Ugh, I got so many ideas on this story for the past few chapters! I gotta get back on my other stories soon!
Red Light Escape by Boogermeister
Chapter 11- I'm Scared of Loving You
As much as Grimmjow was apprehensive of driving too fast, as the pain in his left arm was throbbing again, his mind was too wrapped up of getting to the police station as quickly as possible. He couldn't believe it, some lowlife had the audacity to rob Ichigo of what little possession she had, and her child was in danger during the crime. He took a sideway glance at Ichigo and his teeth nearly grinded in anger before turning his attention back on the road.
Ichigo was shivering with her fists clenched tightly over her quivering knees. Her teary widened eyes was just staring ahead, her vision not seeing the blurred lines of street lights and other vehicles. Her mind was only reeling of the sudden dreadful news she had received moments earlier. All she wanted to know was if Tensa is safe and sound, and she could only know that if he was in her arms. "Are . . . . are we there yet . . . .?" she whimpered, her voice cracked terribly and Grimmjow noticed.
"Soon . . . ." he gritted through his teeth, making a turn a second before the traffic light turned red. "It's okay, Ichigo . . . . everything's gonna be okay," he muttered tensely. "Your kid's safe, right? That's all it matters . . . ."
"No . . . . it's not all right," she mumbled tearfully. Grimmjow glanced at her again but said nothing else on the rest of the drive. He wanted to know why it had to happened, and to her. The girl had been through a lot of things but she didn't deserve something like this. She didn't deserve any terrible luck that had befallen on her. He noticed that she was overwhelmingly eager to get out the moment he slowed to park his car. As soon as he took off the engine, Ichigo was already out of the car and ran inside the station.
"Shit . . . .!" he gritted, locking his car as he followed after her. "Ichigo, wait . . . .!" The moment he stepped into the glaring light of the entrance, his hand reached out to grab Ichigo by the shoulder. "Calm down! Calm down . . . .!" he frowned, when the young woman attempted to rush for the front desk. "Just calm down, Ichigo . . . . there's no need to panic, okay?"
"But . . . .!" whimpered Ichigo, tears going down her face non-stop since hearing the news.
"Uh, excuse me, can I help you . . . .?" muttered the officer behind the desk, catching their attentions.
". . . . Y-yeah, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki and I was called about my apartment being robbed," mumbled Ichigo. "Tell me . . . . is my son okay?"
"Ah, yes, your son and your friend are all right," nodded the officer. "Your friend acted quick and hid out on the fire escape."
"Thank goodness . . . ."
"Where are they?" asked Grimmjow.
"They're in the offices in the back," the officer gestured to the hallway on his right. "Take care." Ichigo barely nodded as she and Grimmjow went through the short hallway, her hand gripping tightly at the sleeve of her date's jacket. She was sure that she would come here as a screaming banshee if the blunet hadn't calm her down just a little. But still . . . .
Grimmjow was startled slightly when Ichigo let go of him and rushed into the office room full of desks in rows. He frowned in concern but started to step in, but froze when he saw her rushing up to the petite woman holding Tensa. He blinked and recognized that woman. It couldn't be . . . . it was Byakuya Kuchiki's sister?
". . . . Tensa . . . .!" Ichigo gasped in relief the moment she saw Rukia sitting by the farthest desk with Tensa sleeping in her arms. "You're all right, you're all right . . . .!" she sobbed quietly before leaning down to hug her friend. "I'm so sorry, Rukia . . . . I didn't mean for this to happen."
"I know that, Ichigo, it's okay . . . ." Rukia muttered sadly. "It was terrible, but me and Tensa are okay. He didn't even wake up during the robbery . . . ."
"That's good . . . ." snifled Ichigo, as the toddler was still in deep sleep despite of her sobbing. "I'm just so sorry, Rukia."
". . . . That will not be necessary." Ichigo froze at the cool yet angered tone and glanced up, seeing the man with shoulder-length black hair and narrowed dark grey eyes gazing down at her. She gulped lightly at the sight of the man, who was dressed in expensive neutral-colored suit, and fear shivered throughout her body. "I have had tolerated you long enough with your immoral lifestyle, but this is the final straw . . . . you have already embarrassed our famliy name by your foolishness."
"Byakuya-"
"Rukia, I will not let our reputation crumble over this irresponsible woman," Byakuya cut Rukia off. "She doesn't care about her own child, and after what happened, I doubt that she will do any better care for him now."
"How dare you . . . .!" Ichigo tearfully scowled as she glared at him. "I do care about Tensa, and I've never wished to work at a place at that! It's just a job-"
"Revealing your bare body to earn filthy money is not a job," argued the man, his eyebrows tensed further as he stepped forward. "And what is worse is that you keep using my younger sister to look after your mistake night after night . . . ." Ichigo's teary eyes widened at his harsh words and her fist tightened, as if she wanted to punch him right there and now.
But it was true, she kept relying on Rukia for so long when she couldn't try to find a better job other than being a stripper. She couldn't do enough to care for Tensa. ". . . . Rukia, give her the child, we are done with her for good," ordered Byakuya.
"But, Byakuya . . . ." gasped Rukia as she stood up.
"This is her problems now, not ours," he frowned sternly. "And if she dares to call for us again . . . . I will have the social services to investigate her child-raising ability." Both women gasped at his threat before Rukia frowned sadly as she turned to Ichigo, who shook her head in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo . . . ." she muttered sadly. "There's nothing I can do about it . . . ."
"But . . . . Rukia . . . ." Ichigo whimpered sofly, but her friend gave her back her child before stepping away. "Please . . . ."
"I'm so sorry . . . ."
"Rukia," muttered Byakuya, by now he was halfway to the door. Rukia nodded before glancing at her friend's tear-stained face one last time and then walked away.
"Good-bye, Ichigo . . . ." she mumbled sadly. Ichigo bit back a sob as they finally left, plopping onto the empty chair and cradled her sleeping toddler close to her heart. Her lucks were nothing but catastrophic, there was nothing she can do about it.
All the while, Grimmjow was unseen when the siblings stepped out of the offices, since they used a different exit. He was perplexed yet angry at the same time, as his heated eyes narrowed in behind Byakuya's back. Right now, he didn't care how Ichigo had known the sister of the wealthy real estate agent. Because he was downright furious of the man who dared to call Ichigo an irresponsible mother after her being a victim of robbery. And even threatened to have Tensa taken away from her if she asks for help again.
He peeked into the room, where an officer was relaying the crime to the broken mother, and his expression softened out of concern. He couldn't leave Ichigo like this, as he walked in and went up to the officer. ". . . . What happened, can she return to her home?" he asked quietly. He could hear the soft heart-wrenching sobbing from Ichigo.
"Unfortunately, not right now . . . ." sighed the uniformed man. "It's still a crime scene as of now, considering that lately there has been a spree of robberies in that area. We're trying our best to catch the criminals, but . . . . there's a good chance that they might sell off her possessions soon after the event." Grimmjow's lips tightened at that. The throbbing pain in his arm came back but he ignored it as he glanced down at Ichigo, whose head was hung as she sobbed quietly.
". . . . If she doesn't have a place to stay for the night . . . . then I'll take her in," he confirmed.
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The businessman noticed how bloodshot and glassy Ichigo's gaze was, as he silently drove home. She hadn't said a word ever since Grimmjow had offered her to stay at his home for the night, in fact she didn't seem to care about going to a man's house. Why would she, when everything she had was gone saved for the clothes on her back and Tensa in her arms? She could only wish that the nightmare would end, as she vaguely noticed Grimmjow driving into a slope leading into the underground parking lot.
". . . . Ichigo . . . .?" Grimmjow muttered, parking into a reserved space. She barely blinked but glanced at him. Dried tears caked at her cheeks before she snifled softly. "Um, we're here, okay . . . .?"
". . . ." Ichigo just glanced away as the blunet got out of his driver's seat and walked around the car to open the passenger door for her. Slowly, she stepped out and was then led to the main elevators nearby. Tensa was still asleep when they rode up the floors, but Ichigo barely realized how long it was taking to reach a certain floor. Grimmjow braced a hand onto her shoulder when the elevator suddenly stopped and her body swayed a little.
". . . . This is my place," he mumbled. The metal doors finally opened and they stepped out in the dimly lit hallway, and at the end was a set of large dark wooden doors. "Come on . . . ." He led her to the doors but paused as he tapped a few buttons on the alarm system nearby. The small machine beeped in confirmation before he manually unlocked the door and opened it. He stepped aside as Ichigo stepped into the small foyer of the penthouse, she blinked a few times as Grimmjow switch on a few lights.
It was grand as she stepped into the living room area, and yet she didn't seem fazed by the exquisite yet basic decoration as she then gazed at the connecting dining room and kitchen. She didn't even notice the sparkling skyline of the city, what good would it have done after what happened earlier? "Um . . . . are you tired, Ichigo?" muttered Grimmjow when he walked to her and gazed at her disheartened expression. "I have a spare bedroom, it's down the hall on the left."
". . . . Yeah, I need to sleep," Ichigo finally muttered, her voice weak and hoarse with emotions. The man nodded and led her over the elevated step leading to the L-shaped hallway. They turned the corner before Grimmjow went ahead and opened the door of the spare bedroom. It was bland with typical decorations since it was unused, but Ichigo didn't care as she walked in. Carefully, she placed Tensa at the center of the bed before lying down herself, her arm loosely around the toddler's body.
"If you need me for anything . . . . my room's just right there," gestured Grimmjow as he pointed at the door at the other end of the hallway. "So, um . . . . good night, Ichigo."
". . . . Thank you, Grimmjow . . . ." mumbled Ichigo as she closed her eyes. Grimmjow just nodded before closing the door. He shook his head in muted disbelief, it was meant to be an easy date night but it tragically took a wrong turn.
"Shit . . . ." he grumbled to himself, as he walked down the hallway to his room he took his cell phone out of his pocket. "Pick up . . . ." he frowned after dialing a number as he stepped into the master bedroom and sat at the edge of his bed.
". . . . Lilynette's, what can I do for you?"
"Starrk, it's me . . . ." muttered Grimmjow.
"Grimmjow . . . .? What's wrong, the date didn't go so well?" questioned Starrk.
"Starrk . . . . Ichigo's place got robbed while we were out," he replied quietly. He could hear the sharp inhale of shock in his friend's voice.
"Is the child okay?"
"Yeah, the kid's all right but I'm not so sure about Ichigo . . . ." he sighed. "I think she's in shock or something, but I dunno . . . . the cops said that she couldn't go back home until around tomorrow morning, if she wants to go back."
"Well . . . . where is she staying, Grimmjow?"
". . . . With me," he muttered. There was a brief silence before Starrk sighed deeply.
"I wish I could do something about it, she's a very good person and we care about her," he sighed.
"I know . . . . I don't think she should go to work tomorrow night after this bullshit," frowned Grimmjow.
"All right, I understand," agreed Starrk.
"And one more thing, Starrk."
"Yeah . . . .?"
"Don't tell anyone else about this," Grimmjow frowned tensely. "I don't want her friends . . . . feeling sorry for her, okay?"
"All right . . . . later."
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"Nel, can you do me a favor for me?" Grimmjow mumbled on his phone during the morning hours, cracking the spare bedroom door to see if Ichigo was still asleep with the toddler.
"A favor . . . .? What happened?" frowned Nel.
"Long story short, remember Ichigo the . . . . stripper?" he muttered as he then moved away. "We had a date last night and we found out that her apartment got robbed."
"Oh my goodness . . . .!"
"Yeah, now she's sleeping in the spare bedroom and we have to wait to see if her place is livable," he scoffed softly.
"But what if it isn't . . . .?" Grimmjow exhaled deeply as he scratched through his hair, stepping into his living room.
"Then . . . . I'll think of something," he answered. "Anyway, just come here to look after her as soon as possible, Nel. I have to run an errand or two."
"Hm, all right," confirmed Nel. "I hope she's all right, Grimmjow."
"Me too . . . ." After hanging up, his eyes lingered at the hallway and he sighed deeply. Putting on his jacket, he left the penthouse and reached for the elevator. He will do what he can to pick up the pieces for her.
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Ichigo moaned softly in content as she was finished making love with her lover. Her chocolate eyes opened slowly to stare at him . . . . though his face was shadowed for some reason. But she knew that he was smiling lightly as he laid next to her on the bed. They were in a love hotel, and they only had another two hours before leaving. That gave the both of them to have more 'fun'.
"Hmm, are you planning to sleep, '. . . .'?" she murmured tenderly, though when she said his name nothing came out. Regardless, the nameless man glanced at her with a light smirk before looking away. Ichigo smiled playfully at him and cuddled against his chest, hoping that he would return the favor.
But he didn't as always after sex, he always seemed stiffened from the affection. She frowned lightly, she thought that after months of dating he would appreciate the intimacy between each other. ". . . . Let me take a shower," he sighed deeply as he nudged her away and got off the bed. Ichigo frowned, covering her bare body with the bedsheets, as she watched him casually walking into the bathroom.
He seemed so eager to wash away the evidence of their love making, she noticed as she sat up. She often wondered, if he has a wife at home and she was the 'other woman'. That would explain why they would only have sex here instead of at his home. "Um, '. . . .', can you tell me something?" she called out, listening to the soft running of the shower water.
". . . . About what?" he questioned.
"Uh . . . . do you have a wife or something? Is there a reason why you wouldn't open up so easily after sex?" Ichigo listened for any answer but was left with silence and her frown deepened. "Please, '. . . .', just tell me the truth," she frowned as she got off the bed and went into the bathroom. She could see through the light steam as she pulled back the shower curtain.
She was a bit taken aback when his hardened gaze was on her but still frowned at him. "What is there to know about me?" he frowned, taking off the water. "Tell me, Ichigo, why do you wish to know about my private life?"
"Because we're a couple," she argued. "I wanna know if I'm your girlfriend and not just some mistress on the side."
"And what's wrong with being a mistress, Ichigo?" frowned the man.
"Because I'm not the one you're considering seriously," she scoffed. The unknown man said nothing as he wrapped himself with a towel and walked past her. "Hey, you're not listening to me . . . .!" she scowled as he turned around to face him.
But the man was already dressed in a suit as he was sitting by the table in the hotel room. And so was she, in her casual outfit of T-shirt and jeans. The man gazed up at her with hardened surprise with his mouth tightened into a thin line after what she had said to him. ". . . . What was that, Ichigo?" he muttered lowly.
"I said . . . . I'm pregnant . . . ." Ichigo replied quietly, standing before him. "It's the truth, '. . . .', you're gonna be a father-"
"A father . . . .?" he questioned, nearly scoffing in disbelief. "As if I am to that thing inside of you."
"Wh-what . . . .?" Ichigo gasped at his statement. "What are you talking about, '. . . .'? You're the only one I've been with! The same man I've given my viginity to . . . . so how can you say that?"
"You're a young girl, Ichigo . . . . I wouldn't be surprised if you willingly lay any other man," frowned the man.
"I would never do that, '. . . .'!" scowled Ichigo. "You're the father of our child, and you're just gonna deny it?"
"You're only pregnant so you can profit from me, regardless of the paternity," he coldly stated.
"I'm only pregnant because you didn't bother to wear a fucking protection like I asked you to! And I've never asked for your stupid money before, '. . . .', but I want you to be responsible for what you did!"
"Fine . . . ." the man frowned deeply, reaching inside his pocket to pull out a money clip.
"What're you doing?" she questioned.
"How much is for an abortion, Ichigo?" he calmly asked and Ichigo's eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
"We can forget that the pregnancy had ever happened and we can go back as couple as you wanted it," he muttered, pulling out several 100 dollar bills and placed on the table. "Is that what you wanted, Ichigo?"
". . . . Fuck no!" she scowled in anger. "There's already a life inside of me, and I'm not gonna kill it just so we can be together, '. . . .'! I won't do that bullshit!" The man's eyes flashed at her words and abruptly stood up, towering over the teen who reflexively stepped back.
"It's just a tiny ball of cells right now, it's not an actual child inside you," he muttered lowly. "Why should I care about it, Ichigo . . . .? Just because you love me?"
". . . . I thought I did love you," she gritted.
"Well you're a fool to love me," the man scoffed, grasping the money in his fist. "Take the money and deal with the problem."
"No," she answered boldly.
"Get rid of the damn bastard . . . .!"
"I won't, it's your responsibility also!" she yelled. All of the sudden, the front of her shirt was grabbed and was pushed against the wall. "Argh, let go of me, '. . . .'!" she winced, panic mode seeping into her body.
"You damn whore . . . .!" the man seethed as he suddenly tossed her to the floor. Ichigo winced at the harsh impact against her body, immediately she placed her hand against her flat stomach as she glared up at him.
"So you're just gonna hurt me because I won't do what you say . . . .?" she gritted lowly. "Fuck you, '. . . .', I'm keeping the child whether you like it or not."
"Tch, you will not last long without me, Ichigo . . . ." he scoffed, harshly chucking the now crumpled money at her and she winced slightly from his action. "Abort the bastard child . . . . and then you can come back as the whore you are." Ichigo glared tearfully as the man left, flinching slightly from the sound of the door slamming shut.
Her body shook when she sat up, her hand still against her stomach as she rubbed at it. Glancing down at the 'blood' money, she now knew that she couldn't keep the secret of the affair from her family anymore . . . .
Ichigo shivered out of her sleep, her widened eyes taking in the soft morning light in the spare room. She just laid there as recollection of last night's events slowly seeped in. Her talk with Grimmjow during dinner . . . . her revelation of Tensa's father at the movie . . . . the call of her son being in danger during a robbery . . . .
And now here, awaking up in Grimmjow's home since she couldn't even go back to her house. Warm tears moistened her eyes as she glanced down at Tensa, who would normally wake up early but was still asleep as he wiggled around in his dreams. What can she do now . . . .? Will she become a burden to him, as well? She sniffed as she sat up, finally taking in her surrounding under the natural light.
It appeared as any other basic bedroom, similar to a teen's room albeit a bigger room. The dresser and the nightstands were deep oak color and the bedsheets were deep navy, and she could see the small rectangular rug in front of the the bed with the same color. But the walls . . . . were plain white, almost bland to her eyes. In the back of her mind, she wondered how a millionaire like Grimmjow could have odd taste.
She flinched slightly when she heard a soft knocking on the closed door and she blinked. Was it Grimmjow checking up on her . . . .? "Um . . . . y-yes, Grimmjow?" she mumbled. The door cracked open and Ichigo blinked again when she saw a familiar person stepping in. ". . . . Nel?" she muttered in surprise.
"Ichigo, you remember me . . . .?" sighed Nel as she fully walked into the room. Her eyes flickered to the sleeping child next to Ichigo but smiled softly nonetheless as she walked up to her. "Grimmjow told me to come here, he had to do some errands for a while," she sighed, sitting next to her. "Are you feeling okay . . . .?"
". . . . How can I be okay?" she sighed deeply. "I don't have anything . . . . they even took the money I've had hidden, including the thousand dollars Grimmjow gave me last month. I might have to start all over and return to the shelter . . . ."
"Well . . . . until that time, you don't mind if I help you getting some new clothes for you and your child?" she suggested. Ichigo glanced at her and just nodded, anything for her son.
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Through his sunglasses, his narrowed garnet eyes froze at the sight of Grimmjow ordering a few men hauling boxes from out of an old apartment. Renji wasn't sure why a man like him doing here in his old neighborhood, and why he appeared stiff in his facial expression even from across the street. The red-head remained silent, a cigarette clamped deftly between his teeth as he lit it before observing the businessman.
He had thought that him and Ichigo had a so-called date last night, just like Grimmjow had wanted it. Then why did he look stressed the morning after? Renji refused to believe that Ichigo had willingly liked him, maybe Grimmjow had done something to piss her off, hence why he looked pissed himself. He continued watching him, as he wasn't discovered by the other man despite his crimson hair, as Grimmjow asked if any important letters or documents were found to one of the men.
"Found, for what . . . .?" Renji mumbled to himself, exhaling the white smoke.
". . . . That's why I asked, she might have something from her family," Grimmjow muttered, though his voice echoed in the mostly empty street. The red-head blinked in light confusion. Who is 'she' he was talking about . . . .?
"Wait . . . ." Renji watched him taking his cell phone out of his coat pocket and talking to somebody. His tattoo'd eyebrows burrowed as he was trying to add two and two together. Was this 'she' Grimmjow was referring to . . . . Ichigo . . . .?
"Well, is she at least feeling better . . . .?" he heard the businessman ask. "Nel, just try anything . . . . I'm right in front of her place to see if anything can be salvaged . . . . Look, I can understand that . . . . Ichigo is going through a rough time, but if she wants to go back to some shelter then I can't do anything about it . . . ."
"Tch . . . ." Renji had heard enough, tossing his half-done cigarette onto the sidewalk before walking away. He got it now, something happened to Ichigo and that man knows something about it. Meanwhile, Grimmjow felt a shiver on the back of his neck before glancing around the street. He could have sworn that someone else was around here.
"Grimmjow . . . .? Why not, I dunno, let her stay at your house?" suggested Nel over the phone. Grimmjow tightened his jaw muscles and shook his head.
"I don't wanna force her to stay," he muttered. "Fuck, I don't wanna make a charity case outta her just because shit like that happened to her. Can't you understand that, Nel? I care about her enough not to . . . . pity her."
"Hmm, it seems like you are more than caring about her, Grimmjow . . . ."
"Now's not the time to joke around, Nel," he scoffed softly.
"I'm not joking, Grimmjow," she muttered. "Do you . . . . really like her or something?"
". . . . Yeah," nodded Grimmjow.
"I understand . . . . I gotta go, she's done changing her baby," sighed Nel. "Next time, warn me that about dating a mother."
"Thanks, Nel," he muttered.
"I know, cousin." Grimmjow hung up his phone and glanced at the small moving truck parked next to his car. So far, there were only a few boxes of things in there that he could find. This apartment was too unsafe for her to come back, as he had vehemently ranted at the unreliable landlord who cowardly cringed by his presence earlier. But if Ichigo would decide to go back to a homeless shelter . . . . he wasn't sure if that's what he wanted her to do that.
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Renji hastily stormed into the closed club, ignoring some of the other surprised workers who were cleaning up for tonight as he rushed into the office. "Stark, I need to talk to you about something," he frowned stiffly. The boss glanced up at his expression from his desk and narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion.
"About what, exactly . . . .?" he muttered.
"Don't bullshit me, I've seen your friend cleaning out Ichigo's place earlier," he spat lowly. "I dunno what happened last night between him and Ichigo but why the hell was he there? And I got a feeling that you something about it." Starrk stared at him and sighed stressfully.
He knew that the red-head wouldn't back down until he says something.
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Ichigo barely felt any better today after the shopping. She knew that Nel hadn't tried to persuade her into trying on new clothes and gave her space most of the time, but it wasn't enough. Only Tensa seemed oblivious to her emotions, wearing cleaner clothes as he was cradled in his mother's arms on the drive back to Grimmjow's home. Clad in a maroon-colored blouse and black dress pants saved for her scruffy sneakers, she felt out of place. As if she doesn't belong to this world. She should be left on streets once again after one bad ordeal after another.
"Um, Ichigo . . . .?" muttered Nel, as they arrived at the underground parking lot.
"Yeah . . . .?" mumbled Ichigo, simply staring ahead until the other woman parked in a free space before glancing at her.
"I gotta say . . . . this is the first time that Grimmjow has ever done this much for someone," she sighed deeply and Ichigo blinked at her in light confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he had only done enough for me when I started working at my late uncle's company- I mean, his own company," she sighed deeply. "There were never a sense of nepotism between us, and Grimmjow only wanted me to prove my worth. If not, then he would fire me as any other worker."
". . . . I'm not getting it," she frowned lightly.
"What I mean is . . . . he hadn't open up this much for a girl since his parents' deaths," sighed Nel as she got out of the car. Her own luxury vehicle were a metallic silver color as she then walked around to open the passenger door for Ichigo. "It wasn't that he was afraid to reveal his feelings, but the girls he were with before were too busy glamorizing at the thought of being with a wealthy man like him."
"So . . . . that's why I'm different from the rest," muttered Ichigo. She stepped out of the car while the green-haired woman grabbed for the half dozen shopping bags. "D-do you want me to help?" she asked quietly.
"I can manage, thanks," nodded Nel before locking the car.
"So . . . . what's Grimmjow doing?" she mumbled as they went into the elevator already opened when another resident stepped out.
"Hm, why do you wanna know?"
"There's a reason that he had asked you to do this for me if he's not home," she muttered quietly. Nel frowned lightly at her tone but said nothing as she pressed the button for the top floor.
". . . . We're not feeling sorry for you, if that's what you're thinking," she replied, and Ichigo blinked at her. "We just don't like it when people are on the verge of giving up. Especially with Grimmjow . . . . when he was in that terrible state years ago."
"What terrible state? When his parents died, Nel?" she asked.
"Not that, it's- oh . . . ." Nel realized and stared at her in light confusion. "He hadn't you about that yet . . . ."
". . . . About what?" frowned Ichigo, just as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
"Sorry, I can't say if Grimmjow hadn't mentioned it," Nel shook her head as they stepped out. "That's something he needs to explain himself . . . ." Ichigo's eyebrows tensed in confusion, gazing briefly at the other woman as they made their way to the penthouse door.
Grimmjow had been through more terrible hardship than she was?
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Arggh, I gotta cut it short! Read the second part of the chapter next time!
Read and review.
I'll update ASAP!
