AN: Hope I didn't make you wait too long for this chapter ^^; I've been pretty busy with work and rather uninspired the last couple days. Sorry if it shows in my writing . Hope you enjoy anyway~

Chapter: 14 Out and About

Grimmjow turned the water off and stepped from the steamy shower, clouds of hot, foggy, air billowing from around the curtain. He sighed and wiped his hand across the steamed up mirror, revealing his reflection. He looked tired, even to himself. After his release from the hospital, he had delighted in cuddling with his cat and promptly passed out to catch up on much needed rest. He had slept for almost two days straight, only waking to piss once or twice. But since then, he had hardly slept at all, the few hours he managed to capture each night were filled with tossing and turning and left him even more exhausted when he awoke.

His right arm stretched above his head, he scrubbed the fluffy, black towel through his unruly, blue hair before dragging it down and drying the rest of his body. The bluenette threw the towel back over his head, continuing to dry as much of the access water out of his hair as possible while he left the bathroom. Entering his room, he grabbed the ace wrap from his bed and meticulously rewrapped his injured arm. He left the wrap off occasionally, intent on strengthening the limb so he would be able to use it, but he didn't do anything too strenuous, not wanting to make it take any longer to fully heal.

The apartment was quiet and he hit the button to his stereo, enjoying the slow, deep melody of Audioslave's, Shadow on the Sun. Grimmjow loved his friends and appreciated all they had and still did for him, but he was grateful for them finally leaving him alone when he asked. After he had gotten home, Ulquiorra had set up shop and scouted the area for the two days he had slept, making sure no one would come after him. Finally convinced, the two raven haired men had agreed he would be fine on his own, but they assured him they were only a call away if he needed anything. What he needed though, no one could give him.

He had considered asking Ulqui to hunt down that red haired baboon, but he knew it wouldn't have helped, and the bastard had a deep connection with Ichigo's past. That and Grimmjow's promise to his comatose lover is all that had stopped him from asking for the man's heart on a silver plater. He knew Ulquiorra would have been all to happy to indulge him. He may have even helped Grimmjow cook and eat it. Curling his lip and pressing the volume button on his remote, Grimmjow cranked the stereo up a little louder, drowning out his own thoughts.

The towel dropped to the floor of his bedroom, he walked, still naked, over to his closet and grabbed a pair of loose fitting, black, acid washed jeans and a button up shirt. He pulled on a pair of dark purple boxers, followed by the pants he had selected. He gingerly buttoned them up and carefully slipped into the charcoal grey shirt. Pausing for a moment, he decided he didn't care enough to try buttoning the damn thing, or to put a belt on to hold the loose jeans up. The bluenette found that the everyday tasks such as those were some of the most difficult when one only had a single arm they could fully use. He shrugged to himself and couldn't really be bothered to care if he looked like shit at the moment, the only problem with that was that he didn't own anything he looked bad in. Oh well.

Jeans slung low over his hips, exposing the waist band of his purple boxers and shirt hanging open, he made his way back down the hall, grabbing Pantera's leash from a hook by the door. He jingled it a few times and the large cat came running to him. Grimmjow smiled down at her and clasped the leash to her jeweled collar. He stuffed his wallet into his back pocket and his Gerber into the waist of his jeans before grabbing the sling from the counter, working the strap over his head and around his torso. He rested his wrapped left arm in place and opened the front door, Pan's leash held in his teeth as he locked and closed it behind them.

Grabbing the leash in his right hand, Grimmjow scanned the surrounding area as he and Pantera walked through the parking lot, headed toward Grind. He hadn't been there since before the accident and needed something to do today. Not that he could actually do any ink with his dominate hand casted, wrapped and held in a sling, but he still felt the need to show up and let his clients know he was alive. Nnoitra had told him that he had shut the place down for a while during Grimmjow's stay at the hospital, leaving a sign in the window, apologizing and stating they had an emergency to attend to. Now that he had reopened and was working on a regular basis again, most of the regulars were bugging Nnoi about the blue haired artist's absence.

Sighing to himself, the bluenette let his right hand drop and tickle at Pan's ear absently, leash looped around his wrist. The cat looked up at him, rubbing against his thigh as they walked down the street. It had been a while since she had been out for a walk and Grimmjow smiled at the happy prance in her step as she padded next to him. He chuckled lightly, picking his pace up a little, into a light jog. Pantera gladly matched his quicker pace, stretching her slim and muscular body into a long, loping gate, tugging at the leash lightly in her effort to urge him into a faster pace.

Rounding a corner into a narrower street, they slowed back to a walk. The short jog had felt great and Grimmjow decided it was just what he needed. Maybe after they visited Grind Ink. he would return home and change into work out clothing and take Pan for a longer run. Considering where they should jog too, Grimmjow was brought back to the present by a deep, hissing growl emitting from Pan. He stiffened, looking up and automatically preparing for the worst, but relaxed at the sight of a slim, feminine looking man with straight, chin length black hair passing by them in the ally way. The man's greyish eyes flicked to Grimm, then down to his cat, a perfectly manicured brow raising fractionally. He gave a small smile and tilted his head in greeting but continued on his way without a word.

Grimmjow snorted quietly through his nose and tapped Pan on the top of her head, drawing her attention away from the stranger. He guided her around another corner and out onto a wider street, just a block away from Grind.

••••••

The bell rang from the front door of the little parlor. Nnoitra left the small storage area in the back and came to the main lobby area, ink stained towel in hand. He gave a wide smile to his visitor, revealing straight teeth, and tucked a corner of the old towel into the back pocket of his faded jeans.

"Grimm, good ta see ya out a the apartment." He said, walking up to his friend and handing him a new cell phone, "Here, made a trip to the store this morinin', has the same number as yer old one." He added, bending to pat Pan on the head. She pushed into him, enjoying the attention. From above him, Grimmjow thanked him then snorted a bit. "Wha?" he asked, standing back up and seeing his friend's raised brow and slight smirk. He turned to see what the bluenette was looking at.

Nnoitra reached a long arm out and hooked it around the slim blond's waist, effectively pulling Shinji too his side. "No need ta hide behind me, he ain't ganna bite ya."

Shinji gave him a small smile, "Maybe I'd like it if he bit me." He stated as if it were obvious, then directed his attention back to Grimmjow. "How are ya holdin' up, handsome?" He asked, winking at the bluenette playfully. Shinji ignored the look on Nnoitra's face. A small smirk tugged at his lips that threatened to consume his face at his man's jealousy.

Shrugging, Grimmjow purposely ignored the question. "Gettin' some ink done?" He asked the shorter blond, changing the subject and shooting an amused look at Nnoi.

"Nah, jus keepin' Nnoi company" Shinji answered, lowering himself to sit cross legged in front of Pantera, the cat stretched across his lap and purred.

"Yeah, bet you are." The bluenette said, quietly chuckling and lightly smacking Nnoitra in the arm. Nnoitra laughed and made a lewd gesture that both, Grimmjow and Shinji, ignored. Shaking his head, Grimmjow walked over and sat down on the top of his desk, watching the way Pantera seemed to be enjoying the blond's affection and petting. He snorted and stuck his right hand in the pocket of his loose jeans. "Really thought she wasn't in a friendly mood today. On our walk here, she started growling at a random guy we passed, she don't normally do that." He shrugged and continued staring at the cat.

Nnoitra walked over and leaned against the desk beside his friend, studying him from the corner of his good eye. "maybe she just didn't like the guy" Nnoi crossed his arms over his lean chest. "Or maybe she's just feedin off a yer paranoia, ya have been a lil jumpy lately" He added a quick "But it's understandable" after receiving a withering glare that was shot his way.

••••••

The effeminate man walked down the ally, headed toward the apartment complex he had been scoping out off and on for the past week or so. Turning around a corner, he almost ran face first into the target of his attention. The blue haired man seemed lost in thought, Yumichika had noticed his mind seemed busy often whenever he observed the man. The slender male guessed his mind was probably on his comatose and hopefully dying orange haired lover. What a waste. Both men were beautiful, now, one lay in a hospital bed, possibly never to wake up and the other might as well be lost to the world. Yumi let out a silent sigh and regarded the man and his... pet cat?

The blue haired man looked tired, like he hadn't seen a good night's sleep in weeks. His grey shirt was left open, revealing a slightly scared torso, stitched and healing wounds peeked out from his left side, tracing the man's ribs. His left arm was wrapped in a think material and held in a sling. If Yumi remembered correctly, Renji had told him about how the bluenette had been hanging upside down, arm shoved through the spokes of his steering wheel. How unbeautiful.

The large feline attached to a leash gave a low sound, somewhere between a hiss and a growl, it's long, sharp fangs bared in threat and black, pointed ears held flat against it's head. The bluenette finally looked up, gorgeous blue eyes narrowed and body tensed. He watched the man relax a bit and let his vision settle on the cat as he passed by them. He gave a benign smile and nodded in acknowledgement before continuing on his way. Once he was sure the blue haired man had returned his attention ahead of him, Yumi turned back around and snapped a quick picture of the man and his cat with his phone, he tucked the device into his pocket and rounded the corner, out of sight.

Yumi had always pegged the blue haired man his Taichou had him following around for a cat person, but that had been unexpected. To think, the man had a giant of a cat that looked as if it could put a dog twice it's size to shame in a scrap. It was certainly a beautiful beast, but what an aggressive personality; to openly growl at a stranger while walking down the street, and at himself no less. The man scoffed. Just like it's owner, beautiful but forbidden and dangerous, Yumi smirked at the thought.

••••••

It was late when Grimmjow got home from Grind, the sun beginning to set as he and Pan entered his apartment. The day had been spent doing a little paper work and talking to the patrons that came through the door. He had been asked about his absence and his arm more times than he could count, and not wanting to give personal details, he had told almost every single person that it was just a car accident. In his opinion, they didn't need to know about the rest.

There had been a few that had seen it on the news and recognized his car, Hal being one of them. That had gotten a little awkward and rough. He had tried to talk to her about it a little, in the end, refraining from telling her the whole story, just enough for her to piece together that he and Ichi were in an accident and that Ichi was still in the hospital. The few other times it happened, Nnoitra or Shinji had quickly come to his rescue and got them to leave him alone. He didn't know what they said to those people, and he didn't care so long as it worked and they left him alone.

The bluenette flipped the light switch and illuminated the main room of his apartment. Discarding his sling on the counter, he glanced at the blue read out of the digital clock on his dvd player, fuck it, he decided. He wanted to go for a damn run and he would, even if it was getting dark out. He needed the physical work out, something to occupy and distract him, and hopefully it would ware him out so he would be able to sleep.

Grimmjow stomped down the hall way to his room. Shrugging out of his shirt and dropping his pants by his bed, he stepped to his dresser and pulled out a white, wife beater tank top and a pair of navy blue gym shorts. Donning the new attire, he stalked back out to the main room and grabbed his running shoes. He left the sling where it lay, wanting the little bit of extra movement he would be able to get out of his arm without it, but grabbed the knife from beside it, securing it in the waist band of his shorts. He took a few minutes to stretch out a little, then bent down to tie his shoes.

Pantera watched him from where she stood by the door, as if urging him to hurry so she could go for a run too. Her deep, sky blue eyes were bright and her tail flicked in anticipation. Grimm smirked down at her and snagged her leash "Alright, lets go then" He said to her, opening the door and shutting it behind him.

He had no particular destination in mind, he just started out at a light, easy jog, heading toward the center of the city. Pan followed beside him, her lean body seeming to effortlessly glide over the sidewalk without touching down. Grimmjow quickly lost himself in his running. It was like a type of meditation, he let his mind go blank, only concentrating on his breathing and ignoring the shitty world around him. His pace picked up, body acting of it's own accord and he hardly noticed.

They passed a park with a few benches, most of them empty at this hour. Sweat trickled down the side of Grimmjow's neck and down his chest, cooled by the crisp air. He turned down the path that ran around the park. The bluenette focused on his feet making contact with pavement as he pushed his pace just a tad faster, still letting his mind flow blessedly devoid of thought. His running partner's sharp ears swiveled around, paying attention to the world around them for her master, her eyes darting here and there when movement caught them. Grimmjow quickly lost track of time and distance, uncaring and unworried.

Florescent light cascaded around them, defeating the dark. Grimmjow, chest heaving lightly from his run, huffed a slightly irritated sigh and let his pace slow. His light jog became a walk and he made his way to a bench beside the entrance of the hospital. Letting his head tilt back, he sat and gazed up at the night sky. Pantera jumped up on the bench beside him, laying down and resting her head in his lap.

He should have known this is where he would end up. Other than Pan, who was at his side, everything that he had grown to care about lay in this building. His apartment no longer felt like home, he had been rendered unable to work, the only hobby he had other than babying the car he no longer had.

Grimmjow laid his right hand across Pantera's head, gently stroking her ears. She didn't move but he knew she was awake and alert and he was grateful for her silent support. His brow furrowed slightly and he let his eyes fall closed, head still tilted back. His body was weary, but his mind was awake and he sat there, letting his thoughts wander were they would for a long time.

Eventually, the sound of the automatic doors sliding open behind them roused him from his thoughts and drew his awareness back to the present. Pan lifted her head from his lap as footsteps approached behind them.

••••••

It was late and the skeleton crew had arrived hours ago. Dr. Kurosaki finally left his son's room to go home to his daughters, no doubt they were in bed by now. Yuzu would have made sure her and Karin had dinner and went to sleep on time for school in the morning. He was grateful he still had his beloved daughters, but working all day at the hospital his son was laying in took it's toll on him nonetheless.

He waved to the receptionist at the front desk and exited the building through the large, glass sliding doors, out into the cool night air. A figure with unmistakable, blue hair sat on the bench a few meters away. His head was tilted back, seemingly staring at the stars, unmoving. Letting a small frown crease his brow, Isshin slowly approached the man. A bell jingled quietly and sharp, blue, feline eyes peeked at him over the back of the bench. Still, the bluenette didn't move.

Isshin stopped behind the bench, reaching a hand out to the large animal beside Grimmjow. The cat sniffed at him, then shifted it's gaze back to it's owner, who had finally lowered his head so he was facing directly in front of him, no longer looking to the sky.

Mr. Kurosaki let his gaze wander around the surrounding area, looking for signs of Grimmjow's friends. He didn't find them, as somehow, he knew he wouldn't. "How'd you get here?" He asked, his voice quiet and soft, almost timid to break the silence.

After a few seconds, Isshin was beginning to wander if the man had heard him when a soft reply issued forth. "Ran" was the simple answer, no elaboration seemed forthcoming, though none was really needed.

Isshin took in the man's appearance and came around the to the front of the bench. Grimmjow waved his fingers in the air in front of him and his cat jumped from it's perch on the wooden bench and sat down between his legs on the ground, bending slightly to rest it's head on it's owners knee. Grimmjow rubbed at it's black ear lightly as Isshin took a seat on the bench. Studying Grimmjow out of the corner of his eye, Isshin asked him another simple question. "How long have you been out here?"

He was given answer in the form of a small, one shouldered shrug and figured Grimm probably really didn't know how long he had been sitting there. Isshin nodded once, gaze focused in front of him like Grimmjow's, staring into nothingness. They sat in silence for several minutes. "You going to go see him?"

Grimmjow closed his eyes, hand pausing in its petting of the cat's ears. "Can't take her in with me" he said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Does Ichigo like the cat?" Isshin asked, genuinely curious. He watched Grimmjow's lips tilt into a small smile at the corners, the bluenette nodded, obviously remembering a fond memory. "Well, I don't see why she shouldn't visit him with you then." Isshin said, standing and looking down at Grimmjow.

Blue eyes widened fractionally, but Grimmjow stood anyway, grabbing the over sized cat in his right arm. Isshin saw that his left wasn't held by the sling, but was still wrapped up. It relieved him a little to see that his son's lover was at least taking care of himself to some degree. He still looked fit and healthy, body still honed and muscular, though it looked like he could use some more sleep.

Grimmjow turned from him and headed for the door, reaching it and entering before Isshin. The doctor heard the receptionist gasp lightly before responding to the sight of the blue haired man entering with a large cat in his arms. "Sir... um, you can't bring that animal in here. And visiting hours are over, I'm going to have..." Isshin entered the building and held up his hand to stop the woman. He glanced over at the bluenette, who stood, still holding his cat, giving the woman a dead pan stare and making no move to leave.

"Its alright, he's with me" The doctor told the woman. She hesitated, looking back at the bluenette before sitting back down. Isshin walked to Grimmjow's side and they headed toward Ichigo's room.

The visit was fairly brief. They sat by Ichigo's bed and talked about random things, the bluenette holding the still hand of his lover the whole time. Grimmjow told Isshin how Ichi had first met Pan, he talked about how he had went back to the tattoo parlor and how he hated when everyone kept asking him about what happened. Isshin drug up a few more memories of his son when he was young, told the man beside him about his daughters and asked if he would like to meet them at some point. Of course Grimmjow agreed to meet them.

By the time they decided it was time to leave, Grimmjow was almost asleep where he sat and Isshin was glad for it. The man had seemed tired and he almost hated to stir him to leave. Isshin tapped his broad shoulder lightly, gaining the younger man's attention. "You look like you need some rest" he said quietly

Grimmjow slowly nodded and stood from his chair. He gently squeezed the cold, still hand that was held in his own before carefully laying it back on white sheets. He bent forward and kissed Ichigo's forehead, whispering a promise to visit again soon against the pale skin.

Isshin stood a few feet away and watched the man say goodbye to his son, before turning to join him at the door. Grimmjow patted his leg lightly and his cat bound over to walk at his side as they made their way down the hall.

They passed the receptionist desk, the lady pausing in her typing to stare after them, and exited the building into the cool, night air. The doctor heard the bluenette let out a quiet, tired sigh and turned to look in his direction. Grimmjow waved over his should at Isshin, turning to walk back in the direction he had come, Pan treading by his side.

"Hey, Grimm, you want a ride?" Isshin called after him. Grimmjow seemed to consider before glancing down at his cat. "She can sit in the back." He added and started toward the parking lot, knowing the bluenette would follow him.

They climbed in the vehicle, Pantera settling in Grimmjow's lap and Isshin pulled out of the lot, heading in the direction the blue haired man told him. The ride was ten minutes of comfortable silence and Isshin was beginning to think the bluenette in the passenger seat had fallen asleep again when they pulled into his apartment complex.

The blue haired man gave a quiet grunt as Isshin parked, before thanking him for the ride. His blue eyes were settled on a shadowed figure standing outside a neighboring apartment as he opened the passenger door, grabbing the end of Pan's leash as she jumped out.

Isshin followed Grimmjow's gaze to the petite man he was staring at. The man's chin length, black hair shimmered in the low light. A cigarette was held between his fingers, but he had yet to light it. Isshin looked back to Grimmjow. "A neighbor of yours? Is he trouble?" His voice was quiet, a hint of fatherly protectiveness showing through.

Grimmjow glanced over at Isshin, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he caught the edge in the older man's tone "Nah, must have just moved in, think we ran into him earlier, near Grind." He said, deep voice carrying softly to Isshin. Grimmjow thanked him for the ride again and walked away, closing the passenger door behind him.

As he approached his door, watching the stranger from the corner of his eye, he knew it to be the same man they had passed in the ally earlier that day. Pan bared her teeth and issued a low hiss at the man. Nnoitra's words came back to Grimmjow and he shook his head as he stepped into his apartment. He really was being paranoid, he needed to relax and get some sleep. He closed and locked the door behind him.

Grimmjow unattached the leash from Pantera's collar, looping it over a hook by the door and peeled the slightly damp tank top from his torso, dropping it to the floor. He walked over to the couch and collapsed into the soft cushions, quickly drifting into a deep sleep.

••••••

Yumichika leaned against the building to his quarry's apartment, contemplating what to do next. Taichou was expecting a full report by morning and he had seemingly lost where the man had went, though he knew Renji would be satisfied with information on the man's condition. How thoughtful of the bluenette to leave his shirt open earlier, making it even easier to assess his state of health and wounds. The simple fact that he was up and moving around without much trouble would make his red headed leader angry. But so far, the man had yet to try contacting the police or other authorities.

He had watched the man come home from the tattoo parlor, where he had only stayed for a few minutes before leaving again, giant cat in tow. The two had left on foot, into the sleeping city and hadn't been scene since. He sighed and started pushing from the wall, maybe he would let himself into the bluenette's place of residence and see if he could find anything worth reporting. At least he wouldn't have to worry about that animal getting in his way.

Head lights flashed through the parking lot, causing Yumi to look up. Cursing under his breath at the realization that it was his target, he looked about for a place to conceal himself. He had been assuming the man would return on foot and he would have plenty of time to make himself scarce before he could be spotted.

Seeing that he wouldn't have time to hide, Yumi allowed himself to lean back against the brick building, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and making himself look as natural as possible. He refused to light the stick, hating everything about the smelly things, but at least it would make him look like he had a reason for being outside in the middle of the night. He only even had a pack with him because Renji forgot to grab his so often it had become second nature for his closest underlings to bring a pack along.

He watched the blue haired man leave the vehicle, pausing to stare at him. Yumi hopped the man wouldn't recognize him in the poorly lit area as he pretended to be paying attention to nothing in particular. He watched the man approach his front door from his peripheral vision. The large cat bared it's teeth and hissed at him, causing him to send a quick glance in their direction, wandering if it was always so aggressive towards strangers. He watched his target hesitate before shaking his head slightly and unlocking his door, stepping inside.

Yumi let out a sigh of relief and watched the car that had dropped the man off back out of it's space and leave. The effeminate man was fairly sure that was not a vehicle owned by any of the bluenette's regular group of shady friends. He absently wandered who it was while he walked off into the dark, grabbing his phone to make his report as he went.

••••••

It was dark out, but still day light, like the sky was over cast and grey. The air was chilled and the smell of fresh rain mixed with the scent of the city and something more raw. He whirled around, catching a sound echo off the empty buildings behind him. A figure emerged from the shadows, soft smile tilting full lips. A finely manicured brow raised slightly as the male looked at him, greyish eyes shining in the dark. He had seen this man before, he knew he had, but his mind wouldn't wrap around the memory and he couldn't figure it out. In front of him, the man's smile grew and his eyes darted to something behind him.

A loud sound rang out, ripping the quiet from the dead city. He whirled back around, blue eyes wide, searching for what had been hit. The world spun and he was now looking up at the grey sky, turning his head, he caught the color red. Everywhere. Seething anger rose in his throat at the man that was sitting on the ground next to him, red hair cascading over broad, tattoo covered shoulders. The red head's fingers made patterns in the red stained dirt below them.

He tried to get up, pushing himself from the ground, but it was no use. He couldn't move, he felt trapped, like a wild animal. Glaring around he saw the feminine looking man edge out of the shadows toward them, something large and metallic in his hands. A semi automatic weapon. His blood ran cold, eyes widening in realization.

The whispered words of the effeminate male reached his ears. "beautiful"

••••••

Grimmjow bolted upright in his bed, eyes wide and sweat running down the sides of his face and front of his heaving chest. His fingers fisted in blue sheets as he stared around his dark room. He took a shaky breath and allowed himself to collapse back into his pillows, plowing his right hand through his dampened, blue hair. A dream, just a dream.

A frown marred his brow, he couldn't even remember getting into bed, or undressing for that matter. And something about that dream tugged on his memory, something he should have been piecing together, but just like in the dream, it seemed to be eluding him. Grimmjow rolled over onto his side, taking a deep breath, and tried to calm his nerves enough to go back to sleep.

Let me know what you think, guys ^^ reviews are always welcome