Sanity and in Between
A/N: Edited 5-2-14
Chapter Ten
March of the Cicadas
Ichigo's day did not improve. After throwing up in the bathroom, he had a horrible headache. He flopped on the couch with a huffing sigh and turned on the TV to some soap opera that he had little to no interest in. Before long he yelped as he felt someone flop down right beside him. He blinked and saw Shiro sitting there with a smirk.
"Hey, Ichi-babe, what's up?" he said, snaking an arm around his back. Ichigo's skin prickled at the contact.
"Headache, probably from that stuff last night. Still can't get over this crap, I mean, seriously, if Hisagi hadn't figured it out, or Grimmjow hadn't shown up…I mean I can't imagine how horrible he would have felt if he'd done something and then found out I'd been drugged. He's already sent me three text messages apologizing, you know. He feels like shit about the whole thing," Ichigo said with a sigh, dropping his head back on the couch.
"He should feel like shit," Grimmjow said, walking into the room and sitting on the opposite sofa. "Fuckin' idiot if he didn't realize you'd been ruffied."
"Grimm, he couldn't have known, I mean, I drank two cosmos or maybe three, I don't know, and I don't drink at all normally, so he just thought I was drunk…" he said.
"No excuse, Ichigo. He took you out to a bondage club without even asking if you were interested, that was the first thing he did wrong. He didn't watch out for you while you were there, that was the second, and worst, when you weren't into the scene, he didn't leave. I'm sorry, but he did not have your best interests in mind, he just wanted a quick fuck, and that's almost what he got," he said, his eye narrowing at Ichigo.
Ichigo's mouth hung open for a minute and he wanted to say something. But what could he say? Essentially, Grimmjow was right. Except about the sex thing, Ichigo really didn't think that's what Hisagi was after, but that was not the point. Ichigo was the one that had nearly gotten date raped by someone who didn't even mean to do it, not Grimmjow! What was he so damned upset over the situation for? He frowned at him.
"Look, leave him alone, he's as much a victim as I am, Grimmjow. He had no idea. And it wasn't a bondage club, even Harribel and Mila Rose were there listening to the DJ because Mila Rose was friends with him. Hisagi said he went there for the music. It wasn't his fault the stupid people who want to kill me decided to be there anyway," he said, crossing his arms with a pout.
Grimmjow bristled. "Ichigo, do you want to know what happened to the other guy that got drugged last night?" he said, leaning forward.
Shiro bit his lip. He didn't like were Grimmjow was going, and he wasn't sure if he really should tell Ichigo the details about the other kid. But he didn't say anything, just waited for the inevitable explosion that he knew was coming.
"You said he got beat up," Ichigo said petulantly, turning to stare at the TV with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"No, he didn't just get beat up. The guy raped him. Badly. Ichigo, these people are seriously out to hurt you and if you don't start taking it seriously…" he started.
Ichigo's eyes flashed and he glared at Grimmjow. "You don't think I'm taking this seriously? You don't think I know this? I'm not stupid! I mean, I'm no big bad ass bounty hunter that's traveled all over the goddamned world, but I'm not dumb! I get it. Okay? I fucking get it! But what do you want me to do? Give up on my life and sit here alone all day? I can't do that Grimmjow! I can't let them take everything that I away from me, that's worse than death!"
He stood up and stormed out of the room and up the stairs slamming the door. Both Shiro and Grimmjow flinched. "Boy, if I didn't know he was gay already, I'd know it now. Damn, he turns into a pissy little bitch when he's mad," Shiro said thoughtfully.
Grimmjow looked at him and started to say something but sighed instead, flopping backward into the sofa. Well, that had gone worse than he could have ever imagined. He hadn't meant to get so angry. He wasn't angry with Ichigo, and really, he wasn't even angry at Hisagi. Hisagi, poor bastard, he had bad judgment, and knowing Ichigo has he had come to know him over the short time he'd known him, knew that Ichigo would have put a stop to things in a heartbeat. He hadn't been able because the bastards had got to him. No, Grimmjow was pissed at himself because he'd been there and it still happened. The truth was, Grimmjow still blamed himself for Hana's death, and in a way, he was blaming himself for every incident Ichigo had to go through. If he was a better bounty hunter, this wouldn't happen…
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Jinta started school the next day with his new friends. He was actually looking forward to school since he knew someone for a change. He ended up in the same class with Lillinette, Yuzu and Karin, actually, having tested high himself on the entrance testing. They had spent their breaks talking and they said they'd introduce him to Wonderweiss at lunch. He asked who he was, and the girls just grinned at him. Jinta wasn't sure he liked that look he was getting. At lunch they led him out to a higher place in the yard and everyone sat down and started unpacking their lunches when Jinta felt a presence behind him. He turned and looked up to see a blond haired boy with wide violet eyes staring at him unblinking. He was somewhat normal looking, only having an overbite to distinguish him from your average teenager. Jinta moved back a little and stared in return.
"The cicadas are going to come out today. There will be a lot of them. They'll start calling in a few minutes, and I wouldn't be surprised if the movement by those students over by those trees sent a whole group of them flying in our direction because the wind is blowing this way," he told Jinta in a very serious tone and still staring at him.
Jinta frowned and glanced at the girls who were smiling at him and trying not to laugh, it seemed.
"Jinta, this is Wonderweiss, our friend. He knows a ton of stuff about a lot of things. He tested first in our class this term," Karin said, hiding her snickers behind her hand at Jinta's wide eyed reaction to Wonderweiss's stare.
"Wonderweiss, he's okay, he's our friend now," Yuzu said, patting the ground beside her.
"Okay, Yuzu," he said, looking to her and then sitting down to pull out his lunch box. Jinta stared for a while before looking back to Karin for a moment then shrugged, sitting down between Wonderweiss and Karin and pulling out his lunch.
"Dude, thanks for the warning on the bugs, I'll eat quick so I don't get any bug parts in my food," he said, digging into his bento box and watching the trees for any sign they were going to be overrun with cicadas so he could cover it.
Karin smiled because this had a been a bit of a test. The three girls had decided that his reaction to Wonderweiss would determine what they thought about him.
So, it was that Jinta easily joined their crowd. He hovered around Karin after he was done eating, though, and never missed an opportunity to tease or poke her. It was really amusing because he took every chance he could to touch her in some fashion, and she did the same, even if it meant punching or kicking each other. Lillinette, likewise, had taken to sitting and initiating conversation with Yuzu every chance she got. Of course, Yuzu didn't notice it, but Karin did. And Karin didn't notice the extra attention she was getting from Jinta, but Yuzu did. And Wonderweiss? He noticed both of them.
There was a sudden burst of cicadas calling near them and Wonderweiss looked up from the cicada shell he was holding. He'd found it on a nearby tree he'd been looking at while the others were roughhousing over Jinta trying to get a book away from Karin and failing.
"The cicada population will be unusually large this summer," he said. "Our cicadas are the species called Tanna japonensis."
"I don't damn well care what they are but they make a horrible racket!" came the voice of one of their friendly neighborhood bullies. Karin rolled her eyes and Jinta gave her a questioning look, crossing his arms and staring.
Wonderweiss looked at him passively, standing and dusting off his knees. "They only call when the temperature changes, or like now, as it gets cloudy and cooler."
"Don't care, stupid. They're a nuisance. They're loud and obnoxious. And gross," Daniel said with a shiver.
"It's not like they hurt you," Karin said. "Teachers are always telling us just to leave them alone and not to worry about them," she said, finally giving Jinta his book back.
Kenamaru rolled his eyes. "Oh, you think so, pussy licker?"
Jinta frowned and glanced at Karin, seeing her ears go red with anger. "I don't get why you have the gall to assume something about me, Ken. You don't know shit about me."
"I know you have a pussy brother, and that's enough," Ken said, crossing his arms.
Jinta saw her go even redder and blinked. Oh boy, he thought, reaching out and touching her shoulder. "You fucking leave my brother out of this," she practically growled.
"Should really call his prissy ass a sister, you know?" Daniel added, snickering behind his hands. "What's it like to have no real men in your family? Does he even have a dick worth mentioning or is that why he turned gay, because he's got a tiny little prick so he decided he was better off taking a cock up the ass?"
Karin was about to say something when Ken shrieked. They all turned to look. A cicada had landed on his shoulder and he was staring at it like it was going to eat him.
"Get it off me, get it off me!" he screamed, hopping around and yelling.
Wonderweiss looked. "I wouldn't do that, you're going to disturb the rest of them in the trees here…" he said thoughtfully, hearing the subtle rustling from the cicadas in the trees that were being disturbed steadily by the noise and motion.
Before long another one landed on the boy's arm and he shrieked again, slapping them away. Wonderweiss looked at his friends. "You might turn to face that way to make sure they don't hit you in the face as they go by," he said, turning to face the direction he knew they were going to fly.
Not two seconds later, a cloud of calling cicadas came out of the very trees they were standing near, rolling over the group. Karin, Yuzu, Lillinette and Jinta had taken Wonderweiss's advice and turned away from them as they passed and got tickled by their wings, but nothing more. Ryu, Ken and Daniel, however, were busy screaming and yelling, ending up with a face full of wings and bugs, their transluscent wings beating a steady rhythm on the air as they went past.
One landed on Wonderweiss and he held his hand up and stared at it with a soft smile. "Hello, fellow. I don't know why they don't like your call, I think it is beautiful, you know. Your call happens before sunrise, and I often hear you at twilight or just after sunset, or like today with the clouds. Your call changes with the temperature along with the rate of fire of your tymbal nerve. You are one of my favorite creatures," he said with a smile as the beautiful green and black creature flew off with the others.
They looked over to see the three boys spitting and coughing and it appeared that Daniel had thrown up during the incident. Wonderweiss looked back at his friends. "I told them to turn around."
"Shut up!" screamed Ryu. "Stupid fuckers and your retard friend!"
Jinta crossed his arms and snickered. "Yeah, you guys are the ones that look stupid, so whatever, man," he said.
Ryu stood up and there was a teacher coming their direction. One of the students had seen Daniel get sick and went after someone. All three suddenly realized that everyone was staring at them. Half the students were looking at them with disgust, and about the other half was trying to avoid getting in trouble by laughing at them. All three boys colored and glared at Wonderweiss.
"Don't look at me like that," Wonderweiss said, letting the cicada fly off his finger. "I told you you were going to disturb them, and I told you to turn the other way when they flew by."
The teacher got there just about the time Ryu lunged forward toward Wonderweiss to hit him. The teacher, one Karin was unfamiliar with, grabbed him by the arm and stared at him, and before long, all three boys were escorted to the office to be dealt with. More than one student had witnessed the incident and the bullying that the group had been subjected to by the three boys. Wonderweiss was just happy to have seen the cicadas fly around him.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
"Are you going to mope all day?" Uryuu asked Ichigo as he walked past him into the fitting room. He was waiting for Findorr and Emilou to get there.
Ichigo glared at him. "Yes."
"Okay, look, I understand why you're upset, but why are you mad at Grimmjow?" he said, pulling out a large dress back and a suit bag and hanging them on the two change room doors.
Ichigo snorted. "Because he's being an ass."
Uryuu shook his head and started to say something but Findorr and Emilou came into the room then. Findorr was wearing his usual attire, a smart pleated skirt and a plain white blouse, and his fiancée was wearing a pair of jeans and a band t-shirt.
"I put the suit on the left room, your dress on the right, get changed and I'll do the fitting, my dears," he said, waving them on.
"When's their wedding?" Ichigo asked.
"A couple months away, so we'll have one more fitting before it happens. I just got the suit and the dress finished yesterday so I want to see what they look like," Uryuu said with a smile. "I haven't finished the bridesmaid or groomsman outfits yet. I'm not sure who's wearing what because they haven't picked their wedding party yet," Uryuu said slightly louder than necessary.
Emilou came out first, a beautifully tailored black suit with a light blue waistcoat and a deep pink cumberbund. Her tie matched the cumberbund perfectly. The pieces of the suit were edged with the light blue color and there was a pinstripe down the outside seam of the trousers to match. Uryuu stood her on the pedestal and adjusted the front around her breasts and tucked in the area around her shoulders which needed to be brought in a bit. The pants needed a little adjustment. Just as he was done, the other door opened and Findorr came out in his dress.
Ichigo gaped. It was stunning on the slender blonde. Uryuu ushered him onto the pedestal and told Emilou she could change to her regular clothes if she wanted. Findorr's dress was long sleeved with a sweetheart neckline. It was made of a satin material with intricate embroidery over the bodice and down the front to a point and down each side. The sleeves tapered into a ring that attached to his middle finger that revealed an intricate open embroidery patter on the backs of his train was long and intricately embroidered.
"What do you think?" Uryuu asked, pulling on material where it would need to be taken in and let out.
"I'm speechless," Findorr said. "Did you do this all by hand?"
Uryuu snorted. "Of course I did, how else would it get there?"
Findorr looked at Ichigo with a wide eyed glance. "Uryuu, you realize that something this fancy costs like thousands of dollars, right?"
Uryuu shrugged, mumbling around a couple pins in his teeth, "You're my friend, Findorr, I want your wedding to be perfect, and besides, no one else can do a dress for you the way I can," he said with a grin. "Just have to tell me how many dresses and suits I have yet to make for the wedding party…"
Findorr nodded. "We're asking people in two weeks. We've got a short list that we're narrowing it down to now."
"Don't put it off too long, please," Uryuu said, shaking his head as he continued the fitting. Ichigo watched as Emilou came out and kissed his hand lightly. That was what he wanted, he thought to himself. He wanted to have someone like that. Always and forever. Of course, he had to avoid being murdered first. With that though, his bleak mood returned and his nausea with it.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Isshin hadn't been on a proper date in years. He straightened the tie for the fifteenth time as Karin came into the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Lookin' good, pop, where ya headed? Down to the club again?" she asked, sipping a can of juice as she watched him.
He shook his head. "I'm going on a date."
Karin's eyes bulged. "What? With who?" she asked.
"Rangiku Matsumoto, she's the woman that owns and runs the Hainekos," he said with a decisive nod as he straightened the suit jacket.
Karin blinked. "The chick with the humongous breasts? Way to go, goat face," Karin said with a frown and nod as she walked out.
Isshin started to say something but sighed. It wasn't worth it. Just then the doorbell rang and he rushed downstairs just as Yuzu opened it.
"Hello, dear," Rangiku said with a smile to Yuzu.
"Oh hi, aren't you from the club?" she asked, looking her over.
"I am, Rangiku Matsumoto, I'm the head of the Hainekos troupe," she said with a smile.
Isshin stopped and stared. It was amazing. He'd seen the woman in pasties and a thong and nothing else already, so why would he be so amazed at seeing her clothed? She was wearing a straight black dress that fell to her ankles. The neckline was a halter style with a heart cut into it at the collarbone and exposing just a tad bit of her cleavage. She was wearing a silvery shawl to cover her arms and carrying a small silver colored clutch. She wore a pair of silvery grey kitten heels with it and a lot less make up than he'd ever seen her in on the stage. It was simply stunning, Isshin thought as he smiled at her.
"Rangiku!" he said with a smile. "You're a bit early!" he said.
"Ah, yes, Harribel is in a terrible hurry to pick up Miss Mila Rose. I told her you would probably be ready, and I was right!"
Isshin smiled. "Girls, I'll be home late, get to bed on time, please," he said, waving at them. Karin and Yuzu watched him go with a grin. Both of them were very happy to see him happy again.
After a short ride in Harribel's car to pick up Mila Rose, they arrived at a nice restaurant. Isshin hadn't been to this particular one before, but it was an Italian place with a very lovely old renaissance Italy theme to it with high ceilings and beautiful tablecloths. They were seated immediately and he went over the menu. Isshin had met Mila Rose at the club, but she had been dressed in her over the top faux queen outfit. Now, she was wearing a smart pleated skirt and a ruffled blouse. Harribel was also dressed quite differently, sporting a long white sleeveless dress with an open back that contrasted with her tan skin beautifully.
"So Harribel, how long have you lived in Japan?" Isshin said, looking across the table at the buxom blonde.
"Too long," she said with a smile. "I'd love to go back and visit Hawaii, though. I miss it sometimes," she said, sipping her wine thoughtfully.
Mila Rose's dark eyes settled on Harribel intently. "What do you miss most?"
Harribel looked away for a moment. "The surf. It was so much better on the islands. But I also miss the island hopping trips and seeing the volcanic activity. It is so amazing to stand and watch as inches from you there's molten lava running and cooling as the air and the water hit it. It reminds you forcefully of the fleeting nature of our lives and how the earth will be here forever, even after we're all gone…"
Mila Rose was enraptured as she watched Harribel talk and Isshin smiled over to Rangiku. They both knew that the faux queen was completely smitten. Hopefully, someone that was involved in the Las Noches life would yield a better result for Harribel after the debacle that had been Candy.
They listened as Harribel went on telling them about what it had been like growing up on the beaches, and how things were different there than in Japan. When dinner came, they all quieted long enough to eat and then Harribel smiled at Isshin.
"So, doctor, how are things for you?" she asked.
"Oh good," he said. "Feels weird being out like this, I don't think I've been out to dinner in years."
"Matsumoto said that you and dating had a bad relationship," Harribel said, sipping her wine and glancing between them.
"Oh gosh, yes. I swear, I quit after I got tired of the money questions. People hear 'doctor' and think I must make money like crazy. I disappoint them with the amount of free work I do," he said, shaking his head and drinking his own wine.
"I think it's wonderful, Isshin," Rangiku said with a smile. "I think the fact that you give your time to the people that need it is much better than a lot of money."
Isshin smiled as they brought a shared desert for them, a beautiful plate of cannoli. They enjoyed the sweet and then left the place, quite satisfied with the experience. They dropped Mila Rose off first, Harribel lingering at the doorstep for a long moment before she returned to the car to drop Isshin off. Rangiku walked to the door with him.
She smiled at him for a moment. "I had a nice time, Isshin," she said finally.
"So did I," he said with a like smile. "I haven't been out in a long time where I felt so comfortable and like I could be myself, not since Masaki."
Rangiku shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I don't know if I should mention this or not, but I have to for my own heart's safety, you know? I…I can't compete with your wife, you know, I've dated widowers before, and…competing with a ghost for your affection is something I can't do."
Isshin started to say something then stopped and nodded. "Yeah, I understand that. Masaki was my first love, Rangiku. She always will be that. But no one would be angrier with me than her if I were to stay alone and unhappy the rest of my days. And she would come back and haunt me if I ever let go of someone who I could love because I was stuck in the past. Masaki always said to move forward, and that's what I intend to do," he said, taking one of her hand gently. "I'm not a young man, but I'm not old either. And I want to have someone after my girls are gone, someone to share my life with. And if you want, maybe we could try it out for a while. The girls like you, and Ichigo does too. That's enough for me, you know?" he said, smiling now at her.
He was startled when his phone rang and he looked down to see the caller ID say Shinji. He frowned and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he said, hoping something bad hadn't happened to Ichigo…again.
"Dr. Kurosaki?" Shinji asked, and the nervousness in his tone was enough to sit Isshin on edge.
"Yes, is there something you need?" he asked, meeting Rangiku's worried eyes.
"Um, yeah, nothing serious, don't worry, we'd just like you to come down if you could and check on Ichigo, if you can, he's had a bit of an incident…"
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Ichigo was not missing out on his night at Las Noches. Tonight was another Kirikaze night, and Hisagi would be there, but he would not avoid him. He was not going to let these people change his life without a fight. Shiro had become his escort along with Grimmjow, and occasionally one of the Las Noches security would tag along with him. He wanted to tell them to shove off, but some part of him that was desperately scared screamed that he didn't want them to leave him alone for even a minute.
Shiro was walking beside him when he bumped into him. "Oh sorry 'bout that, love," he said with a grin and Ichigo knew he definitely had done that on purpose. He saw Grimmjow's eyes flash over at him and back in front of them.
"So, bluebird here said that you swore off dating," Shiro said as they got into the back room and Ichigo started picking his costume for the skit he was doing with one of the faux queens named Chizuru and Tatsuki tonight.
"Definitely not going out anywhere anytime soon," he said with a shrug as he pulled out a red sequined evening gown. It was a skit where he was playing the "other woman" and Chizuru was the jilted wife married to Tatsuki. Ggio was playing the waitress in the scene, and at the end, Ichigo was supposed to get up, kiss Ggio and walk off with "her", leaving the other two to argue.
"Well, sugar, how about I take you on an in house date and make ya dinner," Shiro said with a wink at him.
Ichigo peeked around the screen and frowned. "Shiro, did you just ask me on a date?"
"Sure thing, love. I'd take ya out, but well, we see how that went. So just keep your sweet little ass at home and fatten you up with my amazing cooking skills, what do ya say, huh?" he said, leaning back and crossing his legs with a smirk.
Ichigo came out and stared at him then shook his head. "Do me," he said, turning and gesturing to his back.
"Oh, is that an invitation, sweetheart?" Shiro said stepping forward and slowly zipping the dress. "Cuz I'd gladly grant that wish."
Ichigo turned and glared at him. "Shiro! Stop it! I know you're a pervert, but jeeze!"
Shiro shrugged. "I just ask for what I want, ya know. If ya never ask, ya never get," he said and with a lightning fast move landed a quick peck on Ichigo's cheek.
Ichigo gasped and stepped back, blushing bright red to his roots and scurried out of the room to makeup as Shiro followed with his usual easy swagger. Grimmjow glared after him and growled under his breath as he followed as well. If his steps were heavier than normal the rest of the night, no one bothered to mention it.
The skit was going well. Grimmjow was standing behind the curtain watching from the side, and Shiro was out in the audience, keeping an eye out for trouble there. The scene was pretty simple, Ichigo and Tatsuki were seated with Ggio serving them, and everything was fine until Ggio returned with their drinks. Ichigo blinked as he stared at the two martini glasses that he sat down. They were filled with water, of course, but there was an instant his guts twisted in a very unpleasant way.
"That be all?" he asked.
"Sure, that's fine," Tatsuki said and then Chizuru rushed up to the table and started arguing with Tatsuki about cheating on her. Ichigo was still staring at the martini glasses. He couldn't take his eyes off them, and skipped a couple lines but Tatsuki and Chizuru continued on, not really able to wait for him. He blinked finally and stood up, knocking the chair back, catching the attention of both Chizuru and Tatsuki.
"Babe, babe, are you okay?" Tatsuki asked. It was a deviation from the lines, but it was close enough that it didn't matter.
Ichigo shook his head, the blonde wig shifting a bit as he rubbed his hand over his forehead. Tatsuki exchanged a glance at Chizuru. Ichigo took a step backward and started to say something but a wave of dizziness crashed over him and the world began to edge in black for a moment before he felt a horrible swirling sensation and succumbed to the blackness threatening to overtake him.
Chizuru and Tatsuki were silent for a moment after he fell forward. Grimmjow and Shiro didn't react; after all, he was in a skit. Then Tatsuki looked directly at Grimmjow.
"Grimmjow, help!" she said and Grimmjow ran onto the stage where she was rolling Ichigo to his back, the wig sliding off as she did it. Grimmjow kneeled and pulled up one of his eyelids and realized he was completely out.
"Shit," he muttered and heard pounding feet beside him and saw Shiro running up the outer stairs onto the stage, following close behind as he took off through the curtain with him. Shinji was on the other side and led them to the break room where he laid him on the couch.
"What happened?" he asked, nervously as Ggio, Tatsuki and Chizuru came into the room with worried expressions.
"I don't know, he just passed out cold on stage," Tatsuki said. "He was acting strange at first, though, so I don't know if it had something to do with yesterday…"
Shinji frowned. "Yesterday? What happened yesterday?"
Tatsuki opened her mouth and then looked at Chizuru. "Um, you weren't told about it?"
"About what?" Shinji said, a hard line creasing his face as he glared at Grimmjow who was sitting beside the sofa.
"I forgot to call you, Shinji, with everything that went on…I honestly didn't think of it. Tatsuki and Ichigo were talking before the show and I didn't see you before we came in with him," he said with a sigh.
"What exactly happened?" Shinji asked, looking between Shiro and Grimmjow.
"Ichigo had a date with Shuuhei. He took him to this new club, and I guess it's this hangout for a lot of fetish people, and well, Ichigo wasn't into it, and was obviously nervous about it, so Shuuhei bought him a drink, and Ichigo doesn't drink, Shuuhei knew that, so when he got drunk looking after drinking two, Shuuhei didn't think about it, and asked him if he wanted to go back to his place…I guess Ichigo had said okay. Well, long story short, he'd been ruffied…and Shuuhei almost didn't realize it in time." Shiro shrugged after the explanation.
Shinji frowned. "And where were you?" he asked Grimmjow.
Grimmjow's brows arched. "I was with him, but they disappeared into the crowd because the place was packed, then they were gone. I got to Shuuhei's a few minutes later."
Shinji didn't say a word, just turned and left. Those that knew him knew that it meant he was very angry, so much so he doubted his own control. Leaving was his only option at that point. Chizuru looked at Tatsuki. "We should go…" she said and they both left, leaving Shiro and Grimmjow there.
Ggio moved forward and glanced at them. "Talk to him," Shiro said. "I think he could use it."
Shiro turned and left then, headed to go see if he could talk to Shinji. Grimmjow sat on the other side of the room, dropping his head into his hands. He was failing. Miserably.
Ichigo came around a minute later and looked up to see Ggio sitting by him. "Ggio, what…where…" he said, sitting up suddenly.
"In the back, you passed out on stage. What happened?" he asked, putting a hand on his wrist to stop him from leaving.
Ichigo shook his head and pulled his knees up to his chest to rest his chin on. "Goddamned glasses."
Ggio turned his head. "The martini glasses? From the skit?"
Ichigo nodded. "Last night, Shuuhei bought me cosmos. They came in the same glasses. I have no idea what happened, I just couldn't stand it. I went to stand up and get off the stage, and it all went sideways."
Ggio nodded. "Ichigo, I need to tell you something," he said, untying the tiger print scarf.
Ichigo stared at him. "See this?" Ggio said, lifting his head and point to the pale, uniform and straight scars. "Reconstructive surgery. You see, I know who it is that's after you really well, the same people that did this to me. I was the only survivor they left behind."
Ichigo frowned and shook his head. "I don't understand."
"See, I was a diplomat's kid in Madrid, partied all the time, hit the club scene pretty hard. And then strange stuff started happening. Weird phone calls, odd text messages, and just all sorts of stuff that didn't make sense. Then one night someone knocked me out and I woke up tied in a basement looking at this man and woman. They told me I was going to break for them, and I would be begging them to hurt me and thanking them for the pain. I told them I wouldn't. And I didn't, Ichigo, so they left me alive, dying but alive, instead of killing me like the other ones. I didn't give them what they wanted and they couldn't stand it," he said. "My face was unrecognizable, and they broke all the bones in my hands and arms, and it took a couple years of surgeries to fix it. My fingers go numb still now and then still from nerve damage. But, I'm alive. That's what matters, so whatever happens, stay strong and don't let them break you. Don't give them what they want."
Ggio got up and patted him on the hand. "I can't tell you anything else. I'll be here if you need to talk, but all I can say is that you just have to never give in to them."
Ichigo watched him leave and sighed. He looked up and saw Grimmjow sitting over on the other side. "Grimm?" he said quietly.
Grimmjow looked up and frowned at him. "What is it, Ichigo?"
"Can you…sit with me…maybe?" he asked, biting his lip.
Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah, I can," he said, standing and moving to sit down beside the orangette who immediately leaned into him and sat there quietly until the door opened and Shinji came in with Ichigo's father.