Present

"Grimmjow!"

Ichigo hurried to him when he lurched forward in the chair. "I'm gonna throw up."

He heard the words just in time to grab the waste basket and bring it up to Grimmjow. He convulsed into the bucket several times before letting Ichigo take it and falling back into the cushioned chair. He panted, eyes half shut.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked him in concern.

He just shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

"Could be anything." Unohana said joining them. She didn't voice aloud that it was very likely he'd been caught in a memory that had brought this on. Ichigo seemed to know this anyway by the look on his face.

"Is there anything we can get you, Grimmjow?"

He had a hand over his eyes and shook his head no.

"I think you should try to rest. Why don't we take you to your room?"

He shook his head again.

"He has nightmares if he sleeps too long." Ichigo whispered to her. She sighed and rose. "Then I'll stay up with him. You should go to bed, Ichigo, it's late."

"Are you sure?"

"I am." He looked to Grimmjow, the other still had his eyes covered. "Alright then. Night."

26 months ago

"Grimmjow?" His voice echoed in the dark. Ichigo shifted and groaned in pain.

"Shut up." came the desperate hiss and he heard the shift of stone and a body moved next to him. "Pull back your spiritual pressure now!" Grimmjow whispered.

"What's going on?"
"Just do it!"

Ichigo concentrated. He hadn't really learned how to hold it back very well.

"Kurosaki!"

"I'm trying."

He heard a bellow, a strange bestial noise rang off the walls and he felt the thunder of movement. Then he was struck by Grimmjow's weight landing on him and he felt the very odd sensation of his own energy being shoved back towards himself. Grimmjow shook where he lay half on top of him, holding his shoulders tight. It was an enormous effort for the espada to contain all that free flowing energy. But he did it. Ten minutes passed in the pitch black, when there was finally quiet, Grimmjow collapsed over Ichigo's chest, panting, and the rocks around them vibrated as Ichigo's power escaped once more.

"What was that?"

"One of the ancients." Grimmjow was still out of breath but pushed himself from the teen. "Powerful beasts I don't think either of us are up to tackling right now."

"Oh." Ichigo tried to sit and groaned again, feeling tightness in chest, and pain on his right side, but the most alarming thing was his leg. It was stuck.

"Come on." Grimmjow couldn't see either, it was impossibly dark down here, not even the smallest glow of light to let them see. They must have fallen deep into the network of caverns. "Let's go."

"I can't."

"What?"

"My leg is stuck."

"What? Where?" He felt hands pat over him until he found the rock in question. Ichigo heard a strained grunt, the rock shifted but didn't roll free. Grimmjow collapsed coughing next to him.

"Dammit." He wheezed. "I don't know if I can get it off."

Ichigo waited. There was no reason for Grimmjow to stay and help him. But the other never said anything about leaving.

"Is it hurt?"

"My leg?"

"Yeah."

"No, it's just wedged."

"Good."

He heard Grimmjow feeling around in the dark, trying to assess the situation. "It's big." He admitted when he settled back down next to Ichigo.

"Can you use a cero blast?"

"Maybe, but that might also bring the whole place down on us."

"Right..."

"Well this is it, kid." Ichigo shut his eyes, even in the dark. He didn't want to hear the next words, didn't want the other to abandon him in this dark place. But the words he feared didn't come.

"Guess we're sitting ducks."

"Yeah...I guess we are."

Present

"Were you up all night?" Ichigo slumped out of his bedroom, still exhausted, but he sat at the table and accepted the tea Unohana passed him. He glanced over at the arm chair. Grimmjow was limp, eyes shut.

"He's been asleep for an hour. He needs it."
"I know." But Ichigo also knew what would happen when he woke up from a nightmare. It was too late now, however.

"I will show you the exercises if that's alright. Then I have to go."

"Of course."

She did them on him like he would have to do for Grimmjow at first, but then hopefully the espada could find the will to do them himself. They were basic, easy. Stand on his toes and then go back down; squat then stand- just to get the muscles in his legs doing something more than walking. It was similar with his arms, she worked in some stretches as well. Grimmjow's body was stiff from being held in the same position all the time, hopefully these would improve that. Ichigo thanked her when they were done, and walked her out. She smiled sadly on him, before leaving.

It was lunch time when the startled cry came.

"Just breathe." Ichigo instructed, kneeling before the chair.

"It's gone..." He looked frantically around, remembering where he was. His eyes eventually came back to Ichigo. "It's over."

"Yes, it is."

Grimmjow rubbed his wrists in that way he did when he was remembering. Ichigo noticed the skin was looking rough and sore from repeated abuse. He took his hands to make him stop.

"You're in the apartment."

"Yeah...I was...dreaming about the cold chamber."

Ichigo didn't even want to ask, but Grimmjow was distant, eyes still roaming over the room as if for the first time- or as if he was looking for the flaw that would give the game away and it would all dissolve back into the laboratory. "The cold chamber?" He said just to get those eyes focused on him again.

"Drops one degree each hour." He looked up at the ceiling. "I made it 57 hours."

"Oh Grimmjow..."

"I went to sleep." He shut his eyes, as if it was a pleasant memory, "it was actually kind of peaceful, everything just got slow, and I gave in, because it seemed like the best way to go. Then I woke up in a tub of water so hot I couldn't believe I wasn't burned. I had no idea it could hurt so much to have your blood vessels re-expand and your body come back to life."

"That's horrible, Grimmjow."

"That was a good day, compared to most."

"Are you okay?"

"I think so."

"I'm making breakfast. I'll bring you over some when it's ready."

"Okay."

26 Months Ago

"You can't walk, can you?" Ichigo had been on his back, flat, for three days in the dark. Or one day, or ten, he wasn't really sure, there was nothing to go by in here. His soul pager was smashed, there was no help coming, only the man who sat beside him now.

"No."

"I knew it." Ichigo had wondered this whole time what had kept Grimmjow glued to his side. He couldn't see him, but he could hear him grunt in pain, hear the scrape of dead weight every time he moved. "You need to free me, so I can be your crutch."

"Pretty much sums it up." Grimmjow lay back beside him. He had just finished once again attempting to move the rock. Ichigo could feel his body heat radiating next to him. It was cold down here, both of them shivered through the days unless Grimmjow put in alot of effort like he'd just done. If it had been any of his friends, they would have huddled together long ago to keep warm, but that was definitely out of the question in this situation.

Ichigo didn't bother being offended that Grimmjow only cared about his own ass, it was the way things were between them.

"So, what's the damage?"

"Leg's broken pretty bad."

"How bad?"

"Well, I pushed the bone back under the skin before you woke up."

"Okay, so bad."

"Yeah."

"Great."

"Yeah."

"I'm frigging thirsty. Why did you have to throw my water bottle away?"

"Because you knocked me out and stole my prisoners."

"Our prisoners. I helped you get them remember."

"Whatever."

"How long can you go without water?"

"A while. You?"

"I'm not sure. If I was in my body I would be dying, but I don't know how long I can last in my Spiritual form."

"Why do you do it?"

"What?"

"You're human. Why are you involved in the spirit world?"

"It just sort of happened, and then, it didn't stop happening."

"That was a horrible explanation."

"Yeah I know, but it's true. What about you? Why did you team up with Aizen?"

"For power." Grimmjow stated bluntly. "With the Hogyoku he made me like this."

"So what were you before?"

"Farther down the evolutionary scale. But like that I was...free."

"Yeah, I don't take you as one who really listens to orders."

"I wasn't. Aizen was a bastard, got what he deserved."

"He did."

They lapsed into silence, but they had had several conversations to try to fill the void of silence and darkness. Even just hearing the other's breath was reassurance that they weren't alone in the endless dark.

Present

Ichigo woke when he felt movement next to him. It took him several long seconds to remember where he was. It had been Grimmjow's first panic attack since Unohana's visit three days ago. It had been triggered by a memory as far as Ichigo could tell, and he'd finally gotten Grimmjow to bed after another horrible session of pain and inability to breathe. He hadn't wanted to leave him alone so he'd sat at his feet on the bed, waiting. He must have fallen asleep.

"You told me a story."

"What?" Ichigo squinted in the dark to see Grimmjow had rolled to his back, his hands working over is wrists again. Ichigo had bandaged them up when he'd found them nearly bleeding they were so chaffed. Now Grimmjow rubbed at the bandages but at least it wasn't hurting him.

"In the dark, when we were trapped."

"Oh yeah."

"But then the ancient one came, and I never heard the end."

"Do you remember it?"

"Sort of."

"It was a good movie." He almost suggested they watch it some time, but then he remembered when he'd attempted to entertain Grimmjow with tv but he'd found the noise and light unbearable.

"What was it called?"

"3:10 to Yuma."

"I don't remember what that means."

"It was a train they had to catch."

"Right. He took the prisoner."

"Right. Dan had Ben Wade in his custody, but he knew Ben Wade's people were coming for them and he was out gunned."

"So how did it end? Did Wade get away, or did he get put on the train?"

"Both, sort of. There was a shoot out, his men shot Dan. Dan's son saw. He was dying and Wade killed his own men, and got on the train so Dan would get the money for completing the job. He died, but his son got the money and saved their family."

"Oh. I didn't expect that ending. Wade did that, even for the enemy?"

"Yeah, but Dan was honourable, and he respected that."

"Oh."

"What is it, Grimmjow?"

"I could walk."

"What?"

"It only took four days for my spiritual pressure to stitch my bone back together enough to get me out of there at least."

"We were down there for a week."

"I know."

"You...chose not to leave me?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Maybe part of me knew."

"Knew what?"

"That you were the only person left I count on."

"Thank you, Grimmjow. For not leaving me there."

"Thank you, Ichigo, for not leaving me in that cell."

It occurred to Ichigo in that moment that Grimmjow would never have known he'd been sentenced to death. He had been deaf and blind, had no idea what was happening, so to him, Ichigo had rescued him from that horrible darkness. He wondered if he would be so thankful it he knew it all could have been put to an end.
"You're welcome."

26 Months ago

Ichigo dropped Grimmjow onto the sandy terrain at the bottom of the ravine. The attack of the ancient hollow had been a blessing in the end, and it had dislodged the stone trapping his leg. They'd finally escaped and now struggled to see even in this shadowed light.

It took some time, but eventually they managed to readjust to the light. They looked like hell: filthy, dried blood all over them and skin tight from dehydration.

"If we stay here too long more ancient ones will come." Grimmjow stood.

"Is your leg okay?"

"Enough to walk."

"Here, I'll take us back up."

"No. I think there was a reason the Vandenriech were down here."

Ichigo scanned the canyon, not seeing any signs.

"We can come back, when we're stronger."
"There is no we, kid. You're a good story teller but not the soldier I need at my side. Later."

He sonidoed away.

"But...what about your leg..."

So not alot really happened, but I thought this chapter helped show the past and present relationship between Ichigo and Grimmjow.

Next time: Ichigo delves back into Kurotsuchi's reports to learn of what happened to Pantera.

Riza