Hey folks, this is a shortened version of the chapter that i posted yesterday cos i hated the way it ended, it was heading into a corner that i struggled to get out of.

So chapter 9 take two.

And now take three, only minor edits this time though.

Chapter 9

Grimmjow only had to stay in custody for a few hours before Byakuya came for him, standing in his impeccable suit on the other side of the bars before nodding to the officer with the keys to unlock the door.

"Mr Sexta, if you would?"

Grimmjow stood from the grotty floor, glancing at his friends around the room before walking over to the door, hesitating at the boundary. "There are others that are part of the deal, more than I originally thought but it's not negotiable."

"Our deal was for my officer to return and give us evidence, I've got a man in hospital who will be unable to speak for a few days; at the moment there is no deal. You are coming with me to give me a report on what has happened to Detective Kurosaki so that I can tell his doctor how to help him. You will be returning to this room."

"Fine, but I want to see him first, I want to see him with my own eyes, in the same room and I'm not going alone, then I'll tell you everything that happened."

"You're demands are reasonable if puzzling. Who is to accompany you?"

"Rage, he can help me explain things."

"Excuse me gentlemen, I think I can be of use as well, if I am not over stepping." Ulquiorra stood and spoke from his place, his quiet voice carrying. Byakuya looked him over before nodding, the three men heading out with a backwards glance at the rest of the room's occupants.

They walked quietly behind Byakuya as they left the detention area and into the entrance foyer, Byakyua calling for assistance on his phone. Three uniformed officers joined them, one giving them a really creepy grin, the man taller than any of the three with one eye covered by a patch and his long dark hair spiked up. Byakuya gave the officers a quick briefing before two of them disappeared off to get a van to transport them. It was a long quiet drive to the hospital and Grimmjow had to stop himself bouncing slightly in his seat. Renji sat firmly against him, not wanting to make any sort of public display but knowing his partner was anxious.

The van pulled up to the hospital and the three now ex-gang members all turned to the door but the none of the police men moved at first.

"Right gentlemen, we have plenty of time to get into the details after but I want a summary, right now or we can just sit out here. I want to know what the hell happened to Ichigo." Byakyua rarely used curse words, the men he worked with giving him a quick glance when he spoke.

Grimmjow glanced sideways at his friends before clearing his throat. "He had a tougher time in his initiation than I anticipated, he smashed through the initial with so little effort, he was moved up, he was put into a sensory deprivation chamber for far too long, he was sleep deprived, beaten and his knee cap was dislocated, you'll need to speak to Szayell Granz for more details as to what they did to him but that's the gist. He was sorted out but he kept getting in bother, one guy trying to kill him but he fought him off, damaging his knee more. Yesterday he was beaten again, nearly raped and whipped. I didn't see it but Renji did."

"Yes, Renji, you do know you have a serious amount of questions to answer about your situation? Can you shed some light on Ichigo's first though please?"

Renji glanced at the floor before speaking to his former boss. "Not much more, I stopped the rapist, it was close enough he might need help getting over it, I found the whip, it was a solid leather one, I don't know if that's important. All I know is that when he wanted help he asked for Grimmjow, and he needs to be there for him."

"Yes, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques and Ulquiorra Schiffer I believe yes? Right we'll head up just now, behave yourselves of you will be returning to solitary." The driver and passenger got out and after a few seconds the back doors opened and the rest filtered out.

On entering Ichigo's room, Grimmjow's eyes immediately went to the one in the bed, seeing the bright orange hair lying at the head, Ichigo on his stomach with his back swathed in white gauze, some of it pink tinged in lines. Ichigo's arms were loosely kinked at the elbow and lying at the side of his upper body, almost cuddling the pillows under him. Grimmjow glanced at Byakuya, the older man nodding slightly before Grimmjow strode over to the bed, kneeling at the side and running his hand through the soft hair, resting his forehead against Ichigo's crown for a second before lifting it again and looking down at the sleeping face again. Renji appeared behind his lover, a hand on his broad shoulder to give him support.

Grimmjow allowed Renji to pull him away after a while, Grimmjow turning from the police in the room to hide his emotions before walking over to the window to clear his head. Renji stayed by his side at all times, touching him at all times but saying nothing.

Grimmjow allowed his lover to pull him closer, even in the presence of others and he even laid his head on Renji's shoulder. "Grimm, you need to speak to me. What can I do?" Renji spoke quietly, their closeness keeping their conversations private.

"I don't know. I didn't exactly plan for this. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that the man I love is hurting. Are you in love with Ichigo?"

Grimmjow paused for a moment, knowing the answer but not wanting to hurt the other man. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Do you still love me?"

Grimmjow lifted his head, shock on his face but he saw that his lover wasn't angry, Renji's face was blank. "Of course I do, how could you even ask that."

"Well, I had to be sure. I know the kid remember, I know how intense he can be. We'll need to speak to him together, he didn't seem happy to see me yesterday. For now he's safe and out of danger, we have to just wait."

The door to the room banged open, Grimmjow and Renji turning to see Ikkaku walking in with a scowl on his face, the smaller Yumi trailing behind him.

"What the fuck is he doing in here? Ichigo didn't want him near him." Ikkaku positioned himself in between the bed and the two larger men.

Grimmjow frowned, his anxiousness easily transforming into anger. "Ichigo was injured and in shock, if he doesn't want me here he can tell me himself. Until then you can try and make me leave."

"Oh please, I'd love to kick your ass right out of that window, just give me an excuse." Ikkaku shook his arms out, approaching the big blue haired man. Renji gripped Grimmjow's upper arm firmly and Yumi mirrored him, grabbing Ikkaku with panic on his face.

"Stop it, both of you. If you need to go and beat the crap out of each other then get the hell out of the room and just do it. I think you're both just scared that a person you care about is hurt and you're turning that into aggression. It's ugly and horrible and it's not going to help him."

Ikkaku turned on the smaller male, having had Yumi shadow him for the last day. "He doesn't give a shit about Ichigo; he just needs him to testify so he can get off scot free."

Grimmjow's face darkened and he felt Renji's arms tighten, even his lover was unhappy about that last statement.

"Don't fucking talk about what you know nothing about. You don't know what went on and even if they've only known each other for a short time, don't think they didn't form an attachment, who's name did Ichigo call out? Grimmjow's. It's got to count for something." Renji spoke clearly, looking directly into Ikkaku's scowling face and raising an eyebrow when Ikkaku narrowed his eyes.

They were allowed to stay and Renji pulled Grimmjow to the small sofa next to the window and sat with his arm around the older man, Grimmjow actually tucking his head in and accepting the comfort.

Byakuya let them rest for a while like this, excusing himself and going to speak to Ichigo's doctor. It didn't take him long to find the man before he started relaying what Grimmjow had told him.

When he'd got Grimmjow's call to come in, he hadn't hesitated, hoping they'd get there in time to get Ichigo out of danger. Ikkaku had given him an informal report of what he'd found on scene, the cop refusing to leave his partner's bedside for long and the doctor had detailed Ichigo's injuries, their causes still a mystery at that point. The whip lashes were easy enough to figure out, three of them deep enough to require stitches and might scar but it was the knee that was causing them issues. Any more damage to the knee might cause permanent injury that would require surgery, something that had major impact to a young man's life. Knee replacements were only designed to last around ten years and with Ichigo still under thirty, he would pretty much be signing up for a surgery a decade and a lot of recovery time. One thing the doctor had mentioned was the nonphysical side of his recovery but until the young man came around and they could assess his mental state, they couldn't speculate.

The young man had come round slightly a couple of times but had fallen back under almost immediately and would continue to do so for probably another day with the amount of damage he took and the pain killers they were pumping into him. Byakuya hoped he wouldn't be suffering mentally as much as physically when he woke, he had enough recovery to do.

Ichigo came around while Byakuya was out of the room, his heavy lids not opening fully as he took in his surroundings. He recognised the same hospital room as he'd been in last time but there were more people in it than his previous wake up. He spotted his partner standing at the wall, scowling with Yumichika next to him, rubbing Ikkaku's back with one hand as they spoke quietly; Ichigo knew they'd get on well. Kenpachi stood near the door, his eye watching the pair on the couch. Ichigo had instantly recognised the bright hair on the men sitting on the couch and he'd looked away just as quickly, unable to cope with seeing the two men so close.

Renji had been an unattainable dream, his standard of type for years and so unachievable, it was the reason he'd not dated much. Then Grimmjow had come along, just as gorgeous, just as ripped, tall, arrogant and confident. He'd seemed almost too much like Renji but he'd been interested, something the red head had lacked. All the dirty talk and innuendo could have been just talk but there had been something between him and he'd been there when Ichigo needed him most.

He didn't have enough energy to deal with the emotional wrench that would come with officially meeting Grimmjow's boyfriend, even if he knew the man; his brief last interaction with Renji had left him in tears. He hoped he'd hidden it well enough from the rest of the men. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off, hoping he'd have more energy when he woke.

It was dark the next time Ichigo opened his eyes, his room empty for the first time and he thought he could actually check himself out with no one fussing. His knee was immobilised, even more so than it had been in his splint but it was tight and hot, telling him it hadn't been fixed yet. As he moved around, the fuzzy feeling told him he was on some sort of medication as the pain should have been sharp. His back was heavy and itchy and when he moved his arms he could feel his back pulling that ended feeling sharp and very unpleasant.

The room was quiet, too quiet for him and too dark. He wished he could find a light switch or something but in his limited movement he couldn't spot any sort of control to hand. He tried to go back to sleep but the dark quiet weighed too heavy on him. He hugged his arms under his chest, rubbing at them for a moment and pulling them tighter as he felt something twinge in his back. He needed to feel, he needed some sensation, just for a second. The tears tracking down his face didn't register, nor did the lines of blood running down his sides; his breathing starting to come too quick as he lost control.

iiiiiiii

Grimmjow was doing his best to be calm and helpful, answering all the questions that came at him as politely as he could but after four days of crappy sleep, irregular food and not getting to see Ichigo after that brief visit on day two, his patience was nearing an end.

Renji had been getting interviewed in a separate room, having to come clean to what had happened in his life that took him from being a police officer, to being muscle in the gang he'd been investigating and Grimmjow knew he wasn't having fun with his former colleagues.

Four days after seeing Ichigo, Grimmjow finally threw a fit, demanding another visit or all interviews would stop. He knew his former colleagues had now been sorted into more or less innocent and definitely guilty, Grimmjow not sorry when they left. He'd still not seen Aizen since he was arrested and he hoped wherever the man was, he was hurting, somehow.

Byakuya seemed reluctant to permit the visit, to the point that Ulquiorra had to step in and point out some home truths to the man, Byakuya eventually agreeing and Renji and Grimmjow getting to take another trip with Kenpachi in the van to the hospital. Grimmjow's relationship with the former cuarto was improving daily, the stoic man having a wry sense of humour that was difficult to take unless you were used to it. He'd been quick to point out to Byakuya that Grimmjow and himself had already given them enough to get themselves a free walk and they were only permitting the police to keep them so they could help more.

Grimmjow was trotting as he approached the hospital room and he was in the door before anyone else was close. His eyes went directly to the man again but this time he didn't feel the sense of calm he did last time. This time the sight of the man he loved didn't reassure him; thick Velcro cuffs held Ichigo's arms to the bed sides and his ankles were secured the same way. He still lay on his front but with his arms now held down at his waist he looked uncomfortable. The brown eyes he'd been desperate to see were open but looking empty, gaze fixed to the wall opposite him and Ichigo's mouth lay slack, open against the pillow. Grimmjow was vaguely aware of Ikkaku standing from the sofa but he ignored the fierce cop to approach the bed, fury in his veins. He reached his hand out and stroked it along Ichigo's bound one, feeling the cool skin before it flinched at his touch. It made him clench his fist hard as he took a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Get the doctor, now." Grimmjow said it in such a way that no one argued, Kenpachi's partner scrabbling away out the door to obey in a second. The doctor was there in a flash, smiling patronisingly at him. "Why the fuck is he restrained?"

"He was hurting himself; it's not uncommon in cases like his. He wouldn't respond to us so we restrained him for his own safety."

"And then knocked him loopy for his own good?"

"He was still suffering; I didn't want to inflict that on him."

Grimmjow had to hold himself back from lashing out at the man, either verbally or physically but he turned on the man with a glare. "You mean you didn't want to see or hear him suffering. He's still suffering, look at him. Just because he can't move or scream doesn't mean he's not still feeling it." Grimmjow ripped the cuffs off the limbs near him, his glare stopping the doctor from protesting. He leaned over and ripped the others off, moving Ichigo's arms into more comfortable positions. They immediately wrapped around his torso, fingers digging into the skin of the opposite arm until Grimmjow pried them apart. He looked back at the cops in the room; Kenpachi shrugging in response to his unasked question, the large policeman wasn't going to stop him whatever his plans were. Grimmjow put his arms under Ichigo's front and lifted him, squeezing himself underneath the man until Ichigo lay on top of him. Grimmjow pressed Ichigo's head into his neck and shushed him when he felt the hands clench in his shirt. When he felt the other press himself closer, he just wrapped his own arms around his lower back tight, holding him close. He watched his lover walk up to him, running his hand through the blue hair before pressing a kiss into it.

"We're not leaving until he comes round, you can spin it in any way to Kuchiki but we're not budging." Renji looked straight at the police officers as he spoke, knowing they'd not argue with him. Grimmjow looked up at him with a small smile as he stroked Ichigo's soft hair with one hand.