Thank you to all those who reviewed and alerted and favourited This is another kinda dry chappy, but I promise, this one's the last. From the next one on, there'll be waayy less explanation and waayy more drama, especially of the romantic kind ;P

Anyways, excuse the OOC-ness in this one.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Bleach...What else's new?

Enjoy!

Chapter 10 –

Ichigo stumbled inside his house with the late after noon setting behind him, breathing hard. He'd woken up way past his usual time today and had decided to go for a much needed run around the trails behind his house. Now, muscles tingling pleasantly and skin drenched with sweat, he flicked on the hallway lights. His heart still beat wildly and he could almost imagine that he heard the sound echo in the empty house. Shaking his head at the thought, he forced out a deep breath as he walked forward to deposit his keys on the coffee table. Passing the kitchen, he groaned in near pain as spikes of hunger lanced through him, reminding him that he hadn't had anything to eat for almost 24 hours now. He swept a tired hand through his hair, grimacing slightly as his fingers and palm came back sweat-soaked. 'Shower first,' he decided. 'Then I'll think about food.'

Ten minutes later, freshly showered and smelling faintly of mint, Ichigo rooted through his sadly depleted fridge. Pushing aside a bottle of ketchup and soy sauce, he spied a box of almost full takeout stuffed in the back. Grabbing it victoriously, he found some chopsticks and wandered to the living room. He sank down blissfully in the deep sofa and flicked on the TV, trying to pass the time until he needed to get ready for the party.

The thought of the party sent a spike of apprehension through him. The crux of the entire case rested on his success at the party – on Ichimaru somehow cooperating with them. Ichigo let his head drop back and released a soft sigh. He knew that was a tall order. Why would Ichimaru tell them anything? They had no collateral to offer him, nor could they guarantee his safety if Aizen found out he'd leaked any information. And of course, this all depended on him even knowing anything. There was a chance that Ichimaru had no connection to this case – that Aizen hadn't trusted him enough to tell him anything.

Ichigo scrubbed a hand over his face. He knew he was stressing too much about this. He needed to trust in his instincts and what Grimmjow and Yoruichi had found. If they thought that there was something there, then it was worth checking out. That was the nature of any case.

Ichigo allowed his body to relax into the sofa and stuffed in another mouthful of slightly greasy and very cold noodles. He winced at the feeling. 'In hindsight, I definitely should've microwaved this shit.' But then he shrugged. 'Can't be bothered. Too much work.'

He saw his phone vibrate on the coffee table in front of him, signalling an incoming call. Leaning over curiously, he looked at the screen, eyes widening slightly in surprise at the name he saw. Snatching the phone from the glass table, he pushed his food aside, attention fixed solely on the tiny device in his hand.

"Hey Grimm." he greeted. "What's up with all the calls lately? Ya miss me so much?"

He heard Grimmjow laugh on the other end. "How could I not babe? The thought of you…fuck its gets me going," Grimmjow purred, causing a shiver to run through Ichigo. "Don't tell me ya don't feel the same way."

Ichigo cleared his throat lightly. "Really Grimm, is that what you called about? You're actually kinda pathetic." he stated with a smile.

He could practically feel Grimmjow pouting on the other side. "Yer so cruel, Ichiii."

Ichigo grinned. "Maybe, but you keep coming back. You must be one masochistic bastard."

"I'll always come for you, Ichi," Grimmjow's voice rumbled in his ear. Ichigo blushed at the insinuation and fidgeted in his seat as warmth suffused his body. Definitely time to change the topic. And quickly.

"So what did you want Grimm?" he asked, pleased to notice no stutter in his voice.

Grimmjow paused slightly then said, "Just wanted to make sure you knew where to find me at the party."

"Sure. You'll be by the big statue of that cat, right?"

"It's a panther, but sure. By the way, did Urahara deliver the invite for the party yet? Wouldn't want you to get all dressed up for nothing."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "It'll be a little worse than me just missing one party, but I don't know. I didn't check yet."

"Well, what're you waiting for? Go do it now."

Keeping the phone at his ear, Ichigo heaved himself out of his seat and went to check his mailbox. Sure enough, there was an envelope with Ichigo's name written on it nestled among all the usual flyers and bills. Ichigo dug the whole pile out and dumped the trash out, keeping the bills and the invite. Leaving it all on his dining table, Ichigo cradled his phone between the shoulder and ear and ripped open the envelope, taking out a simple white card with the word 'INVITE' on it.

"Why…is there a fox curled around the word?" he wondered aloud, forgetting for a second he was still on the phone with Grimmjow

The blunet's chuckle sounded in his ear. "Gin has a…thing for foxes."

Ichigo examined the invite carefully. "There doesn't seem to be anything special about it. What's the big deal? I bet I could've ripped this off."

"No you couldn't have. Very few people know that the card has little micro-chips all over it. It's the only way you can pass past the gate; otherwise you set off the alarm."

Ichigo's mouth sounded a silent 'oh' as he wondered how Urahara could've possibly known about the micro-chips. A sense of trepidation came over him as he thought about what would happen if he didn't know. He voiced his concern aloud to Grimmjow.

"Urahara doesn't seem like the type to not know things like that. But if it doesn't, I'll just sneak you in myself, so don't worry. Now go make yourself sexy for me. It's almost time for the party."

Ichigo frowned. "I don't have to do anything for you. Besides, this is a mission, not a date!"

Grimmjow laughed. "No, it certainly isn't. But one day I'll take you on a real date."

Ichigo huffed in irritation, though the idea sent tingles of pleasure through him. "I'll see you later, Grimm!"

"Sure, I'll have my fun then," Ichigo could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "Until then, Ichi." The call disconnected as Ichigo's face turned red in embarrassment.

"Fuck you, asshole," he muttered, discarding the invite on the table as he left to get ready.

When Ichigo arrived at the party, the first thing he noticed was the crowd, or rather their flashy and ridiculously expensive attire.

'Expensive my ass,' he thought. 'That lady's diamonds alone would pay my salary for the next five years.'

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he straightened his fitted Armani jacket, of which he'd opted to let the first few buttons open, and fiddled with his faded, dark purple scarf. He hadn't been able to tame his bright hair, no matter how many products he'd used and so they spiked around his head like a flaming halo, drawing attention even in the dark.

He had parked a few streets over, and walked to the hulking palace that dominated the skyline. The abode had put Grimmjow's to shame, with multiple towers piercing the sky and more windows and balconies than he could count. As he had gotten closer, he could see the extensive gardens spread out in front of the lavish estate and the multicolored lights that splashed across the whole scene. Some people, Ichigo decided, were entirely too rich for their own good.

Coming up to the gate, he waited behind an older couple as the guards checked their invites. When it was Ichigo's turn, the guard gave him a cursory overview before asking for his card in a gruff voice. Ichigo handed it over and the guard scanned it on the console beside him. Nodding satisfactorily to himself, he gave the card back to Ichigo and waved him through, attention already on the next person on line.

Ichigo followed the crowd of people in front, letting their voices wash over him as he looked around. Briefly, he wondered where Yoruichi and her men were and whether he could spot them in the shadows. But try as he might, the shadows remained unchanged and Ichigo finally had to give up as he arrived at the open double doors that led to the brightly lit interior of the house.

Stepping inside, Ichigo was immediately pushed along with the human tide to another set of opened doors. He barely had any time to take in his surrounding or figure out where he was going. The pressure of the human tidal wave finally ceased as he stepped into what he could only think of as a massive ballroom.

This was what opulence looked like. The room's thirty-foot ceilings boasted multiple tiered chandeliers and the walls were wrought with an excess of gold filigree. A quartet played quietly in the back of the room and crisply dressed servers glided around the space, weaving between the guests, and offering a multitude of finger snacks and alcohol. People mingled freely on the floor and on the balconies on top, the latter of who looked down on the festivities below.

To Ichigo, it was like entering another world. He immediately felt out of place, never being one parties and the like in the first place. His idea of fun was hanging out with his friends and maybe going out to a club once in a while. Here, he felt claustrophobic.

Frowning heavily, he craned his neck to look for the cat – sorry, panther – statue that Grimmjow said he'd be at. Spotting something like that on the far side, right beside another set of double doors – seriously, why were there so many? – Ichigo slowly made his way there, sticking to the walls.

When he reached his destination, he was disgruntled to find no sign of blue hair anywhere. Grumbling quietly to himself, he leaned back against the panther statue's butt, scanning the crowd for any sign of Grimmjow.

From the other side of the room, a pair of ice-blue eyes watched the newcomer with interest. If he wasn't mistaken, the man was one of Sousuke's detectives. He couldn't be sure, but Sousuke had often talked about a brilliant, young cop under him – one with an unusual cap of bright orange hair. But what could he be doing here, Gin wondered. Surely he wasn't here to…

Only one way to find out.

Gin Ichimaru straightened up from his slump on the wall, dusted his off his impeccable white suit and widening his grin, strode purposefully towards that bright beacon of colour.

Ichigo sighed as he checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He'd been standing here for the past half hour, passing the time by people watching and even that was getting on his nerves now. There were only so many shiny faces and fake smiles you could take before you wanted to pummel something. Sighing once more, he ran a hand through his spiky hair, debating whether or not it was worth it to go and grab a snack from one of the trays. But before he could make up his mind, a figure clad in white blocked him. Ichigo looked up to see a thin face, split almost in half by the biggest smile he'd ever seen. 'Is that even real?' he wondered, in shock, as the figure spoke.

"My my, looks like we have an intruder in our midst." The man said playfully, sending chills down his back.

Ichigo gulped slightly, but straightened his spine, refusing to let on how unnerved he was. "What do you mean? I have my invite right here." He dug around in his jacket and produced the slip of paper. Gin's long fingered grasp took the paper from him and examined it. Cold blue peeked through his thick eye lashes, focusing on Ichigo.

"Boy, if you think you can fool me from this, you don't know me. I'd know Kisuke Urahara's work anywhere."

This time, Ichigo couldn't supress a slight gasp as his cover fell to pieces around him. 'Dammit Grimmjow!' his mind screamed. 'Where the fuck are you?!'

"So what now?" the man in front of him wondered almost mockingly. "I suppose I could have you kicked out, maybe even press charges…so many decisions, so little time!"

"Or maybe we could all just talk in private, yeah?" Grimmjow's voice sounded beside him, causing Gin to laugh and Ichigo to sag visibly in relief, though he snapped to attention straight away. He whirled on Grimmjow and spat angrily at him.

"Where the fuck were you, asshole?! Do you know how long I've been waiting?"

Grimmjow looked over at him and smiled placatingly. Reaching over, he trailed his fingers lightly through Ichigo's hair. "Sorry. Got stuck in traffic."

Ichigo seethed. "Got stuck in traffic?! Is that the best you could do?" He pushed Grimmjow's hand away from him roughly. "And don't touch me."

Gin's voice intruded. "Maa maa, what a feisty little thing you have there, Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow flashed him a grin. "Hands off Gin. He's mine."

Ichigo blinked in shock and rocked back on his heels as the man's name finally registered. Turning to the cold-eyed man in front of him, he exclaimed. "You're Gin?"

Gin turned his attention back to him, the permanent smile fixed on his face. "Why yes, pleased to make your acquaintance, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo's face went blank at the familiarity this man seemed to have with him. He felt Grimmjow tense beside him too and was minutely relived that he wasn't the only one thrown for a loop. But it still didn't change the situation.

"Wondering how I know your name?" Gin guessed. "Of course I would never forget the one man Aizen talks about every single time we meet. Welcome to my humble abode, Ichigo."

"Humble my butt," Ichigo mumbled, while Grimmjow watched Gin intently. Nudging Ichigo lightly, he pressed his lips in a firm line and said, suddenly grave.

"We need to talk to you, Gin. Privately."

"Ohhh sounds serious! Come this way please!" Gin turned around and led them through the maze that was his house until they finally came to another set of doors, which Gin threw open and gestured for them to enter. They were in a living room, a cackling fireplace dominating one wall and various seating arrangements scattered around the space. The atmosphere was less formal compared to the rest of the house and Ichigo immediately relaxed. Grimmjow led him to a couple of plush seats facing the floor-to-ceiling windows, while Gin went and got himself a shot of whisky.

"Would the two of you like anything?" his voice came.

"No thank you." They said at the same time.

Gin shrugged good-naturedly and wandered back over to them. Plopping himself down on the seat beside them, he leaned back and swished the amber liquid around.

"Now what can I do fer ya?" he asked, sipping his drink.

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo, not sure how to proceed now that the moment was finally here. Did they just ask the man outright, or were they supposed to lead up to it? What would happen if he didn't agree to their terms, if he went and told Aizen? Most importantly, what if he didn't know anything at all and this all had been for nothing?

As though Ichigo could see the thoughts and fears running through Grimmjow's head, he inclined his own at a slight angle, letting him know he'd take the lead from there. Grimmjow sat back, getting more comfortable, as Ichigo's face hardened and he fixed his attention on Gin.

"First we'd like a promise that whatever gets said in this room today will stay between the three of us. Can we count on you for that, Mr. Ichimaru?"

Gin pouted at Ichigo's hard tone and placed a hand over his chest. "Maa maa! You would be so cruel I-chi-go. I thought we were past all the formalities!"

"Yes or no…Gin."

"See, now that's better! And of course! I'm a man of my word, aren't I? Just ask lover-boy here. Grimmy, tell him how I never told Aizen about the time we fucked." His smile widened by a mile.

Ichigo felt his mind go blank as Grimmjow stiffened beside him. Grimmjow and Gin…had fucked? Ichigo's brows furrowed in distress. When? When had they done it? Was it before or after they'd…but what right did he have to question anyway? He didn't own Grimmjow – they weren't even dating. He was a married man for god's sake.

So why did it hurt so much?

Making an effort to shake it off for now, he fixed Gin with a cold gaze and continued. "I'm sure you're the poster-boy for discretion. But I still need an answer."

Gin cocked his head curiously at him, but at length he nodded an affirmative. "Yeah, I will."

"Alright then, let's start. You said before that you've met Aizen. Does he visit you a lot?"

Gin's eyebrows rose at the direction of the questioning. "Ohhh, Aizen…so that's what this is about."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Gin tilted his head forward and chuckled quietly. "Naah not really. To answer yer question, ya I see him from time ta time."

Ichigo nodded. "And would you consider your relationship close?"

Gin rubbed his lips together, as though in thought. "Sure. I like the guy. But let me ask ya this. What's yer interest?"

At the question, Ichigo was thrown for a loop. Should he tell Gin why they wanted to know about Aizen? But didn't they have to, in order to ask Gin about the papers? Or could they just ask him for those outright? He didn't want to try their luck just yet, so he went for the latter.

"We were wondering if Aizen ever gave you any sort of documents. For safekeeping."

"My my, now if he gave them to me for safekeeping, then why would I tell ya that?"

Ichigo took a deep breath. "Because it could help a murder investigation. People have died Gin. I need your answer."

Gin's smile dimmed slightly and he turned to Grimmjow. "Grimmy, ya mind telling me why you're here?"

Grimmjow shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "We need you to tell us about the documents Gin."

Gin pressed his lips in a thin line. "He's yer father, Grimmy. Ya sure ya know what yer doin'?"

Grimmjow hunched his shoulders but pressed on. "Your answer, Gin."

Gin clenched his hands around his long-forgotten drink and slowly put it off to the side. Leaning back, he crossed his arms behind his head and regarded them somberly. "I'm not stupid, ya know. I know why yer here and why you want the papers. But I want ta hear it from you two first."

Ichigo spared a glance towards Grimmjow and cocked his head in a silent question. Grimmjow looked back at him with slightly worried eyes, but finally gave a hesitant nod. Ichigo looked back at Gin and frowned.

"Nothing I say will ever leave this room." he said threateningly.

"Course. I gave my word didn't I?" Gin's ice blue orbs peeked through, and Ichigo's heart gave a lurch.

"Alright then. I'm sure you've heard of the recent crime spree targeting Karakura's crime bosses…"

Gin Ichimaru sipped his whiskey and enjoyed the pleasant burn as it went down. He looked over to the earnest young detective and the son of Sousuke Aizen. The son of the man they wanted to bring down. The man behind a series of gruesome murders.

Gin sighed internally and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He'd known about Aizen from the start – being his partner from the beginning did afford him some secrets. He'd supported him and had helped the man meet some influential people along the way, people who only ran in exclusive circles. Circles like the one Gin had. It had all seemed fun in the beginning, something to pass the time in his otherwise boring life. After all, there were only so many parties you could go to, so many plastic faces you could stand before you wanted to rip everyone's eyes out.

But then the bastard had started killing people and suddenly it wasn't so much fun anymore.

And Gin didn't like that. He didn't like how crazy Aizen seemed to be getting – how he would rant and rave about his goals for hours on end sometimes and Gin had to listen to all of it. He didn't like the glint in his eye, especially when that glint would sometimes be directed at him. Something which had been happening more and more as time went. But still Gin had reassured himself each night of his faith in Aizen, and he'd continued following him.

Then he'd gotten the news that had shattered his world and Gin had never been the same again.

Aizen had ordered another hit on a low level boss that was going out of line. That in itself wasn't much to Gin, but his lover had been caught in the crossfire. He'd died, his body punctured through with bullet holes. His beautiful, feisty Shiro had died alone, choking on his own blood and it was all Aizen's fault.

That day he'd made a vow. To make Aizen pay.

And this was his perfect opportunity.

Opening his eyes fully, he fixed the two men in front of him with a serious gaze and appraised them. Making his decision, he got up from his seat and gestured to the two men. "Wait. I'll be right back." With that, he disappeared.

Silence descended on Grimmjow and Ichigo and they both fidgeted awkwardly. Ichigo could still hear Gin's flippant words running through his head and it made him physically sick. He gulped as he felt Grimmjow reach for him. He didn't know if he could bear his touch right now.

"Ichi…" Grimmjow murmured, as his hand hovered inches above Ichigo's shoulder. There was a pregnant pause and thick tension filled the room. Finally, Grimmjow finally drew his hand back.

"Let me explain…" he pleaded.

Ichigo shook his head. "Not now…" he whispered, voice hoarse.

Grimmjow opening his mouth to say something else, anything else, when the door opened again and Gin entered the room. He paused at the threshold, eyes darting between the two figures and for a second, regretted his off-handed comment about him and Grimmjow. But the momentary guilt was quickly tamped down and he strode forward again.

"Here," he thrust a sheaf of papers at Ichigo. "I believe these are what you're looking for?"

Ichigo looked up and took the documents, immediately passing them to Grimmjow. "Here, you're the one who found the book. Are these the same papers that were ripped out?" He didn't look at him once.

Grimmjow didn't take the papers but gave them a cursory glance, confirming that they were in fact those same papers. He couldn't mistake that writing anywhere.

"Yeah, they're the ones." He said shortly. They both lapsed into silence.

Gin looked between the two of them again and sighed internally. Seriously, how could he have known that one little comment would have resulted in this? That would teach him to watch his mouth.

"Maa maa, now tha' that's over with, would ya like ta go and enjoy tha party?"

They both shook their head simultaneously. "No," Ichigo said. "I think I'll call it a night."

"Me too. " Grimmjow added.

Gin nodded and swept his hand graciously at the door. "Come on then. I'll lead you out. It was nice workin' with ya!"

The two mumbled their acknowledgment and kept the distance between each other as Gin shook his head and escorted the two out. He hoped they'd work out their differences.

A level below, Aizen smiled humourlessly to himself, humming slightly as the sounds coming from his ear-piece ceased. So, Gin had betrayed him.

And Grimmjow… with Ichigo!

My my…what fun he'd have with them!

Far away from Karakura, in a house almost, if not as grand as Gin's, another confrontation was taking place.

As Renji came out of Rukia's room, closing it carefully behind him, he almost ran headfirst into the imposing figure of the head of the house: Byakuya Kuchiki. He looked down to see an especially austere expression on the businessman's face and it scared him right down to the bone.

"We need to talk Abarai."

Renji scratched his head in confusion. "Sure Byakuya. What do ya want?"

Byakuya sniffed disdainfully. "You will not call me so informally, Renji Abarai. You no longer have the right to."

"What? Why?"

"I want you to stop this disgraceful…affair—" he almost spit out the word in disgust. "—with my sister. You smear filth on the Kuchiki name with your indiscretion and I demand you stop."

Renji rocked back on his heels as he realized that his dirty secret was not so secret any more. "B-but how'd you know?"

"You think I don't know what goes on in my house? You think me that incompetent?" Byakuya's eyes narrowed in anger.

Renji held his hands up placatingly. "No, no. Look you don't have to worry. I plan to tell Ichigo about me and…Rukia as soon as I go home."

Byakuya's lips pressed in a thin, unforgiving line. "Good. Make sure that you do. One way or another, this farce will end. I'll make sure of it." And with that, he turned on his heel and swept down the hall, leaving a deflated Renji to sag against the wall in relief.

Aizen knows what they're up to! Aggh *now* what's gonna happen? Know what? REVIEW AND FIND OUT!

till next time :D