He couldn't help but feel on edge.

"I only have one question before you start with storytime."

"What is it?"

"Who the hell are you people?"

The question sent alarms through the minds of the elder two, and they narrowed their eyes at the blunet before them, studying him from head to toe. What was it with this guy that made them feel so uneasy?

"We're… our team is… the undercover Japanese force, to put it simply. We do things that the police or public authorities can't do because of their image or because it's just plain wrong. You could say we do the government's dirty jobs."

That particular piece of news was what shocked Grimmjow to the core. It was hard to believe that the people before him were the ones that had bailed him out eight years ago, and how surreal it was that Ichigo - the guy he's interested in and why not, maybe even attracted to - was a part of that team. He might have even met the guy in the past and he wouldn't have known.

"You… you're the vizard…?"

As Nel spoke up with a voice half-broken, everyone turned to look at her with varying expressions - from plain old shock to complete confusion. Grimmjow, on the other hand, was mentally cursing himself for forgetting how much Nel had suffered when the whole incident had happened, when they were rescued from working under that complete mad man. She had been traumatized and had forgotten about the majority of their time in that man's control, and as such, she sometimes had a hard time hearing about things related to that life.

"Yeah. We're the vizard… and who might you be to know such a name?"

This, of course, overwhelmed the usually smiling woman, her forgotten past coming down on her at full force. She really didn't remember much about that time, but if there was one thing she knew, it was that the vizard were her master's biggest enemy.

Upon seeing her silent state, Shinji was about to pressure her once more for answers, but before he or Grimmjow could do or say a thing, the bathroom door sprung open at full force, making everyone jump in their places and turn to look in said direction.

There stood Ichigo with his long orange hair in its full glory, his wet bangs obscuring his chocolate-colored eyes, positioned in a rather imposing manner. Shinji was about to speak up to the orange head when Ichigo lifted his gaze from the ground to reveal cold, angry eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Shin?"

This sent chills down everyone's spine, for they had not been expecting Ichigo to come out as quickly as he did, much less so… pissed. His rush was apparent as he was only wearing loose black jeans and a button-up white shirt that happened to be completely open, exposing numerous scars on the muscled, yet lithe figure of the man. However, something snapped in Grimmjow's mind as he hungrily absorbed the being before him. Stopping himself from going on a killing spree as he thought of who would dare hurt such perfection.

"I-Ichigo. Well, I was just helping Yoruichi explain some stuff and-"

"Get out, Shin. Get out before we both regret it. This is not an interrogation on either side so just leave, both of you… I think this is something I must do myself."

As Ichigo's voice softened up the older two softened as well, fully understanding the meaning of his words and that Ichigo needed to do this alone. He needed to clear things up once and for all.

So instead of denying his request or throwing a tantrum, they both stood up and exited through the high security door, their gazes falling on the group of six one last time before leaving with the door closing right behind.

"Sorry about that, Neliel-san, but Shinji can be rather noisy when he gets all defensive… he doesn't trust people very easily."

"No, its fine. I was just… shocked, that's all."

Ichigo gave a kind smile in response before sitting on the individual couch, sprawling himself all over the seat as he finally relaxed with a small sigh. This was bound to get crazy and he knew it.

"All right… I don't think you guys were told much… but I did mean what I said in the hallway, and what Yoruichi said is also very important... so best do as you're told."

"Why are you telling us this Kurosaki? Why here? Why now?"

The orange head just stared into Uryuu's black eyes, a nervous smile playing at his lips - a rather obvious gesture that Ichigo wasn't particularly comfortable with what he was doing, but was putting on a strong appearance in order to say all that was needed.

"Here because as you can imagine, it's one of the only safe places where we can speak freely without being heard. Now because, well, if I don't do it as soon as possible something bad might happen. And as to the why… let's just say that the moment you guys found out Kurosaki Ichigo was alive, you six ended up involving yourselves in a rather sticky situation."

"What do you mean Ichigo? Back then, when Renji, you, and I were friends, there was nothing to hide. So why is it suddenly dangerous to even know that you live?"

"That's because everything changed the moment… the moment certain people came after my family and me."

Those that knew the Kurosaki family gasped at the new revelation, new questions running amok in their heads. They could only imagine what had happened to make the orange head do what he was doing, and what they came up with was not pretty.

"Ten years ago, back when we were still in high school… I was being followed from school one day, so I tried to shake the guy off before fighting. I thought it was just another one of the usual thugs that jumped me all the time, so I didn't think much of it… that was until I was basically cornered by at least ten of them. I remember they had white clothes and guns. Nothing like the normal groups of people that would attack me because of my hair, or my fame as part of a gang. What I wasn't expecting, however, was that they would go for my family as well."

The orange head stopped his story for a second to rub a hand over his weary eyes, the pain there evident even if it was not in liquid form. He had been unable to cry since a long time ago.

"I defeated the guys one after another, but they just kept on coming no matter how many I beat or how much I ran. There were even guys that came with swords. That's when Shinji, Yoruichi and a guy named Kisuke reached me. They were looking for my family as well, but I was all they could find. These guys used to be my dad's friends back when he still had his real name. Shiba was his true surname, so I guess you could say that's where my new name comes from."

Ichigo sighed once more, trying to control the emotions that began to riot whenever he thought about that day. He threaded his long, tanned fingers through his orange tresses to try and relax himself as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. This was really hard.

"The guy that ordered our capture is a big shot from the illegal business… He's been the government's enemy for as long as the vizard have been around so he's well rooted in the black market… I decided to join the vizard ten years ago to figure out anything about my family and because I didn't want that man to continue controlling my life, or anyone else's for that matter. But… before I did, we had to fake my disappearance so that they wouldn't come after me, and that's why I'm basically M.I.A or maybe even K.I.A."

By the time the orange head had finished his rather vague story-telling, most everyone was quite pale. The four friends were in complete shock, while the two siblings had an expression between horror and apprehension. Ichigo, on the other hand, just wore a sad smile on his face as he tried to avoid making eye contact with his friends.

They were now involved in such business just because they knew Kurosaki Ichigo lived. They were deep in this sticky situation just because they knew Kurosaki Ichigo was still around in Japan. They knew now what should never have been known, but Ichigo couldn't even have hoped to ignore his friends the day before.

"The guy that ordered your capture… what was his name…?"

Ichigo glanced back to see a nervous blunet and a scared Nel, both clutching their hands in hard fists, completely disregarding the curious looks they were given by all those present. Now the attention was on them.

"Ai-… I can't really tell. You guys are already involved. You two more than anything have done nothing wrong and were just unlucky enough to have been introduced to me. I don't want to involve you guys any further."

Silence was all that remained as Ichigo finished his sentence. Nobody wanted to say anything else in fear of what could possibly happen next. The siblings took a deep breath, relaxing their tense shoulders. They knew they couldn't force the orange head to talk, and it was no use getting all worked up over answers they could not receive just yet. Things hadn't exactly gone the way they'd planned, but they still respected the other's wishes to stay quiet on the matter. They should know after all. It was, however, impossible to maintain such an unbidden silence. As such, Rukia decided to speak up and shatter the deafening silence that had graced them just a moment ago.

"I think… I think we should return and speak later, once… once everything kind of sinks in."

Everybody nodded dumbfounded - with the exception of Uryuu, who simply held the silent gaze directed towards the orange head and occasionally their two new friends. He was finding it slightly difficult to keep all the questions in, but he also knew that then was not the moment to ask. As this was done, everyone stood up with Ichigo directing them toward the door, unlocking it easily from the inside and opening it with a perfectly composed expression.

"It would be better if we did as Rukia said. How about we meet later? I'll send my contact information and we can decide on a date and place, okay?"

As Ichigo spoke in what sounded like a half-neutral, half-cheery tone, the group of six couldn't help but marvel at the great difference between this Ichigo and the one that they had previously spoken to in the changing room. The act was simply perfect. Yet for some reason, this Ichigo acted a little tired and maybe even strained, almost as if acting out the part about the sickly Shiba twin.

Ichigo was a real expert in what he did.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. See you later, Ichigo."

The orange head just nodded before directing his gaze towards the blonde who was still standing outside, surprise flickering across his face. He hadn't expected Shinji to wait in front of the door. It was almost… surreal to think he'd stayed put all this time.

"Shinji? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was waiting for ya. Need to take your guests out so that you and Getsu can go ahead and rest. I bet it's been a long night."

"Yeah. Thanks, Shinji."

The blonde simply flashed his signature smile before gesturing the group to follow him, assuming they'd just trail behind him. Neither he nor Ichigo, however, had expected the blunet to stay right where he was, hands in pockets, piercing blue eyes settled on his prey... which just happened to be Ichigo.

When the orange head did notice, he turned to stare at the other's predatory eyes, not once falling back on his gaze until the other broke into a feral grin - one that made his stomach both pound and flutter at once. Before he knew it, his eyes had traveled from staring straight back to settling on the ground instead. Those damn sexy blue eyes were going to be the death of him one day.

"Do you need anything? Everyone's left already."

"Yeah, I do."

And then fuck, that stupid raspy voice that just sent goose bumps down his spine. Why was he so affected by this complete stranger whom he'd met only yesterday? Shit, he was losing his touch.

"Then what do you want?"

"Your phone."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in response. If he wanted to borrow a phone, couldn't he easily ask someone else in the gang who he was more familiar with?

Grimmjow scoffed before rolling his eyes in order to try and avoid the slight tug upwards his lips made against his own will. He'd rather grin like an idiot than smile like a sap.

"Not your phone, as in the thing, your number."

Ichigo blushed, his cheeks turning a light tone of red. He tried to hide it… he really did, but he was failing miserably. Um, what? Haha...

"Oh… yeah, I guess I can give you that. This way you can give it to the rest and we can meet up later."

As this was said, the blunet frowned and crossed his arms over his chest to glare at the orange head, dissatisfaction clear in his posture.

"You hurt me. I wanted that information for myself."

"Well I'm sorry to inform you that the rest need that too. So I guess you'll just have to bear with it."

Grimmjow just looked as close to pouting as he would possibly come, his disappointment even realer now as he wasn't expecting a continuation of his stupid banter... Just more to like about the guy.

"Fine. I'll share."

Ichigo chuckled lightly as he couldn't help but think how ridiculous the grown man, who was even taller than himself, was acting - so childish and at the same time so cute that the rarity of his real smile peeked from beneath carefully groomed locks.

"Okay, I hope you do. But why are you so eager to get my number?"

At this the blunet smiled smugly once more, getting as close as possible to the man to whisper both sensually and seriously into his ear.

"We have very much in common. More so about a certain someone that might as well have ruined our entire lives."

At this, Ichigo's eyes widened, unable to believe… whatever he'd been told, but trying to compose his state of mind. He could not afford to fall into a panic; he would regret it later for gaining suspicions.

So instead of questioning the blunet any further, Ichigo decided to show him a small smile in reassurance before taking his phone out and giving his contact information to the guy. It was bound to be useful anyway.

"Alrighty. Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to treasure it."

With a final wave the blue-haired man went running down the halls to catch up to his group, a stupid orgasm-worthy grin plastered on his face as he celebrated his achievement. Oh, he was the luckiest man in the world.

Meanwhile, Ichigo had been left alone in the hallway with a smaller but equally stupid smile on his face. Staring in the direction where the blunet had rushed off to, the fact that he should not be wandering around on his own, not even crossing his mind.

It was then that a certain feline-like woman appeared behind his back to grab his ribs in a ticklish way, making him emit a rather unmanly shriek as he jumped in his place. He turned rather angrily to yell at the woman, his cheeks a shocking shade of red.

"Yoruichi! What the hell do you think you're doing sneaking up on me like that?!"

The purple-haired woman on the other hand looked innocently mischievous, not a hint of regret present in her expression as she gave him the good-girl face.

"Why so jittery, Ichi? Did I startle you? If I did, then I'm sorry... but I was rather curious, you see."

Ichigo just raised an eyebrow at the act she was pulling, unable to believe that she was going through with the good-girl act and that it was actually insanely convincing.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Well, I was just curious about that super sexy blunet kid you have your precious claws on."

"YORUICHI!"

Yoruichi just laughed as she walked off with a rather amused expression, her reaction only fueling Ichigo's annoyance. Albeit reluctantly, he still followed behind her, for he knew that she had actually come to pick him up, not necessarily to tease him. He just had to bear with the woman until he could lock himself up in his room back at the house.

And the worst part was that the rest of the group was bound to find out… with just how much she loved to gossip.

#4#

"So… what now?"

"What do you mean what now? You're the one that talked to him before leaving so you should know more than me."

Nel crossed her arms under her ample chest, unable to believe that Grimmjow was asking for advice right after they stepped foot into their shared apartment... the worst part being the fact that it was goddamn two in the morning.

Why in the world did he think it would be a good idea to ask now?

"I didn't extort any information from the guy, Nel. I just asked for his phone number."

"And you asked for his number because…?"

The blunet just scoffed before rolling his eyes, mirroring Nel's posture as he crossed his arms over his chest as well.

"Because he's hot and has a nice ass, of course. Why else?"

"Grimm, you seriously want me to believe that you asked someone you just met for their phone number just because the guy's hot? Nope, I don't believe you. Even back then, you always did stuff for a reason no matter what others thought of you, so why the hell did you really ask for his phone number?"

Grimmjow groaned irritably before tugging on his blue tresses, trying to hide his face with his hands. He really didn't want to think about it.

"Okay, I admit I do have a reason. But - but I really wanted that number too... Ichigo just… I don't know, I see him and I get this feeling that I should be there, that I should know him, and that I need to know more about that goddamn frickin perfection. It basically drives me crazy… I was serious when I said I asked for his number just because of that, even if I did wonder about him and our connections, but that wasn't even until later…"

"… Do you think it's the same guy? Do you really think it's… Ai-Aizen?"

The blunet unburied his head from his own hands, his blue eyes glaring holes into the hazel eyes of his sister, trying to convey his rage even as he remained calm in the exterior.

"Don't say that name, Nel. Don't ever mention it because it only hurts you more. I have no trauma over our time in Las Noches; it's you who can't handle it. For now, you barely even remember, so don't do this to yourself… I know you want to remember. And I really want to know what happened to you that night as well, before the forces found you, and I think this is a golden ticket to those answers. So I just want you to wait. Please just… I don't want you involved again."

Those last words were barely above a whisper but even then, Nel had heard them perfectly, her tears threatening to fall. She knew how much Grimmjow was suffering for the both of them, how he had done so much just to get them out of that hell hole they'd been born and practically raised in. Nel knew, yes, she knew that the reason why Grimmjow entered the police force in the first place was because of her. She was convinced of this fact and it sometimes burned her to the very core.

He was still being haunted by their past, and she couldn't even remember it.

To be continued…

NOTE: PREVIEW AT THE END

AN: Okay, thank you to every one that has been reading this story and to those that review I LOVE YOU!

anburukia and MugetsuIchigo Thank you very mucho!

And last but not least, please review! Those who do will get a cookie!

Preview:

"That man is leader of the espada group and basically the one that controls the underworld's network."

"Yeah. I know that much. But I know you know more than that and I think you also know that I know more. So let's get this started. As a sign of goodwill I'll tell a bit about myself that way we can be on a more even ground because, let's face it, I know you but you don't know me."