Started April 28th.

Completed May 8th.

Authoress: Desperatembrace

Disclaimer(s): I do not own Bleach. If I did, Ulquiorra wouldn't have... -coughs- Sorry, sorry. That's a spoiler.

Warnings:

Violence

Alternate Universe

Language

Sexual Content

Yaoi

Chapter 6

"Friend"



The three of them sat in silence, the light of the sunrise having long spread over the horizon outside of the apartment. Grimmjow leaned back on his hands, the floor becoming increasingly painful to sit on.

Nel eyed the glass of water left sitting on the table overnight, eager for any possible way to get out of the current situation. She really wasn't any part of this--she just happened to be here when things came to a clash. She looked over her shoulder from her spot on the floor across from Grimmjow, checking on the sleeping form on the couch for what seemed the millionth time.

Ichigo's breathing had evened out rather quickly, forced into the realm of dreams. It was rather odd to see such a quiet side of him. While Nel had seen his usually-hidden quiet sides, she somehow instinctively knew that he was a withdrawn yet hot-headed man at his best. It just seemed to fit him.

She really wanted to sigh, though. She turned her gaze back across the coffee table, eyes locking with Grimmjow's before she glanced at the woman seated in the leather chair. She knew things had become complicated many times over the moment that this woman had made her appearance. But, somehow Nel felt that this would also bring finality. The young green haired woman just knew it.

Things will progress much further because of this meeting.

The black haired young woman cleared her throat and shifted, eyeing the orange hair that poked out from underneath the blanket on the couch. She turned to Grimmjow with a delicate eyebrow lifted, her expression oozing self confidence and ease. "Was it really necessary to give him sleeping medication?"

Grimmjow just smirked and shrugged. When things had become a bit hectic after Rukia walked through the door, Grimmjow had his sister slip into the kitchen to get a glass of water for Ichigo to cool down. The blue haired man had taken the new arrival god-knows-where while the amnesiac impatiently tapped his foot, waiting on the couch for Grimmjow to bring the woman back. He was a bit twitchy, snatching the glass of water from Nel's hands when she offered it to him. When Ichigo had taken a drink of the water, however, he never suspected that a few sleeping pills had been slipped in the water and was knocked out within the next two minutes. Nel had quickly thrown a blanket over him as Grimmjow and Rukia exited the bathroom, a hushed argument taking place. When Nel quickly shushed them, they sat around the coffee table, one-third of the people eager to start the conversation and the other two-thirds more reluctant.

It took a little over 5 minutes to convince the woman to wait for the story that was to be told. She was promised a full report of Ichigo's stay with them from day 1 the moment that she woke up in the morning. Thus, Ichigo ended up collapsed on the couch, Rukia snuggled up on the leather chair and Nel camped out on the floor. Grimmjow, of course, slept in his bed, insistent upon relinquishing it to none.

"Well, he had a long day," Nel supplied, sending the woman a kind smile before sending a quick glare in Grimmjow's direction. "We've been at an art exhibit for hours and came home after having dinner. I imagine he was already quite tired. It must have been quite the shock to have gained back some memories after seeing you..."

Rukia's eyes widened as she focused her full attention on Nel. "'Gained back memories'... you mean he has amnesia?" Nel stared at her for a moment before nodding in confirmation. "Yes, a lot had happened before my brother brought him home and had him looked at by a doctor..." She glanced at her blue haired brother, eyes scrunching in concentration. "I do believe you said it was Szayel who looked at him, right? You could call him over to explain some things..."

Grimmjow wanted nothing more than to groan. Yes, of course his sister would make things even more complicated than they needed to be. He was about to refuse when he glanced at the raven haired woman comfortably lounging in the leather chair, a challenging glare aimed in his direction. He stared at her for a moment, sighing in defeat as he finally conceded. "Alright, I'll call. But he's probably at work."

While the man stood and pulled out his phone, making his way to the kitchen, Nel smiled at Rukia kindly. "You must have been rather upset being unable to find Ichigo for so long.." Rukia just nodded, shifting in her seat silently as she stared out the large window. She was quiet for a few moments before she spoke. "Yes... we have been looking for him for over a month. We were about to give up..." Rukia seemed to be in a whole different world, her eyes seeing different surroundings. She continued to stare outside before turning her gaze on Nel. "We didn't really know what to think when we heard the report of an orange haired man being found. We didn't listen to the rest of the report and just started packing up to come here."

Nel raised an eyebrow slightly. "We..? Meaning..." Black hair fell out of place as Rukia nodded, focusing her gaze on partially visible orange hair. "Yes. Ichigo's family and our circle of friends. I called his father and sisters along with some of our friends to let them know that it was really Ichigo. They're on their way as we speak." Nel almost wanted to twitch. The woman didn't even stop to think that maybe her brother didn't want a bunch of people here. But... she supposed she could understand. After all, they had probably been worried sick about him, wondering if Ichigo was even alive.

On the couch, the bundle of blankets stirred, a deep breath being inhaled as Ichigo turned onto his back and his arm came to rest on his forehead. Nel blew out a laugh as she observed him for a moment, turning her attention back to their visitor.

Grimmjow entered the room once more, flipping his cell phone shut with a sigh. Running a hand through electric blue hair, he flopped onto the ground opposite of his sister, glancing at the knocked-out man on his couch. A blue eyebrow raised as he eyed the man, his lips quirking up in a smile. "The fucker really does know how to sleep, eh?"

In her spot on the chair, Rukia puffed up in displeasure at Grimmjow's vulgar language about her friend. She glared at him for a moment before deciding to brush it off and instead asked, "So? Is that doctor of yours going to make an appearance?"

The man in question merely rolled his eyes and leaned back on his palms, stretching his legs out. He rolled his neck, sighing in satisfaction as it gave a loud pop before finally directing his attention to the stout woman occupying his chair. "Yes. The man is going to be here shortly. Luckily, he applied for vacation leave all of this week, so he was actually free."

Rukia nodded, satisfied with his answer. It was a lot better than what she expected, actually. She thought he would have injected a lot more swear words than necessary, so it was nice to know that the man wasn't constantly spewing out vulgar language. After all, while Ichigo himself (in his pre-amnesia state) said his fair share of swear words, she didn't want him to be constantly exposed to such a... large amount of it. The trio sat in comfortable silence, waiting for the doctor to arrive, each left to their own individual thoughts.

They were each glancing off at some random object in the room when the doorbell rang, causing both Rukia and Nel to flinch. Grimmjow stood up from his position, subconsciously smoothing the wrinkles from his pants and making his way to the door. The two women stayed in their positions, focusing their ears on the commotion at the door. When a male voice (that Nel didn't recognize) filtered through, the black haired woman had abruptly stood up. While Nel had thought that Rukia had intended to make her way to the door to greet the unknown man, she was rather surprised when the woman had instead made her way to a position between the couch and the front door. The small woman hunkered down slightly, pulling herself into a defensive position, eyeing the doorway to the hall that lead to the front door.

Before Nel had time to wonder on the strange action, a loud call of "Ichigo!!" in a rough, masculine voice was made, a flash of material blurring from the entrance and darting for the couch. Rukia made a quick movement, sending the attacker to the floor with a loud grunt. The green haired woman's eyes were wide in confused surprise as she finally leaned up on her knees and glanced at the lump on the floor in front of Rukia. The man pulled himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his brown-haired head as he pouted at the woman in front of him.

"Now that was no fair, Rukia. I really just wanted to see my beloved Ichigo!" He made his way to a standing position, attempting to side-step the woman in front of him, only to frown as she stepped in his way once more. "No. He's asleep. Let him have some rest." She gave him a light glare, making his frown deepen as he looked over her shoulder. He allowed an uncharacteristic fatherly smile slip on to his face as he watched his son sleep. "Alright, then." He then turned and looked about the room curiously before spying Nel in wide-eyed shock on the floor. He gave a childish smile full of glee and skipped over to her, introducing himself as Ichigo's father as he plopped himself onto the floor. Rukia had already made her way back to the leather chair, deeming her friend's slumber safe. Two young women, teenagers presumably, entered from the doorway with Grimmjow behind them, making their way directly to Ichigo's side.

The black haired girl poked his cheek, staring intently at his face before pulling back with a smile. She silently made her way to her father's side and plopped down as her sister automatically sat on the floor next to Ichigo. The brown haired girl slowly sank into a sitting position, keeping a hand on Ichigo's leg as she gazed at him as if she couldn't believe that he was actually there--that he was actually alive.

Grimmjow watched the whole exchange of the two girls in silence from the doorway, turning and making his way back to the door when a series of knocks sounded. After a few hushed moments, the blue haired man re-entered with two other men in tow. Nel glanced up and waved at the two men, one lazily flicking his hand in her direction while the other merely dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. The pink haired man that had just entered headed directly to the kitchen, coming back out with a stool and dragging it to the wall across from the couch. The black haired man quietly leaned against the wall and closed his green eyes, blocking the conversation out.

As soon as Aporro had sat down, he had begun to speak to the group around him. "Alright, so first, I suppose, we should have some introductions. It wouldn't do for us to merely talk and not know each other."

The man who had been blocked by Rukia introduced himself as Kurosaki Isshin, father of Ichigo. The two girls proclaimed themselves as his daughters (much to the chagrin of the black haired girl) and sisters of Ichigo--the brown haired girl known as Yuzu and the black haired as Karin. Rukia turned to the two newest arrivals and told them her full name--Kuchiki Rukia, friend of Ichigo. Nel and Grimmjow introduced themselves to Ichigo's family, now waiting for the pink haired man to continue.

"Okay then," Aporro began. "I am Szayel Aporro, coworker of Grimmjow's and also the doctor who patched up the little strawberry over there." He pointed at the couch. "This here is Ulquiorra Cifer." He jabbed a thumb to the quiet man beside him, his thin arms folded over his chest. "Friend of Grimmjow's and coworker of ours. He just happened to be over when the sour man called." Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the negative comment directed at him, letting it pass.

Szayel smirked, feeling victorious with the jab as he nodded in the blue eyed man's direction. "I suppose it would be best for you to start, monsieur."

Said man let out a quiet sigh, sitting in an empty space on the floor a ways away from the coffee table. He began to recount how he met Ichigo in a detailed manner, handing the reigns over to Szayel when it came to the medical mumbo-jumbo. He noticed how Ichigo's father seemed to pale as the pink haired man relayed all of the amnesiac's injuries from the incident, his jaw clenching uncomfortably. After Szayel finished with his part, Grimmjow picked up where he had left off, explaining the doctor's visit and his progress over the few months that he had been with Ichigo. When they finally finished, Grimmjow leaned back, releasing a long exhale of breath and slouching. To recount things in such detail had been such a pain in the ass for him--it had taken nearly two hours. He was actually starting to become a little worried. Ichigo still hadn't woken up.

He glanced at the seemingly-comatose man on the couch, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took in and released. Nel noticed the look and aimed a knowing smirk in his direction, wriggling her eyebrows at Szayel. He raised an eyebrow before he followed Nel's gaze and noticed the heated glance that Grimmjow was sending the sleeping Ichigo. He gave a quiet laugh before speaking up. "Don't worry. He'll wake up soon." Grimmjow's eyes snapped to Szayel's, his mouth quirking into a frown when he noticed the 'blackmail-smile' upon the man's face.

Pointedly ignoring the man, Grimmjow turned to the small family gathered around the coffee table. He paused for a moment, gathering his curiosity and forming it into a question. "What exactly is going to happen... from here on out?"

Isshin tilted his head, scratching at his prickly chin, his eyes narrowing in question. "What exactly do you mean? I'm going to take my boy home, of course." Grimmjow wanted to laugh at himself. Why did he ask that? He already knew that this would happen. He knew that when he put in the report for 'a man with orange hair, brown eyes, by the name of Ichigo'. He knew that his family or friends would hear and come to get him--to take him home where he belonged. So why did he want Ichigo's family to leave? Why did he want to keep Ichigo here?

Why did he want Ichigo to stay by his side?

Shit, man. Grimmjow thought to himself. Things have progressed way too far. The blue haired man growled to himself, upset with his weakness and attachment to a person that he barely even knew. It was practically comical to him.

Electric blue eyes shut as Grimmjow nodded at the answer, putting on a pleased facade. On the outside, he seemed to happy that he was finally getting rid of the amnesiac--of a nuisance. On the inside, however, it hurt a bit. He knew that it would be much worse when Ichigo finally walked out the door, never to come back. He enjoyed being around Ichigo--teasing him, talking with him, fighting with him, being with him in general. His stomach was doing flops in his abdomen, and he didn't like it. But... he couldn't keep the man from his family. They loved him, and he had a right to be with his loved ones--whether he remembered them or not.

He growled under his breath again after realizing the direction his thoughts had taken him. Shaking his head slightly, he told himself to stop being such an emotional bitch--that he could live without anybody he so wished. He ignored the nagging voice that told him that he didn't want to live without Ichigo.

He was knocked out of his thoughts just as the rest of the rooms occupants were knocked out of their light chatter as the form on the couch shifted and yawned. The blanket rustled and slipped down to Ichigo's knees as he sat up, his eyes bleary. He stared at the door across the room for a moment before turning and planting his feet on the ground, stretching his arms above his head and scrunching his eyes shut. When he reopened them, his vision was much clearer, causing him to freeze when he saw seven pairs of eyes watching him. (Oddly enough, the seventh pair of eyes didn't belong to that of Ulquiorra but rather Pantera, who was only following the gaze of the majority of the humans in the room.) He automatically snatched up the hat at the end of the couch, quickly fitting it over his head and then going still.

After a tense silence, Grimmjow finally said, "So, you finally decided to join the living, huh?" Chocolate brown eyes snapped to that of electric blue, a light, hazy glare staring Grimmjow down. Ichigo finally looked up and glanced to Nel, who smiled and said a small 'good morning' before he turned his attention to the black haired woman, sitting rigid in shock on the leather chair. He watched her for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he struggled to pull back the faint memories that he knew he had experienced the day prior.

"...Rukia." Said woman's eyes widened, bringing her hand up to point at herself comically. "You can remember me?" Ichigo nodded, a small smile quirking at the corner of his lips. "Yes, you are my.. friend right? We knew each other since high school..?" He ended the sentence as a question, cautiously throwing the information out. He was relieved as he saw the woman bob her head up and down enthusiastically, a wide grin stretching across her face. "That's right!!"

He continued to watch her for a few more moments before glancing around the room a bit. When his gaze stopped on the group of three, gathered around the coffee table and closest to his feet. A tall man with dark brown hair and grey-black eyes. Two young women--one with black hair and grey-black eyes and another with light brown hair and dark brown eyes, but very similar facial features. Twins, his mind supplied. These two are twins, my--

"Sisters. Karin and Yuzu." The names felt a bit odd on his tongue, as if he were saying them with an accent when he wasn't supposed to. The brown haired girl, Yuzu, teared up almost instantly, scooting toward her brother and hooking an arm around his leg. She buried her head in the fabric of his pant leg, murmuring his name over and over, thanking every god there was that he was alive and well and merely smirked, her stance becoming much more relaxed as she pulled her baseball cap lower and leaned back onto her palms, shutting her eyes happily. Nel and Rukia laughed to themselves, glad that Ichigo was getting his memory back. Grimmjow's mouth tugged into a frown, a little unnerved at what he knew was to come.

The smile that had been tugging at the corners of his lips tugged downward when Ichigo turned his eyes to the man beside his sisters. He stared at the man, becoming a touch worried. For some reason, he had a tad of a foreboding feeling about remembering his relationship with this man--let alone speaking it aloud. His eyebrows furrowed, he continued contemplating, trying to decide whether to let the relationship grace his lips or to skip over him completely. He fought the urge to sigh, deciding to give the frowning, hopeful face of the man a rest.

"Dad." The reaction was almost instantaneous. His father's eyes had begun to tear up, his mouth quirking up into a large grin as he flung his arms out and leaped for Ichigo. Surprisingly enough (to Ichigo) his hand automatically curled up in a fist, lightly punching his father away from him as he subconsciously scooted sideways on the couch. As Isshin fell to the ground, moaning about how happy he was that his son was okay, Ichigo blinked down at his fist. Ah. Now I remember. He's always been like this... hasn't he? A flash of memories spread throughout him, warming him with their abundance. He was slowly coming to know who he was, and was even closer to finding out the secret about himself--about his past.

He could sense it.

When the group had finished laughing over the exchange between father and son (all except for Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Karin), Rukia and his family had joined him on the couch, animatedly talking to him and asking him about the memories that he had gained back. Grimmjow, Nel, Ulquiorra and Szayel slipped off to the kitchen to give the newly reunited group their privacy. They stayed in there for a few hours, Grimmjow smoking cigarettes and staring off into space while the other three sipped on beers.

Around 7 o' clock at night, Ichigo walked into the kitchen, rolling his head and popping his neck, pulling open the fridge. The 4 occupants in the room watched him curiously as he pulled out a handful of items, scooting the beer cans on the kitchen island over and dropping pre-sliced vegetable packets and herbs onto it. While Szayel and Nel frowned at the oddity of the pre-sliced veggies, Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at him as he put a large pot of water on the stove and turned on the fire. Ichigo met Grimmjow's look and shrugged before speaking. "Can't exactly let this large mass of people starve, can I?" Grimmjow wanted to grin at Ichigo's words, the thought of his soon-to-be-absence disappearing from his mind. Ichigo began to open the vegetable packet, glancing at the pink haired man seated on the opposite side of the counter.

"So... who are you?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes curiously at Aporro. The man chuckled, taking a sip of his beer before setting it noisily on the counter. "My name is Szayel Aporro. I work with Grimmjow and I'm the one who patched you up you're first night here." Ichigo's eyes widened ever so slightly, observing the man in front of him. He glanced down at the vegetables that he was pouring into a bowl (so that none of them fell out) before glancing back at the doctor and dipping his head. "Thanks. I suppose I owe my life to you," he said with a small smirk. Szayel laughed in response.

Ichigo quirked his head in the quiet green-eyed man's direction, where he was leaning up against the far wall of the kitchen with his eyes closed and arms crossed. "Who's that?" Grimmjow turned and glanced at the mention of the man, turning back to Ichigo. "That's Ulquiorra. A friend and coworker." Ichigo's eyes widened and before he could stop himself, he said, "Oh, that Ulquiorra?"

Grimmjow watched him with a calculating look for a moment, causing Ichigo to have the urge to cringe away from his gaze. He probably shouldn't have revealed that he knew. After a few moments though, the blue haired man glanced at Nel and blew out a sigh. He turned back to Ichigo and rolled his eyes. "Chill. Don't worry about it, dumb-ass. It's okay for you to know." Ichigo slightly smiled, happy that Grimmjow had just accepted Ichigo's involvement with the man's past. In her spot on the stool at the end of the counter, Nel smiled deviously, feeling victorious. So the man did trust the amnesiac. Usually, he would have spazzed if she revealed information about his past.

As the small bubbles began to surface on the water, the front door was heard shutting, chattering heard outside the room. Rukia stalked into the kitchen holding grocery bags high above her head with a wide, childish smile on her face. "I bring... meat!" She put the bags on the floor, pulling out a whole chicken and handing it off to Ichigo who had automatically begun the process of cleaning and de-boning to put into the now-boiling water. Isshin waltzed into the kitchen and glanced around, his eyes growing wide in pure happiness when he spied the vegetables spread across the island counter. "My beloved son is cooking? It's been a long time since I've had his food!" He exclaimed, a wide grin spread across his face.

Yuzu came into the kitchen behind him, a kind smile on her face. "Yes, I've always loved Ichi's cooking." She set down a bag and began pulling out items, telling Grimmjow that she had decided to restock everything that was lost to this meal. He smiled at the young woman. He was a little amazed that someone so kind and soft-spoken could be Ichigo's sister. "Yeah," Isshin said, scratching his chin. "Yuzu's cooking is rather good, too... but it's a nightmare when she decides to stay with a friend. You wouldn't believe how bad Karin's cookin--" He was cut off by a sharp smack to the head as Karin stepped through the doorway with a 'hmph'.

"Shut up, you old man. So I can't cook. Big whoop." She made her way across the kitchen next to Nel, having found a liking for the childish woman. Ichigo quickly prepared dinner, pulling out all of the plates that Grimmjow's home contained and serving dinner for the 9 people in the large apartment.

As they crowded around the island counter as much as possible (excluding Ulquiorra, who instead opted to eat standing up a few feet away), they began to talk about what Ichigo had found out about himself within the past few hours. Nel brought her chopsticks up from her plate and pointed at Ichigo on the other side of the counter, yelling a loud, "Hah! I knew it!"

Ichigo frowned as she continued. "I knew you were a fashion designer. I told you so!" The orange haired man's frown deepened as she continued to rant out a barrage of 'i told you so's. Szayel decided to direct the conversation slightly to give the poor man a break. "So, you're only 22 and you're already a fashion designer?" Ichigo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, nodding in response. "Yes. It seems I am currently wearing my own designs."

Grimmjow paused, confused at the provided information. He glanced at the clothes that the young man wore, a light clicking on in his head. He was wearing the up-and-coming clothes that Grimmjow had bought for him--the brand called Shinigami Rep. He really wanted to smack himself on the forehead. He never really stopped and thought about it since Ichigo's full name was revealed, but K.I. certainly did match Kurosaki Ichigo. Well, he thought blandly. At least that's one mystery solved. Nel, on the other hand, gasped at the revelation.

"You're the main designer of Shinigami Rep?" She covered her mouth with her hands, covering her wide grin and battling the need to flap her arms excitedly. Ichigo nodded cautiously, pushing into his newly found memories a bit. "Yeah..." He gave a slight wince, the tell-tale signs of a headache forming. He ignored the spreading ache. "I started my own line and help out Rukia's company a bit from time to time. She's in.." he paused, searching for the words. "Soul Society. She's not exactly... artist material, but..." He smirked, suddenly remembering her cartoonish drawings of bunny rabbits and teddy bears. By the look on her face, she knew exactly what Ichigo was thinking. "She's a manager of Soul Society designs. She's helped me out quite a bit, too." Nel let out a squeal unexpectedly, bouncing in her seat. Karin scooted her chair away from the hyper-active woman, beginning to rethink her liking to her.

Rukia merely pushed the disguised change of attention away. "Ichigo has always had a natural talent for those types of things. He's always had a thing for art--a natural knack for it." For some reason, Ichigo resented the last sentence. It felt almost like a personal stab, whether it was unintentional or not. He frowned a bit as Rukia continued.

"He's also been quite a fighter. There was never a week that he wasn't fighting in school. He never really got hurt from the fights much, but..." she paused, raising her hand to her chin in thought. "When he did happen to get hurt, it would be rather extensive--so you can imagine he was rather acquainted with doctors offices." She turned her eyes on the man in amusement, laughing internally at the scowl that was now painted across his features. Just as Grimmjow had been about to question further on the subject, Ichigo abruptly stood up and waltzed over to the kitchen sink, dumping his plate in it and beginning to rinse it off.

Everyone around the counter sensed that the subject was finished for the night as they each stood up and made their way to the sink. Ichigo was about to begin doing dishes until Yuzu stepped up and shook her head, nudging him away. "It's okay, Ichi," she said with a kind smile, "I'll do it." Ichigo wanted to protest, but instead stepped back and nodded. "Okay, then."

He left the kitchen and flopped onto the couch. Pantera, long forgotten in the chaos, jumped into his lap, demanding his attention. His lips quirked slightly upwards as he threaded his fingers through the demanding cat's thick, fur coat. Ulquiorra and Szayel walked by, bidding their goodnight and leaving the apartment. Grimmjow and Nel joined him in the living room, the green haired woman taking residence on the chair, forcing her brother to sit beside Ichigo on the couch.

Rukia walked out of the kitchen with a smile on her face, stopping in front of the orange haired man. "Well. Glad to see you're safe but I gotta get home. I've got shift in the morning." She almost reached forward to hug the man before stopping with a frown, contemplating if it was really wise to hug a man who didn't have all of his memories and already didn't like human contact all that much. Ichigo saw her hesitation and slowly reached his arms up, inviting her into a hug. While he couldn't really deal with surprise contact from anyone, known contact from someone he trusted was okay. She accepted the silent offer gratefully and quickly said her goodbyes, exiting the apartment.

His family exited the kitchen and headed in the direction of the door. Yuzu smiled in Grimmjow's and Nel's direction. "It's been really lovely, but we have to be going now." She gave a slight tilt of the head as the older siblings nodded. Grimmjow realized exactly what was happening.

Ichigo was going to leave now.

He felt a horrible jolt in his stomach, his jaw clenching in anger, frustration and disappointment. Grimmjow wanted Ichigo to stay, but he knew that he couldn't just keep the man from his family for his own selfish reasons. The man had been separated from his relatives in both body and mind--and now they were reunited! He couldn't do a thing to stop what was happening. He felt angry that he wanted Ichigo to stay so badly, frustrated that he was having such a large internal conflict and disappointed that he couldn't speak up for what he wanted. But he kept his facade up and showed no display of his internal raging.

Grimmjow and Nel stood up, Ichigo casting a confused glance around him. Not knowing what to do, he followed suit, pushing Pantera off of his lap and standing up from his position on the couch. Isshin waved his hand to Ichigo, beckoning him to their side. "Come on, my son. It's time to go," he said with a bright smile.

Ichigo's look of confusion turned to shock. He was... leaving? But.. what about Nel? He thought. What about...

Grimmjow?

Isshin seemed to notice the look and gave a sharp frown. "Come on, Ichigo. It's time to go home." Yuzu watched the exchange with a bit of surprise while Karin and Nel watched on with knowing expressions. They both knew the outcome of this.

"'Home'?" Ichigo echoed. Isshin nodded, watching his son cautiously. Ichigo stared at the man for a moment before turning his chocolate-eyed gaze to Grimmjow. He watched the blue haired man for a few moments before turning back to his father. "But...

"This is home."

Karin smirked, grabbing Yuzu's wrist and pulling her out the front door. Nel smirked (at both the response and the look of pure surprise on her brother's face) and took her leave from the apartment as Isshin let out a garbled sound before jumping headfirst into the argument. "What do you mean this is home? Your home is--" He was interrupted by Ichigo's strong gaze and his hard, no-shit tone of voice. "Dad." He immediately shut up, looking up from his now-frozen hands. Ichigo had grabbed a hold of Grimmjow's wrist, turning from his dad and staring at the blue haired man straight on. They seemed to communicate, because when their staring session ended, a ghost of a smile was stretching across Grimmjow's face as he turned to Isshin with hard and determined eyes. "Don't worry." Grimmjow smirked down at Ichigo beside him. "I'll take care of the kid."

Ichigo snapped his head around, glaring holes at Grimmjow. "I am not a kid. I am 22 years old! That's 4 years over the adult legality age!" Grimmjow's smirk only grew wider. "Oh yeah? Well I'm 26 years old. That's 4 years older than you and 8 years over the line of adulthood."

"What the hell, bastard? That only means that I was 14 while you were 18. I was 18 while you were 22. It's not that big of a difference!" As they continued to banter back and forth, Isshin stood back, a smile slipping back onto his face. Grimmjow had already become a very special--a very important person to his son. He wasn't about to take that away from him.

He interrupted the banter by clearing his throat, internally laughing as they both turned to him with twin scowls. "Well," he began. "I can see you are happy here. I'll check up on you then, 'kay? Keep in touch." The skin around his eyes crinkled as his smile grew. He stepped up and slowly wrapped his arms around his son, whispering, "I'm glad you're okay." He pulled out of the hug and turned around, marching his way to the door and exiting the apartment.

Grimmjow and Ichigo stood at the spot where they last saw the lightly tanned man, the moment seeming so unreal. Grimmjow never thought that Ichigo might actually stay of his own accord. The possibility never even crossed his mind. Ichigo, on the other hand, was absolutely amazed. From what he could remember of the man he called 'father', he was childish and protective. He thought the man would never let up.

It took a few moments for the situation to sink in, his lips quirking into a small smile. He turned around and wrapped his arms around the blue haired man, happy that he was able to stay. When the body he was hugging froze, however, he nearly panicked. Did I just...? Shit.

Ichigo hastily pulled away, avoiding Grimmjow's confused, wide-eyed gaze. "Yeah. So. I didn't take a shower today--so I'm going to go take one now." He slipped off to the bathroom without so much as a look at the blue haired man. Grimmjow watched as the door shut behind the man, before looking down at his hands with a small, uncharacteristic smile on his face.

It seems... Grimmjow thought, staring at his hands, only vaguely registering his surroundings.

...That I can no longer let him go.

-Chapter End-

A/N: Review?