Chapter 9:
The room was dark as they entered, someone had switched the lights off and only a few rays of sun were filtering through the occasional skylight. He saw Ichigo point in the gloom and nodded, heading in that direction as the orange head went in the opposite. Apart from themselves, there were several support beams running the length of the room and checking behind each one, Grimmjow found nothing.
Whatever had happened with Gin and Shiro, it had clearly moved elsewhere and apparently, so had Baraggan.
"Grimmjow!" Ichigo's voice rang out sharply and with a jolt of panic Grimmjow turned and quickly made his way towards him. He found Ichigo crouched on the floor and as he moved he saw why the orange head had called him over. Szayel was lying unconscious next to him. "He's not supposed to be here." Ichigo said, turning to look at Grimmjow with a frown. "What happened, do you think Baraggan attacked the house?"
Before Grimmjow could respond Szayel had sat up suddenly and was pressing a knife to Ichigo's neck. He pulled the gun free from Ichigo's hand and pointed it at Grimmjow. "Drop it." He said, indicating at Grimmjow's gun. When he hesitated Szayel pressed the knife closer to Ichigo's neck and the orange head winced as the blade cut into his skin, making him bleed.
"What the hell are you playing at?!" Grimmjow hissed, but he threw his gun to the floor at their feet anyway..
"Saving your life!" Szayel snapped back before pulling Ichigo back and he started moving away from Grimmjow.
But the door had opened behind him and with a growing sense of dread Grimmjow turned around to see it was Baraggan. Wherever Shiro was, it couldn't be good if the man walking towards him was still alive.
"Where's Shiro?" Ichigo asked.
"Held up at the moment." Baraggan replied. "But don't worry, he's not dead yet." He stopped in front of Grimmjow, who was yet to say anything as he stood watching Baraggan carefully. He was trying to determine what the man was going to do, and if he could stop him. "It's a shame we didn't meet under better circumstances Grimmjow." He continued, focusing on him now. "Things could have turned out differently." He looked at Ichigo again questioningly. "Who did you bring with you? You seemed concerned about his safety, enough to give up your weapon at least."
"He's no-one, just a hired gun." Grimmjow replied coolly, keeping his face expressionless. To reveal Ichigo's real identity would get them both killed in an instant and he needed time to think. Since Szayel didn't know who Ichigo was, he was safe for now. And the less important Baraggan thought he was, the better.
Hearing the sound of handcuffs he turned to see Ichigo had been secured against one of the support beams. Baraggan held a gun steady at him, twitching it towards the beam across from Ichigo. "Move." With a reluctant sigh Grimmjow did as he was told and Szayel bound him to the support beam before returning to Ichigo. He watched the pink haired man go, wondering why he'd changed sides, or if he'd ever been on their side in the first place.
Grimmjow had his arms bound around the beam and he had a full view of Ichigo, which couldn't mean anything good. "So if he isn't important, we should just get rid of him. No need for loose ends."
"I wouldn't." Grimmjow replied, still keeping his voice level. But Baraggan had walked over to Ichigo and after a moment of looking at him, punched him hard in the jaw. Ichigo said nothing, he just glared at the man and spat some blood out of his mouth. "He's far more valuable alive." Grimmjow had to fight not to yell at Baraggan, or give any indication that he was affected by the punch because the man would use it against him.
Baraggan just laughed and lifted Ichigo's face, throwing the blood into sharp relief for him to see. "You always were indifferent to others, that's why I liked you." He let go of Ichigo and stepped back. "Keep an eye on him." He told Szayel before turning back to Grimmjow. "I know you were the ringleader all those years ago. How you managed to convince the other's to turn against me I don't know, but now the time has come for you to pay for it." He had reached Grimmjow, who couldn't do anything when the man grabbed his wrist and drove a knife through his hand, pinning it to the support beam.
"Remember our deal." Szayel called and the man waved the comment away..
"Yes, yes. In exchange for your help, Grimmjow stays alive. But that doesn't mean he can't suffer first." Baraggan turned to Grimmjow again, a gleam in his eyes. "Aren't you lucky to have such loyal friends. All you have to do is jump into bed with someone, and they're yours to play with. How easy it must be."
"That's not true and he isn't my friend." Grimmjow spat back through gritted teeth, sending a glare at Szayel. It was taking almost everything he had not to make a pained noise.
But Baraggan wasn't listening, he was looking at Grimmjow's hand. "You wear a ring, so there's a partner?" He asked, almost sounding delighted at the news. "Who is it?"
"No-one."
"Always the stubborn one." With a sigh a pulled the knife out of Grimmjow's hand and walked back to Ichigo. Even without him saying anything, Baraggan had guessed the orange head was his weak point. Which also meant they didn't have a lot of time. Ichigo didn't waver though, he glared at Baraggan as he approached. He didn't flinch when Szayel grabbed him by the neck, forcing his head up either. "How would your partner feel, if they knew you were sleeping with low lives like this?" Baraggan asked mildly.
Before Grimmjow could respond though he had fisted Ichigo's hair and dragged his head back. The knife traced across Ichigo's jaw, leaving a smear of Grimmjow's blood from what was left on the blade.
"How pretty will he be after this, do you think?" Baraggan asked in a dangerously silky voice. The blade flashed in a ray of dwindling sunlight before the man cut Ichigo in a line from his temple to his jawline, a curve following the edge of his face.
"Stop it!" Grimmjow yelled when Ichigo gave a sudden jerk, but the orange head said nothing still. Grimmjow couldn't help but respect Ichigo more for that. He'd already know how much willpower he had, but the face he was still staying silent said there was more to Ichigo than even he'd known. The part of himself that he hated and kept hidden, was Grimmjow about to see it?
Baraggan smiled and drove the knife down in a violent motion, missing the side of Ichigo's head by an inch. "So you do care about what happens to him then? Why?"
He'd stepped away from Ichigo now and Grimmjow could see the orange head was blinking dazedly, trying to focus. He needed to give him time and the only way to do that was to keep Baraggan distracted. "You don't see it, do you?" He finally said, turning his attention back to their captor who was now frowning.
"What's there to see? You're inability to stay faithful?"
"No." Grimmjow could see Ichigo had now lifted his bound hands and was using the knife to cut through them. He silently thanked Shiro for keeping Ichigo's identity a secret. Even Szayel hadn't known who he was and consequently hadn't bothered to tie him up properly. "There's a reason I chose him. He's not a hired thug." Baraggan had reached him now and was no longer smiling. Grimmjow looked directly into his eyes and grinned. "You shouldn't have underestimated Ichigo." The recognition on Baraggan's face was almost comical. "Shiro wasn't the only Visored heir. You should have done your homework."
Baraggan didn't get a chance to answer. Ichigo was already there as he turned to see the pillar was now empty. Driving the knife into Baraggan's back, Ichigo ducked as Szayel shot before using Baraggan's gun to shoot back. It only took him one shot and Szayel's had missed, hitting Baraggan instead.
Both slumped down and Ichigo stumbled back from Baraggan's body. It took him a moment to regain his balance before he walked unsteadily over to Grimmjow. He managed to cut through the bindings and it was only then that Grimmjow saw his hands were shaking.
"Hey, its over now. Let's get out of here." Ichigo nodded, allowing Grimmjow to support him. Before they could leave though the sound of laughter stopped them.
Turning, Grimmjow saw it was Baraggan who incredibly, was still alive. "This is how it ends is it? Taken out by a bright haired punk."
"Asshole." Ichigo muttered, pulling the trigger and another bullet hit Baraggan in the chest directly over his heart time. This time when he fell down there was no way he'd be getting back up. There was a long moment of silence as they both stared at the body of the man who'd caused so much grief over the past few months. "Sorry for killing your boyfriend." Ichigo muttered, not sounding sorry even in the slightest.
"Don't be and he wasn't my boyfriend." Incredibly, he saw the corner of Ichigo's mouth twitch upwards. Before he could point this out though the doors Baraggan had come through burst open and Ichigo turned, pointing the gun towards the new guests. He smiled however upon seeing Shiro, and lowered the weapon. Grimmjow however, took it quickly from Ichigo and pointed it at the second man. "Why are you still alive?" He growled, looking at Shiro. "Why haven't you killed him?" He jerked his gun at Ulquiorra, who was stood next to Shiro.
"He's on our side, always has been."
"What?!" Ichigo asked incredulously. "And you didn't think to tell me? When I was fighting him, I was trying to kill him!"
"I know." Shiro replied, both sounding and looking apologetic. "But I thought it was for the best that no-one knew, not even Gin."
"Well that makes me feel a bit better." Ichigo muttered and he laid a hand on Grimmjow's arm. "It's fine Grimmjow."
He was still glaring at Ulquiorra, who hadn't said anything yet. Slowly, he lowered the weapon and sighed. "Szayel was working for Baraggan." He pointed to the man's body a few yards away. "Picked the wrong side obviously." Grimmjow didn't add why but he saw Ichigo's eyes narrow in disgust.
Shiro glared at Szayel's body. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now. We won. What happened here?" He moved closer and his eyes widened when he finally got a good look at Ichigo. "What the hell happened?!" He asked half angry, half despaired when he saw the damage on his twins face. He rounded on Grimmjow, now full blown angry. "This is your fault! I told you to keep him safe!"
"I am safe!" Ichigo snapped back defensively, getting between Grimmjow and Shiro. "It isn't Grimmjow's fault. It doesn't matter anyway, Baraggan's dead alright." He turned to look at Grimmjow, his expression softening for just a moment. "Let's go, I'm done with this."
"Alright." Holding out his good hand, he was surprised when Ichigo took it. Shiro let out an annoyed huff.
"Typical." He muttered, but he stepped aside and gave them directions to the nearest exit. "I'll be there soon." He told Ichigo, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Gin's fixed up now so go see him and he'll sort you out." He looked at Grimmjow for a moment. "You too, last thing we need is your hand getting infected on top of all this."
"Thanks Shiro, I didn't know you cared."
"You wish I did. Now get out of here before I change my mind."
Ichigo tugged on his hand and the two of them left. It was quiet as they walked through the now empty halls. They passed a couple of bodies, taken care of by Shiro, Gin or maybe Ulquiorra. They didn't speak as they walked but Grimmjow got the impression that despite them both surviving, and the current hand holding, all wasn't well between them. It was probably just relief that made Ichigo so lenient at the moment.
Sure enough when they found the door to the outside, Ichigo let go of his hand and walked a few paces ahead. "Ichigo?"
He paused, then sighed. "Let's get out of here, then we can talk."
"Alright." It was the best he was going to get, at least Ichigo wanted to talk now.
"Grimmjow!" It was Nel, he turned to see her running towards him and only just had enough time to hold out his arms as she flung herself at him. Stumbling back, he only just managed to keep upright. "You're ok!"
"Yeah, just about." Pulling back he grinned and showed her his injured hand. "Don't know about my hand though."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, carefully taking his hand in her own. "What happened?"
"Baraggan." He replied simply and she nodded, her expression drawn. "Don't worry he's dead now and this time, for real."
"Good." Nel replied and smiling, she squeezed his good hand. "I'm glad you're ok, well for the most part."
"I'm glad you're safe too. Did you sit this one out?" He joked because she didn't have a scratch on her, not even a hair out of place.
"No. A couple of Baraggan's guards trying to leave. They were no problem. It seems all the action was inside." Nel was still grinning and Grimmjow couldn't help but smile back. It was good to see her again after all these years. "I've missed you Grimm."
"I missed you too, Nel."
"Now Baraggan's dead, there's no need to stay away is there!" She said brightly.
"No, I guess you're right." Behind Nel he caught sight of Ichigo who was sitting down next to Gin, getting his face treated. "Hey, there's plenty of time to talk later yeah? I got to go get my hand sorted."
"Sure thing." Smiling, she kissed him on the cheek again and left to go join Tier and to Grimmjow's annoyance, Nnoitra as well. But now wasn't the time to deal with his friend, Grimmjow wanted to be with Ichigo so he joined the orange head and Gin.
"How bad is it?" He asked Gin who was cleaning the wound.
"Could be worse." He replied in a causal tone that put Grimmjow at ease. "It's not too deep and Ichigo didn't suffer severe blood loss. There will be a scar though, nothing I can do to change that. But other than that, it just needs treating and Ichigo will be fine."
"Good." Grimmjow breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Ichigo, who glared back. "What?"
"That woman." He said and Grimmjow instantly knew what the problem was.
"You get jealous real easy. You know that?"
Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "It's hard not to when everyone you know seems to have slept with you at some point." He winced as Gin pressed firmly against his wound, but didn't voice any pain. "What was wrong with her then? Or is that what you did, did you sleep around with everyone to gain their trust? To get them on your side like Baraggan said?" He paused and sighed. "Forget it." He said in a quiet voice. "Sorry, I know you're not like that, at least, not anymore."
Grimmjow sat down next to him and shook his head. "Nel's my sister. And yes, I used to sleep around a lot. Not to manipulate people, I just never thought of settling down with someone. Especially in my line of work. That was, until I met you."
"You have a sister." Ichigo said, his voice oddly calm.
"Look, I know I should've told you. But we all made a pact, we were never to speak of each other, to contact each other ever again. It was for everyone's safety."
"You didn't think I could keep it a secret?"
"Of course not. But, I made a promise to Nel, to all of them that we wouldn't speak of it again. I couldn't break that vow and I didn't think I'd ever have to tell you. I thought Baraggan was dead so why would you need to know?"
Ichigo scoffed. "Why would I need to know you have a sister?" They sat in silence for a while, Grimmjow wondering if this was the final straw. That Ichigo wouldn't take any more. "Do I even know you? Is anything you've told me true?" He finally asked, the quietness of his voice was probably more painful than if he'd yelled.
"I asked you the same thing once, remember?"
He smiled wryly at that. "Yes, I remember."
"And you said everything you told me was true, you just bent the facts so I wouldn't find out. It's the same for me. Everything I've told you about my past is true, I just didn't tell you about Baraggan or anything during the years I worked for him. I forgave you, can you do the same for me?"
"I don't know." Ichigo sighed, glancing up when Gin moved away. It seemed both of them had forgotten he was there and whilst they were talking, Gin had fixed Ichigo's wound.
"That's it, I can't do any more for now. The bandages will need changing tomorrow and we'll take it from there."
He stepped back and Ichigo stood up, looking at Grimmjow for a long moment. "Give me some time. You took six months after you found out. Now I need to think for a while."
"For six months?"
He smiled at that. "No, not that long." And then he walked away.
Gin sighed, looking at Grimmjow curiously. "You know, I really hated that Szayel."
"Yeah? Me too."
He smiled, then held out his hand. "Let's see the damage."
Grimmjow held out his injured hand and Gin set to work fixing it up. "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"Ichigo."
Gin took a moment to reply and he seemed to choose his words carefully. "He was right, he needs time. Push him, and Ichigo will push back. Give him the space he needs and once he's made a decision, you'll know."
"And how long do you think that will take?"
"Knowing Ichigo, not that long at all. He doesn't like to brood. Of course, that was until he met Szayel, he really didn't like him. I bet he probably enjoyed killing him. After all, he deserved it." Gin said it so casually, but then he was used to death. Grimmjow however had been out of the lifestyle for too long now and the words seemed brutal.
"You think Ichigo enjoys killing people?"
"No, but I think he made an exception for Szayel."
"Yeah, me and him both. If Szayel hadn't turned up, things would've been different."
"How so? You still lied to Ichigo. The only difference would be he wouldn't have thought you were cheating. Maybe it would make a difference, but there's no changing it now."
"Do you think I cheated still?"
"No." Gin put down the antiseptic and started wrapping bandages around Grimmjow's hand. "After Shiro told me Szayel was a traitor, I figured he was playing games with all of us. Including his stunt with the kiss."
"Don't remind me." There was a pause. "Does Ichigo know that?"
"Probably. He's smart and if I can figure it out, so can he." Gin stood up and smiled. "There, you're finished. There's some nerve damage, so you won't be able to use your hand fully anymore. But it should still function. When you leave, make sure you get someone to see to it. You're going to need some help."
"Leave?"
Gin shrugged. "I wouldn't stick around too long if I were you, Shiro's not known for his patience. And I'd say you've outstayed your welcome."
"Great."
"But, you're safe for the night. I heard your old buddies were planning a party. I'm betting Shiro is in a good enough mood to allow it. Who knows, maybe Ichigo will drink enough to forgive you."
"That's not funny."
"Yes it is, you're just too caught up to appreciate my jokes." Gin packed up his equipment and nodded. "I've got to find Shiro, but I'll take another look at your hand before you leave."
"Thanks, Gin." He nodded again and left.
Grimmjow sighed, looking around for Ichigo only to find the orange head was nowhere in sight. He'd probably already left back to the Visored's headquarters. Soon enough they all would be. And Grimmjow had probably twelve hours to earn Ichigo's forgiveness before he had to leave, or Shiro threatened him again.
Baraggan may be dead, but there were more problems to solve still waiting. Grimmjow could only hope Ichigo would forgive him.
