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Chapter Nine, Rule 8: Get a Kickass Partner
Starks bike rattled in the back of the truck bed as the sped along the highway. Ichigo sat shot gun, his face pressed against the cool glass as he stared at the passing streets outside.
Grimmjow was silent as well, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting against the window sill, occasionally reaching up to run through his hair. After explaining that Ichigo's family was indeed alive, the brat had preceded to attempt to beat the shit out of him. Grimmjow was much larger then the shorter orange head, so all he really needed to do was shove the malnourished med student to the ground and threaten to kick him in the stomach. Grimmjow would never actually hurt Ichigo, but they kid really needed to learn when to pick his fights.
So they proceeded to drive in silence, Ichigo wallowing in the passenger seat while Grimmjow drove. He expected the kid to be excited, they were finally only their way to see his family, but he seemed to be lost in thought as he ignored Grimmjow and stared out that damn window.
Ichigo was happy. He was beyond ecstatic, the thought of finally meeting up with his family had his heart racing a mile a minute. But, as his thoughts had bloomed out of the darkness only an hour ago, he couldn't help but let those dark thoughts seep back into his happiness. His family was alive, but that also meant they were living. Living in this shit hole of a world, where they could die at any moment and be forced to become one of the hideous demonic flesh eaters that roamed the streets. Ichigo was suddenly doubting whether is was better to be dead or alive in this world, cause either way you were never going to get the chance at life that you deserve. His sisters would never get to go to school like they once did, his dad would never cry over that stupid poster of their mom. They would constantly be fighting for their lives, constantly-
"Ichigo" Grimmjow's gruff voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his head to stare at the blue haired man next to him, "You gotta snap out of it. Your sisters aren't gonna want to see ya like this. Whatever's eatin' at you, shove it away. We can talk about it later or somethin'…"
Grimmjow kept his eyes on the road as he spoke, but Ichigo could hear the worry in his voice. Ichigo smiled softly and nodded, "Your right…" He mumbled, then situated himself more comfortably in the seat so he wasn't so far in the corner, "So how do you know Shinji?"
"Aw, you don't want to hear that shit" Grimmjow barked out a laugh.
"Sure I do, come on, or I'll go back to staring out the window" The orange head smirked and raised a brow, daring the other man to turn him down now.
Grimmjow rolled his eyes and huffed, switching hands on the steering wheel as he drove the car around a large pile of soppy looking bodies, "Alright, fuck. Well, I dealt before the apocalypse, mostly hard shit and occasionally weed. I met Shinji when I…"
A younger Grimmjow leaned against a dirty wall, dark brown stains splashed against its once white surface. A joint hung from his fingers, occasionally drifting up to his parted lips for a drag. He wore a large sweatshirt, the hood pulled over his head to hide his bright blue hair. His jeans were baggy, handing low on his hips and bunching over his white kicks. The sky had long since fallen into darkness, bathing the street Grimmjow stood in with lamp light from the street lights above.
The asshole he was waiting for was late and he was starting to get pissed. Course, he could always leave, but Grimmjow needed the money to get groceries on the way home. He knew his mom was probably piss drunk and would need something in her stomach to avoid another night on the toilet. But he had to get up for school in the morning and it was almost 10pm…he hadn't even started on his homework yet and he had a test tomorrow.
Car lights filled the area, forcing Grimmjow to cover his eyes at the blare of light. He swore and turned his body away, hoping the car would just continue on, but instead it parked right in front of him. Grimmjow looked up just as the all the doors of the SUV swung open and out poured a gang of Mexican thugs, probably from the rival drug group that butted heads with Aizens crew. Light blue eyes widened as he caught sight of the glint of a metal bat in the headlights while the five guys stalked towards them.
"Eh', that Blue there? Knew I recognized 'im" One of them called out and Grimmjow swore, tugging the hood further down his head. He tried to keep his blue locks hidden, but assholes like this always managed to catch sight of it even when he was hidden in the darkness. The men surrounded him, each with their own smug grin plastered across their face. Grimmjow could fight, but he had no chance against five armed men that already had him backed into a corner.
"Go fuck yourselves assholes" He growled out, harsh eyes glaring at the men around him. The all laughed, one of them even spitting in his direction.
"Sorry Blue, but we got orders to leave you a message. Ain't gonna be a pretty one too".
The pain of the bat swung into his stomach was incredible. He coughed, his joint falling to the ground in a soft billow of smoke as he doubled over. Another hit to his back forced him to the ground, his face swashing against the pavement and splitting his cheekbone. The five men then unleashed themselves upon him, kicking and swinging their bat at his curled body. At some point during the onslaught he decided he was dying, there was no way he could make it out of this, when a whistle swang through the hair and stopped the brutal attack on his body.
He coughed and rolled onto his side, looking up at the lamp light above with hazy eyes. Grimmjow could hear yelling and swearing, then a gunshot, but for the most part he didn't really care. The light was growing, filling up his vision almost to the brink. Death was sort'a slow, he mumbled in his mind just as a dark shadow filled his sight.
"That's cause your not dying" Someone spoke, causing Grimmjow to frown. Had he said that out loud? Strange, he couldn't even feel his jaw…probably broken…
"Alright Blue, don't pass out now. We gotta get you some ice and some weed" The voice let out a chuckle and proceeded to lift Grimmjow's battered body from the pavement. The movement caused the blue haired teens mind to spin, then slip from consciousness.
He woke up on a futon, staring up at a spinning fan above him. He was stripped down to his light blue boxers, bandages covering his body and ice resting on his left ribs and face.
"Ayoo, look who's awake! Your early, wasn't expecting ya to rise till evening at least" The same voice called out from behind him.
Grimmjow twisted his neck, grunting at the pain the movement caused throughout his whole body. What the fuck? The asshole that had stood him up last night stood in the doorway, a cup of steaming something in his mug. He was young, probably the same age as Grimmjow at 18, but much skinnier then the blue haired drug dealer. This guy…Shinji?...had blonde locks cut in a feminine bob on his head and a sharp, angled face, high cheekbones giving him an aristocratic look. He was currently wearing a page-boys hate and Grimmjow's school uniform, which Grimmjow raised his brows at in surprise.
"The fuck…" Grimmjow growled out as Shinji made his way around to sit on the opposite couch. He had this eerie smile plastered on his face as he stared at Grimmjow and watched him struggle to sit up. He managed to get an elbow under himself and looked over at the blonde haired man angrily, "Where the fuck were you last night?"
"Ah, well, I showed up didn't I! Right in the nic' of time I might add, those guys were prepared to kill ya"
"How'd you get me out? There was five guys, you couldn't-"
Shinji pointed at a gleaming pistol on the coffee table between them, shrugging nonchalantly, "They only had bats on 'em, I had a gun. Just had to remind them who had the upper hand they they took off in that shiny car of theirs", Shinji raised his brows at Grimmjow and pointing at himself, "No need to thank me or anythin'"
Grimmjow grunted and twisted his body again, slowly forcing himself up into a sitting position. His ribs screamed at him, most likely broken, and he could feel some heavy bruising on his back, "Yeah, thanks…"
Shinji laughed and stood up, heading towards the other room that must have been the kitchen, "I have some breakfast made up, I was just about to head to school, you want some?"
"Nah." Grimmjow grumbled as he slowly stood. His stomach felt like it was in knots, probably from the pummeling it took last night. He pulled the ice pack off his ribs and cheek, setting them down on the table just as Shinji walked in.
"Did you know we went to the same school?"
Shinji nodded, his blonde hair swishing with the movement, "Yeah, 'course I know. Who doesn't know you?"
Grimmjow laughed, the action causing him to shake down a whine of pain. He looked towards Shinji's slighter form and sighed, "Yer smaller then me, but were about the same height. Think I can borrow a uniform for the day?"
"Sure" Shinji replied, "Its going to be a bit small though"
They two boys showed up at school, Grimmjow limping along next to Shinji as the walked towards the front door. Other students stared at the odd pair, especially Grimmjow. His button up white shirt was barely holding itself together across his defined chest and his plaid pants fit amazingly tight across his thighs.
"Everyone probably thinks we had a one night stand" Shinji whispered, grinning widely at the gawking girls they passed.
Grimmjow grunted, ignoring the looks from the others. He should have stayed home, but he had a frickin' test today that he couldn't miss. Math wasn't his strongest subject so he couldn't take the missed points from a late test. Especially if he ever planned on getting out of this town.
"So Shinji kinda stuck with me for the rest of high school. It was our last year, but we got pretty close. He knew my mom at least. I got Shinji into Aizens crew with me and we became partners." Grimmjow muttered, "When my mom got sick, I gave up my scholarships and stayed in Karakura to help her out. Shinji also stayed, but he jumped out of the crew and enlisted in the military a year later".
"Your mom was sick?" Ichigo asked, furrowing his brows at Grimmjow.
"Breast cancer. We didn't have a lot of money when I was graduating, so kimo wasn't really an option. But I had enough to let her die in the hospital at least. It was better then our shitty apartment"
Ichigo faced forward, his brows still furrowed as he thought. He hadn't expected Grimmjow to be a good student, hell, he thought he hadn't even graduated from high school. And the reason he stayed with the dealing was not for selfish reasons, but for his mom. Clearly, Ichigo had judged the other man wrong.
It only took another ten minutes for them to reach the headquarters Ichigo had dropped Shinji and his crew off at yesterday. They drove down the side street and parked next to the backdoor, letting the truck idle for a moment.
"So, you ready?" Grimmjow asked, glancing at the man next to him. Ichigo was staring straight ahead and for a moment Grimmjow thought he hadn't been heard, but then Ichigo nodded and turned towards him.
He smiled brightly, surprising Grimmjow instantly. Ichigo was an attractive guy, but the amount of light the exuded off of him at that moment left Grimmjow breathless. He wanted to reach forward and kiss him, turn those freckled cheeks pink like he had done before...But instead, he matched Ichigo's wild grin and exited the car.
Shuhei was standing outside the backdoor when Ichigo rounded the car and joined Grimmjow. He didn't look to happy at the appearance of the orange haired man, probably due to Ichigo's freak out last time they were together.
"Shinji around?" Grimmjow asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"He's on a run with Gin" Shuhei answered, flicking his harsh gaze to Ichigo, "Do you two need something?"
"You have a family here under the name Kurosaki, correct?" Grimmjow answered for Ichigo, who had suddenly gone mute. You'd think the kid would be barging in through the door, but under this tattooed mans gaze he had turned meek and silent.
Shuhei looked back at Grimmjow and nodded, "Yes, we do, they came with Urahara's group from his gym a week ago"
Ichigo smiled again, though he still remained silent behind Grimmjow. What was with him? Why wasn't he demanding to be let in to see his family?
"That's his family, so can we-"
"No" Shuhei barked out, his harsh gaze once again landing on Ichigo, "He's not stable. I can't let a risk like him into the compound"
Fuck that, Shiro growled out inside Ichigo's head, snapping his teeth at the man angrily, That fucker better let us in our I'll show him how much of a risk I can be.
"What the fuck are you saying?" Grimmjow snapped out, stepping towards the man threateningly, "You're not going to let him see his family? Are you fucking serious?"
Shuhei sighed and gestured towards Ichigo, "He freaked out on us this morning, I'm not letting something like that into a place that we have worked tirelessly to keep safe"
Grimmjow rushed forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun just as Shuhei tried to point it at him. He ripped the gun from the mans hands and then grabbed his head, slamming in downwards into his awaiting knee. As Shuhei feel to the ground, Grimmjow knelt down next to him and pointed the gun at the other mans face. He rested the cold end of the barrel against the mans tattooed cheek, smirking down at him, "Now that we have that sorted out, you gonna let us in?"
Shuhei spat at Grimmjow's dirty combat boots, glaring up at the man, "Fucker" He growled out. Shuhei then attempted to throw his fist into Grimmjow's stomach, but he easily caught in and gripped the hands hand roughly.
"I'd take back what you said 'bout Ichigo. You should be more worried about me freakin' out then 'im" A slow, shark like grin spread across Grimmjow's face as he stared down savagely at the man below him.
"Grimmjow"
The blue haired man in question paused, raising his head to turn back towards the mouth of the alley. Shinji was walking towards them, a silver haired man in tow, large bags in each hand filled to the brim. The clanked as he walked, the sound of tin echoing through the alleyway.
"You need to get better recruits Shinji, this fucker tried to pick a fight with me" Grimmjow explained as he stood up, dusting off his knees while turning towards his friend.
Shinji laughed as he reached them and set down the bags next to the door, "Yes well, Shuhei has a stick rammed up his ass. We've been working on it"
At his comment, the black haired man began to sit up, looking extremely dejected and angry. Grimmjow ignored him, still smiling at Shinji while the blonde haired man pounded on the door to be let in. As they waited for the door to open, Shinji glanced back towards Ichigo.
Ichigo still stood next to the car, his eyes cast towards Shuhei who was still struggling to stand up. He knew why the man had acted the way he did and didn't begrudge him for his actions…he was keeping his family safe from the crazies of the world after all, which just happened to mean him.
"So, Ichigo, wish you'd told me you were friends with big Grimm here. I would'a given you the star treatment" Shinji laughed and Ichigo looked up at him, "Actually, I should have recognized that car. Who else would own a big truck like that"
The door opened up then and everyone pilled in, Shuhei bringing up the rear and locking the door behind them. Inside, the place opened up into a massive high ceiling warehouse. Four lines of cots stretched back to the other side of the building, and along one wall cubicles had been erected with various supplied spilling out of them. To their right, someone had built a sort of makeshift kitchen out of camping supplies, the smell of coffee filled the room from the roasting brew on one of the propane cookers. Over twenty people wandered the warehouse, sorted through supplied, or rested on the cots. Ichigo was amazed that so many had survived and were actually thriving inside the city.
Shuhei and Gin went off with the bags of supplies, heading towards the cubicles lining the right wall. Shinji turned towards Grimmjow and Ichigo, his characteristic wide smile in place.
"Pretty cool huh? We managed to get the cots from a hospital, the cubicles are from the office across the street. All the camping stuff we salvaged from a run down Walmart, and then the people sort of wandered to us on their own. The warehouse actually has its own generator, but we don't really use it. Too much noise and the lights attract the undead. So, Ichigo-", Ichigo turned his wide eyes to Shinji as his name was called out, "You ready to meet your family?"
Ichigo followed Shinji to the right, Grimmjow trailing behind them. They passed a cubicle stacked to the top with canned food, then one filled with jugs of water. As they walked down the aisle, Ichigo's heart began to hammer in his chest. His family was alive, and safe, and here, in the amazing little slice of safety. He couldn't have wished for a better outcome.
Shinji stood at the opening of the last cubicle, gesturing for Ichigo to go inside, "Got a new patient for you Doc" Shinji called out.
"What did you do this time Shinji? I told you to-"
Ichigo stared up at the gruff and haggard face of his father, who was looking down at him with an identical expression of disbelief. His dad had aged about ten years since he had last seen him, he could see worry lines on the mans forehead that were deep and wouldn't be going away any time soon. His mouth was thin, his beard overtaking his face like some sort of animal. His mom had hated his dads beard, always said he looked like a gorilla when it grew to long.
"You need a shave, old man" Ichigo choked out before he was enveloped his a bone crushing hug. His dads beard pressed against his check, scratching him roughly. But it was his dad, alive and well. Ichigo gripped his old man tight, his face disappearing into his dads shoulder as he tried to hold back tears.
Isshin, on the other hand, was leaking tears into Ichigo's shoulder like a broken dam, holding his boy for dear life. Ichigo had been dead, he was sure of it, but he was here now….
"God Ichigo" He mumbled out against Ichigo's wet shirt, then pulled back to look at him, "You're completely fine, no broken bones or bites or…"
"I'm fine dad" Ichigo said, grinning up at the older man.
"Had my best buddy here on the job, kept your son safe" Shinji called out, interrupting their moment. Isshin cast his eyes up to where Shinji was pointing at Grimmjow, who was standing in the doorway looking mighty uncomfortable.
"You've been taking care of my boy?" Isshin asked and before Grimmjow could reply, he stepped forward and hugged the blue haired man. Isshin was a couple inches taller then Grimmjow and slightly bigger in the muscle department, so there was nothing he could do when the man leaned back and squeezed him off the floor.
He released Grimmjow with a flourish and turned back to Ichigo, who was holding back laughter at Grimmjow's wide eyed, pissed off expression, "Where are the girls?" Ichigo asked excitedly.
Isshin pressed his thin lips together, nodding slowly at Shinji who slipped off into the warehouse, "Listen, Ichigo. When we were escaping Urahara's Gym, something happened-"
"Ichi-ni!" Two voices broke through Isshin's speech and Ichigo turned towards his sisters with a massive grin plastered across his face. But, as he took in the sight before him, he gave pause. Karin raced towards him, tears in her eyes as he leapt upon her brother. Ichigo returned her hug, but his eyes were stuck on the wheelchair being pushed towards him by Shinji.
Yuzu was beaming at him, her eyes filled with tears. She looked unharmed, her adorable pigtails that she always had still in place. She was wearing a large Christmas sweater, the sleeves rolled up so she could grip the handles of her chair. But it was her right leg that Ichigo was staring at, his eyes wide as the tears he had been holding back finally spilled out. Half way down the thigh, Yuzu's leg was non existent. Her sweat pants had been tied off at the end of her stump, but Ichigo could tell that the procedure had been a medical one. Yuzu had lost her leg, had it ripped from her body-
Calm down Abiou
Shiro's voice filtered through his mind, seeping into his raging emotions and wrapping him in a thin layer of snow. It seeped through his being, allowing him to calm down enough to grasp Yuzu's hand as he reached him. With one arm wrapped around Karin, who was still sobbing into his shoulder, he kneeled before Yuzu's chair and gazed up at her with love and sadness and regret.
"I'm so happy your alive, Ichi-ni" She sobbed out, running her free hand through Ichigo's orange hair tenderly. Ichigo let loose a sob, staring up at his broken sister as he clutched the other to his side.
"I know Yuzu, I'm so happy I'm alive too"
Listened to Murder in the City by the Avett Brothers during Ichigo's reunion with his family.
Made me smile to write it, it's been a long time coming.
Reviews are lovely and help me know that I'm doing a good job. Thank you to everyone who welcomed me back, I'm happy to get this on a roll. And look! I posted! And it didn't take a year! Haha...