AnimeWriterTycoonGirl: Hello everyone! Thank you for being so patience with me considering the nature of my absence. If I see one more Trigonometry problem…*shudders*. Anyhow, we left at a considerable breakthrough in the relationship of all four of our favorite boys after an immensely silly day full of karaoke. As of now there has been a time skip since the three day weekend. However, since I know there will be people who ignore these author notes I give (sucks to be them; they were probably confused as hell when I gave them instructions to go to YouTube), I will give another reminder about the skip right after the author note is ended. Also, please note that there will be mentions of summer vacation but none of them have graduated yet. For those who are not completely familiar with the Japanese school schedule, the school year changes in April, and students celebrate a month of summer vacation instead of three like in the United States (which I am assuming is the majority of my viewers, if not, I beg your pardon for my assumptions and would actually love to know where you are reading from [country only please]).
Now before I ramble on and on, let us continue with the long awaited chapter fourteen!
Chapter Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Silliness (80% courtesy of Isshin), Swearing, and Texting.
Enjoy everyone!
Amoris Oppositi part XIV
…..
*Two months since that Sunday…..*
Ichigo growled as he attempted to take back his cellphone from his absolute-pain-in-the-ass father. As to how his father was able to obtain his phone was beyond the redhead's current cognitive functions, as all he could think about was cutting off his deranged father, who was currently screaming at the top of his lungs the latest conversation he had with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, as he had been in the middle of a group message. Isshin somehow managed to obtain more stamina than usual today and dodged all of his eldest son's attacks, continuing to loudly reveal his conversations to the rest of the household (which thankfully was only his mother and Yuzu; Shiro took Karin to soccer practice today).
"FROM ULQUIORRA: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ICHIGO-SAN, I AGREE; HAVING A MOVIE MARATHON HAD BEEN AN EXCELLENT WAY TO END OUR SUMMER VACATION. IT IS ONLY SUCH A SHAME A MONTH WENT BY SO QUICKLY. SAD SMILEY FACE!" Isshin continued with a goofy grin on his face even as his avoided another possibly lethal kick from his deeply embarrassed son. Ichigo was certain his face would be permanently red after this incident.
"FOR THE LAST TIME GOAT-FACE, GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE DAMN IT! AND FOR THE LAST DAMN TIME, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 'SAD SMILEY FACE; ITS JUST A SADNESS EMOJI!" he shouted, finally landing a blow on his father (in the shoulder of all places), and snatched back his phone quickly, holding it tight to his chest like a lifeline. Masaki, who was showing much stronger signs of improving from her illness, gently tutted at her eldest child in mock disappointment.
"Oh Ichigo, what have I told you about swearing at your father? You know he is merely having fun with his eldest son." She insisted, although there was no actual disappointment in her voice, far too used to her husband's behavior and her children's response to it. Ichigo played along with a mock pout, still feeling very warm in his face.
"It would be much easier to listen to you Mom, if Goat-face over here didn't act like a fool just to rile me up. Besides, you aren't really mad, or you would never let all of us get away with calling him Goat-face or beating him up like we do." He grinned as she took on a dramatically affronted look, as though hurt her eldest son could see right through her. Yuzu continued laughing at her crazy family's antics, and Ichigo could help but chuckle alongside her.
Ever since Rukia began sending them the American medicine monthly in addition to the chemotherapy, their mother's cancer stopped spreading and she began the road towards being once again healthy, even gaining back some muscle and weight that she had loss in her struggle against the malignant cells. In doing so, the Kurosaki twins (of both genders respectfully), believed they were finally getting their family back. Masaki was still too sick to go back to working in the clinic with her husband (though she was capable of doing paperwork and bills again), but she was able to get back into more routine rituals of her everyday life. Yuzu no longer cooked every day, though she still helped her mother out in the kitchen at dinner so she wouldn't strain herself. Shiro no longer retrieved the paper, letting their mother do so as a minor exercise that allowed her fresh air in the process. As an extra perk, despite what they expected, Urahara allowed them to keep their part time jobs at his store, allowing them to make a little bit of money for themselves (or in Shiro's case, a sated need for blue raspberry candy). It was the beginnings of life coming back to normal.
However, Ichigo knew it would never be normal again, not since meeting the Aizen brothers. He was glad his face was still warm from his bout with his father as he thought about a particular teal haired menace. Grimmjow was still very persistent about getting the redheaded teen into his bed, but Ichigo was even more stubborn than the handsome heir, and to this day has yet to even step foot into his bedroom (a fact that greatly amused Ulquiorra, he noticed).
The two pairs of brothers ended up spending a large majority of their summer break together, of course they still spent time with their old friends as well. In fact, the whole gang ended up hanging out with Grimmjow's group of friends with them a few times during the month, making close ties with a few people on either side. Keigo surprisingly got along well with Mila-Rose, though he was still prone to getting smacked when he tried to cop a feel; Renji got along well with Ilyfort, Shinji, and Starrk; and Rangiku chummed up quickly with all the girls, even Sung-Sung. Ulquiorra was the one who ended up benefitting the most. The sensitive albino was able to really connect with Toshiro, Uryuu, Chad (they were both quiet people so it was no surprise), Rukia (though he already, in a way, knew her due to her wealthy status), and Orihime; something that didn't shock the others after the time he accepted one of her strange food concoctions.
Now, summer break had finally come to a close, and school was going to start up again tomorrow. Ichigo had a hunch that the brothers would make an appearance at their school again; their own school didn't start up again for another week (a perk of going to a high-class private school no doubt). Such a shame because that meant they wouldn't be able to eat on the roof; non-students weren't allowed inside the school unless they received a pass to do so, and rich or not, the Aizen heirs could not do as they please just to be with their respective boyfriends. Ichigo felt a twinge of glee in his chest at the last sentence, cradling the cell phone to his chest further in response to the thought as he headed upstairs.
Yes; the Kurosaki twins are officially dating the Aizen brothers, much to their parents' delight. Masaki and Isshin were delighted that their sons were able to find happiness in the current time of distress of their household. Likewise, Aizen himself couldn't be anymore tickled pink if he tried that both of his sons were opening up (and calming down). Especially for Ulquiorra; he was so relieved that the somber and quiet teen was able to make friends of his own, even if they weren't remotely in the same class status as him (after all, he held a few connections in the slums himself, even if his children didn't know about them). Interestingly enough, the teens' parents never met each other, though that was likely due to Aizen's demanding work schedule as a high class lawyer and Masaki's determination to overcome her cancer first. Nonetheless, both sets of parents were happy for their children.
Shiro wasn't quite able to make many moves towards his intended, as the snowy skinned heir was still too embarrassed by the advancements and would react by shoving something between the two of them (usually a book that he had been reading). Grimmjow was doing little better with Ichigo; sure he snuck a few feels or kisses in when he saw the opportunity, but at the price of a punch or a kick. Ichigo snickered without guilt at the last time the perverted teen tried to grope him; Ichigo had finally seen it coming and surprised the ultramarine haired teen with a vicious roundhouse kick, and had the larger man plunge into the same pond that their younger brothers had the day they first met. Shiro got a huge kick out of it (all four of them had been outside for some fresh air), and Ulquiorra rolled his eyes at his elder brother's antics and his boyfriend's response before returning to the book he was reading at the time.
Ichigo was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a ping come from his phone indicating someone had sent out a message again.
'Oi, you still there Berry?' –Grimmjow
Ichigo scowled at the unfortunate nickname he was never going to get the turquoise haired teen to give up and plopped onto his bed.
'Yeah, I'm still here…..Goat-Face tried to steal my phone again. I agree Ulquiorra; a month went by way too fast. Speaking of which, what are you two planning on doing since your school doesn't reopen for another week?' –Ichigo.
'See us, obviously! ;) And damn, I can't believe I missed another showdown between you and pops! Karin and I bet money on that shit! DX' –Shiro.
Ichigo rolled his eyes at his twin's cheeky comment but didn't respond, knowing there was a large chance that the brothers visiting the school would be true.
'LMAO, I swear your father is on some major crack and it doesn't help that he's a doctor. XD And Shiro's probably right; we won't have much to do so we might crash your school again. Not that you two care. TwT' –Grimmjow.
'…..-_- have you forgotten, dear brother, that I actually have 'much to do' as you say, such as my research project with the American scientists? And was that last emoji a mockery towards my facial tattoos?' –Ulquiorra.
Ichigo laughed out loud as Grimmjow made several more of the expression in retaliation just to incense his younger brother; even when texting Ulquiorra could be so factual and oblivious.
'I think he was trying to make a cat smirk Ulquiorra. Ne, Grimmjow, they look like this dumbass- x3 How is that project going so far anyway?' –Ichigo.
He genuinely was curious about the progress of the molecular electronics and neural networks were going, and had even been given the honor of looking at his boyfriend's brother's research to see how it has been developing, going so far as to make a small suggestion.
'It has been going well actually; Professor Brown is convinced we are well on the way towards creating a seventh additional molecular electronic circuit. I speak on his behalf as well as my own in thanks to your suggestion of crossing the tetracationic cyclophane with two rotaxane; it worked remarkably well and has led to an increase in energy efficiency. Should this discovery lead to a substantial breakthrough, I insisted that you be credited. ' –Ulquiorra.
'….I have no idea what that means but that's…..great? Oi, Grimmjow, you understand any of that?' –Shiro.
'Hell no; he's the genius one, not me! Just because I live with the dork doesn't mean I understand him all the time. .' –Grimmjow.
Ichigo snorted at the morons as they made themselves only appear that much more moronic by arguing over the complexity of the text.
'Relax you idiots it wasn't meant for you to translate anyways. That's really cool Ulquiorra. I'd be incredibly impressed if it did lead to a breakthrough. I don't feel like I really did that much.' –Ichigo.
'I would have to disagree with you Ichigo; it was great assistance towards our research, and you deserve the credit should circuits begin forming into the molecular dimensions we have been aiming for. As for you two, kindly butt out if you cannot comprehend the conversation, and I will not tolerate being spoken about as though I am not there. This is a group text you one track minded simpletons -_-.' –Ulquiorra.
Ichigo heard his brother's hoot of laughter coming from outside his window, and rolled his eyes. Well, he knew he was home now.
'Aw….but that's what you love about me so much! X3' –Shiro.
'Ugh. Quit flirting Shiro, save it for later. I'm going downstairs; I can hear your obnoxious laughter from up here. Talk to you two later. See you.' –Ichigo.
'XD Busted Shiro! Later Berry!' –Grimmjow.
'I concur with your brother; desist with the unnecessary flirting. Have a good night Ichigo. Give my good wishes to your mother.' –Ulquiorra.
'Mine too! Bye.' –Grimmjow.
Ichigo smiled softly as he exited out of the text message app. It was nice to know that they genuinely cared about their mother's health. Perhaps it had to do with losing their own mother (or stepmother in Ulquiorra's case) but it meant a lot to him just the same to know they cared about his family as well. He kept that smile as he headed down the stairs to meet up with his rowdier and paler counterpart.
….
"I warned you procrastinating would catch up to you." Ichigo muttered to his brother as he frantically tried to finish what remained of his summer homework. The paler twin shot a dirty glare at his elder twin, who was texting Renji about plans for afterschool tomorrow. Typical Ichigo; he had insisted on doing his homework as soon as he received it, and had shut out both Aizen brothers until it was done, something that hadn't bother Ulquiorra in the slightest and really put off Grimmjow.
"Ah, shaddup King, not all a' us are perfect students!" he sneered as he scrawled out an answer for his advanced geography course. Ichigo snorted.
"Really Shiro, I don't think ranking at seventeen qualifies me as a perfect student." He taunted, knowing that pulling out the rank card would only annoy his brother more, who was ranked at thirty-one. Indeed, Shiro puffed his cheeks out in frustration. He wasn't an idiot; he just didn't like studying or homework, unlike Keigo, who prides himself for being in the high sixties.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it; I ain't as smart as ya. No need ta rub it in." he pouted. Ichigo sighed, and quickly texted his fellow redheaded that he would be back in a bit, before tossing his phone onto the bed and taking a seat next to his sulking twin.
"You know that wasn't my intention Otouto, I'm merely trying to motivate you into actually doing your work for once." He joked, a kind smile on his face.
Shiro tensed when his brother took the seat next to him and looked away so his brother wouldn't see his blush. "Ya say tha' every time ya know." He muttered, and further tensed when his brother patted him on the back.
"I know. Which only makes it more frustrating for me when you don't listen." He looked at the amount of homework his brother still had to do. There was a lot left in English, Trigonometry, and Advanced History. "Tell you what; I'll tackle your English work for you." He offered. Shiro looked back at him in shock, no longer concerned if his brother could see if he had been blushing or not. "Don't give me that look; you'd never make it through all of this in one night. It's eight-thirty now; if I do your English you'll be able to finish everything else relatively quickly." He pointed out.
Shiro looked unsure. "I appreciate ta offer aibou, but won't ta teacher be able ta notice how…..good it is? Yer a lot better at English tha' I am, it'll show." He countered.
Ichigo snorted. "Please, all I need to do is answer half of them right and they'll never notice the difference. We have the same handwriting after all. Don't worry about it. The last thing we need is you getting a bad grade in English. I insist, and I already know what half the answers will be on the top of my head so it's fine." He countered back.
Shiro gave a soft smile and tilted his head until his forehead rested on the crook of his brother's shoulder. "Yer ta best King. I love ya." He sighed, wishing his brother could only know how much he loved him. Luckily for him, however, the feelings were getting easier to reel in. the more time he spent with Ulquiorra, the less he pined for his brother. Same went for the raven haired albino, who had confessed to him just last week that it was starting to become much less painful seeing Grimmjow with his brother. Just as well, it still didn't mean he did not hold onto the feelings he had for his elder twin, if not a little selfishly. He relaxed even further as his brother rubbed his back soothingly, mistaking his action as pure relief from having to do his least favorite subject.
"No problem Shiro, just promise me this isn't going to be a habit. You will need to go over some of these words for the next exam after all." He warned, only to receive a muffled grunt in response and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I think you've rested long enough Shiro, get the hell off my neck." He lightly shoved at his brother. The shove became stronger when Shiro let out an exaggerated snore, cackling even as he fell onto the floor. Ichigo couldn't help but laugh with him. "You moron. Come on, it's almost nine. Let's try to finish this stuff quick so we can be in bed by eleven." He ordered.
Shiro complied, and the twins worked on his assignments in silence for the rest of the night, completing the work as predicted at eleven.
….
"Man I wanna go back to eating our lunch on the roof! Being down here with the rest of these…..normal people…..is so boring!" Keigo whined, but he complied and plopped down on the large blanket Orihime brought from her house in order to sit on the grass and eat…..along with another of her horrifying concoctions. Rukia rolled her eyes from her own blanket that she decided to bring as she leaned against Renji.
"Well if you don't like it then you can go and eat up there by yourself." She announced curtly before opening her bento box. Everyone else ignored Keigo's rants (they usually did anyways) and settled themselves down among different blankets. "So you two, do you even know if the Aizen brothers are coming? I'm hardly complaining about the change of scenery, I'm just curious is all." She asked.
Ichigo shrugged. "Grimmjow might, but I'm not one hundred percent about Ulquiorra, he's been really busy with his research that's going on in the United States. Truthfully I don't really care if they come or not today; eating up on the roof every day since freshman year has gotten pretty old real quick." He quipped just to incense his already riled up friend. It wasn't too far a stretch from the truth; they had just hung out the day before yesterday, there was no need to be around each other all the damn time. However, that thought faded away when he heard the familiar purr of Grimmjow's beloved sports car and he shrugged. "Eh, guess it doesn't matter now does it?" he deadpanned rhetorically, to which the Kuchiki heir giggled.
Rukia heard enough about the elder Aizen heir to know that he was more stubborn than an ox, and if he had his eyes on Ichigo, the petite raven haired woman knew he wouldn't let go of him that easily. Of course she wouldn't disclose this information to Ichigo; it was much too funny to watch him trying to hold the perverted bastard back.
Shiro perked up, hoping Ulquiorra would be in the car just to embarrass him with exaggerated declarations of love. Ichigo rolled his eyes as the many nosy students shamelessly stared at the teal colored beauty, not even trying to lower their voices about their opinions about it or the owners of the car (yes they knew who owned it and why they came in the first place, but that didn't stop them from gossiping in the slightest).
Grimmjow parked the car with the front hiding slightly behind the wall of the school and walked out, looking every bit as wealthy as his ride implied with a dark red polo tucked into black slacks and a watch on his wrist that was probably worth more than their teachers' salaries adorning his left wrist. He tipped back the black sunglasses that he had been wearing into his tousled ultramarine hair. Ichigo smiled softly and began to wave his hand towards his boyfriend before he froze.
Grimmjow was not smiling.
Shiro seemed to have noticed the unusual response from the elder man as well, because he also paused in his usual greeting to the eldest Aizen brother (an army salute) and glanced at his twin cautiously. Their suspicions were confirmed when he made no effort to leave the car and only indicated with two of his fingers to come to him. That rang several warning bells in each twin's head. Grimmjow always came towards their group of wayward friends, even if he was a little wary of leaving his baby for the rest of the school to goggle over. Something had to be very wrong.
Trying to act natural, the twins calmly told their friends that they would be right back and walked to and passed the school gates. Up close they could notice Grimmjow's messy hair looked even more tousled than usual, like he had been running his hands through it too many times, and light shadows lined under his eyes that hadn't been there on Saturday. Overall, Grimmjow looked terrible for his standards, and Ichigo could help but be concerned.
"Hey, what's going on? You alright?" he asked. Grimmjow sighed deeply and glared menacingly at the crowd of (freshman) students that tried to get a glimpse of what was about to happen. Within a few seconds, the three men were alone for now. "Grimmjow…..what's wrong?" he asked again, his voice low and soft. The elder man sighed, looking exhausted.
"Dad's not doing too great. We had to take him to the hospital last night." He finally replied. The twins swallowed heavily as cold sweat crept down their backs. They knew that feeling all too well when their mother was first diagnosed with her cancer. Seeing her collapse had been terrifying, and they could imagine what the Aizen household was feeling.
Shiro swallowed thickly. "What happened? Is Ulquiorra an' Nel with him?" he asked quietly. Grimmjow nodded, his handsome features twisting at the mention of his siblings.
"Nel's so damn young, she doesn't even understand that he's….." he trailed off, unable to bring himself to say it. As much as he let off the impression that he hated his father, he really didn't, and with him being the only one left…..it hurt. It really, truly, hurt. He took a deep breath in a weak attempt to regain his composure. "We don't know how the hell it happened, we were just eating at dinner and he suddenly had a seizure. Right fucking there in front of all of us, and there wasn't a damn thing Ulquiorra or I could do about it!" he rasped, trying to keep his voice down in case students tried to be brave and sneak another peak at the beautiful man and equally beautiful car. Shiro noticed, and gave a knowing look to his brother before raging towards the gates, startling any lingering students (seemingly upset his own boyfriend hadn't come to visit him), and made a large scene egged on by Keigo, Rangiku, and Renji out of pure amusement. Knowing that the two of them were completed ignored until a teacher came by and calmed everyone down, Ichigo stepped up to the larger man and wrapped his arms around the stunned heir's neck and rested his head on the hollow of Grimmjow's neck, his eyes falling closed.
Grimmjow couldn't say anything as he wrapped his arms tightly around the orangette, feeling the weight and severity of last night crash down on him. Ichigo ignored the stinging pain in his back from Grimmjow's grip, knowing the elder man needed this more than anything. He simply allowed himself to cling to the heir tighter and inhaled his pine-woodsy scent, which strangely calmed him down in the process. Neither male said a word the entire time during their embrace, though a message was made clear on either side; Grimmjow wasn't okay, and Ichigo was going to do everything he could to help make it hurt less.
Grimmjow let out a deep sigh as he pulled himself out of the embrace, recollecting himself. God he had no idea how much he needed that. Ichigo looked at him with a worn expression, something he oddly preferred over sympathy right now; he didn't want pity, he wanted his father to be back to his normal arrogant self. Deep lines marred his handsome face as he unwillingly remembered the memory of his father hooked up to all those tubes and machines, his hair messy and his skin rivaling that of his younger brother's. He was brought back out of his flashback by a warm hand resting on his cheek.
"Hey, don't worry. If you'd like I can get my dad to try and help. He's a major idiot at times, but he's a really good doctor." Ichigo offered. Grimmjow snorted, the first time since texting Ichigo and Shiro in that group message. Ichigo's smile warped into a grimace as he shook his head. "God damn it all, how cruel fate can be; our mother is improving in health, and your father's is failing." He muttered. Grimmjow couldn't help but agree; fate was a twisted son of a bitch. And yet…..
"Can't be that bad if we were able to be introduced to each other." He responded back dully, though his words were very much sincere as he reached up to grab the hand on his face. Ichigo smiled softly, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He agreed, eyes shut and a forced smile on his face. Grimmjow tsked.
"Hey now, I'm the only one supposed to be moping right now, so cut that out." The bluenette ordered with a pout; relieved to see the genuine snort that came from the redhead. Knowing that Ichigo's lunch hour would be coming to a close soon, he lifted Ichigo's chin towards his and gently pressed their lips together for all but two seconds. "Thanks Ichigo. I really needed that. I'll let you go now; I think I need to make a visit to your house." He decided.
Ichigo made no move to try and push Grimmjow away when he kissed him this time, knowing the intentions were genuine and that Grimmjow needed this just as much as he needed the hug. In fact, he kept the teen from leaving and gave him a much longer, more passionate kiss that left both of them panting slightly afterwards. Amber eyes shone warmly as Ichigo stepped back from his boyfriend. "Try to be patient with my dad at first; he's going to act real stupid until he realizes you're serious. Take care of your dad Grimmjow. We'll see you later." He finalized, rushing back towards his friends, who were on pins and needles to find out what the hell happened that Shiro needed to create a distraction for (this wasn't the first time the rowdy albino had pulled such a trick).
…
Grimmjow returned to his car with a large smile on his face, slightly dazed from the ardor Ichigo had put into the kiss, his lips retaining a pleasant tingle. He started up the car and headed towards the Kurosaki clinic. He wished he had apologized to Shiro that Ulquiorra decided not to come with him, but something told him it would have greatly upset the paler Kurosaki twin if he knew the state Ulquiorra was in.
Ulquiorra barely took their/his mother's death well, despite knowing it was eminent. Seeing their father have a seizure had stripped him of his composure and calm, and while neither of them got any sleep last night, Ulquiorra looked far worse than him, which said a lot because Ulquiorra was very meticulous about his appearance. He imagined Ulquiorra numbly sitting in their father's hospital room, washed out among all the white, dully muttering to Nel that everything would be alright even though he wasn't sure if it was the truth.
Nel, oh god their poor baby sister must be crying her little eyes out. She already was missing one parent at such a young age, losing their mom at seven years old. If their dad was to die before she even celebrated her ninth birthday….he didn't know what to think of it. Luckily he didn't have to; he was already at the clinic. He parked in their driveway which was thankfully empty and popped open his trunk.
Perhaps it was a strange or morbid habit, but whenever he visited a hospital ever since his mom's diagnosis, but he would always purchase a gift and have them delivered (anonymously) to a cancer patient. Leaving the hospital this time was no exception, except that he had already planned to hand these flowers personally to the matron of the Kurosaki household. Although he never entered through the clinic before, he immediately went towards the clinic doors, hoping the Kurosaki heads of the household would already be there.
Luck seemed to be giving him a break today, because Masaki was right there waiting at the front desk. She smiled kindly at the Aizen heir. "Grimmjow-kun what a surprise to see you again! I'm afraid the boys went back to school today. You're welcome to stay until they return." She invited. He shook his head.
"Actually ma'am I was here to see you and Isshin-san. Ichigo and Shiro have told me you've been recovering swiftly. These are for you from our family." He revealed the crystal vase full of purple tulips, irises, and forget-me-nots. Masaki's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh Grimmjow-kun, they're beautiful! Thank you so much!" She smiled brightly as she took the vase and set it next to her, opening a drawer and pulling out a lovely sky blue ribbon to tie around the vase. "I've always loved forget-me-nots. They're my favorites. How is your brother? Is he still inside your car?" she asked politely, used to Ulquiorra coming along with his elder brother. Grimmjow bit his lip, not wanting to distress the kind woman, whom was looking much healthier than the last time he saw, which was just over two weeks ago.
"Ah, no. he had to stay behind today." He answered half-truthfully. Ulquiorra didn't have to; he simply wasn't ready to leave his father yet, not wanting to leave his side for more than five minutes. Masaki nodded as though understanding. "Anyways, I hate to rush, but is your husband here? I needed to ask him a…..medical question." He fidgeted, feeling a little unsure of whether this was the right decision or not yet.
Masaki looked amused. "Why yes he is. He's in the back eating his lunch right now. However, I'm surprised Grimmjow-kun. Men as young as you do not normally have such…..issues." she remarked lightly, much to his horror.
"Ah, hold on, it's not like that!" he sputtered, his face turning bright red. Masaki merely covered her mouth and giggled before ushering him along towards the back. Great, their mother thought he had 'performance issues' now; that is going to be an awkward conversation to explain later. Nonetheless he tried to will the warmth away from his face as he walked through the small hallway. Isshin, sure enough, was eating a sandwich and iced tea. The goateed man blinked owlishly at him before swallowing the bite of tuna and spinach that he had been currently enjoying.
"Well now, if it isn't Grimmjow Aizen, the apple of my eldest son's eye!" he beamed, a wide grin that was marred by bits of spinach in his teeth. Grimmjow could only imagine how mortified Ichigo would be if he had been here. "Welcome back, although I fear you are here for something a little more serious if the twins aren't here." At this the man shamelessly glanced down at Grimmjow's crotch. "Having a little….trouble, my boy?" he asked.
Grimmjow felt his eye twitch. What was it with these people and thinking he couldn't get it up?! If they had an inkling of the type of sex-life he had before meeting their son they'd be singing a different tune! Ichigo's words that he had to be patient with Isshin came to him again and he took a deep sigh. "…No sir. I don't have any…..problems myself." He forced out through tightly clenched teeth. "It's about someone else." He tried to explain. Isshin tilted his head to the side.
"Your brother then? I admit he seemed a little naïve in my first impression of him but I suppose I was mistaken due to…." Grimmjow waved his hands frantically.
"No, no! As far as I know, neither of us are having issues down there!" he snapped, though Ulquiorra's sex life might up to this point might say otherwise. He sighed heavily. "It's not about us, or that particular….area at all, for that matter. It's about my dad." He finally blurted out.
Isshin tensed up then, all traces of mirth wiped off his face, surprising the Aizen heir; the man before him hardly seemed like the same person when he was serious. "This is about your father huh? What's the matter with him; is he coming down with something?" he asked, fully in doctor mode. He gestured towards the many clinic beds and Grimmjow obliged, sinking down onto the bed nearest to him.
"That's just the thing; we don't know what happened to him. He had a seizure last night at dinner and he's currently in the hospital. The doctors are just as stumped as we are, and…we're terrified that it might happen again." He admitted, his hands clenching at the bedding underneath him.
Isshin stroked his goatee in thought as he processed the information. "I see. So blood and toxin results showed no signs of abnormality? Any brain scans saying otherwise?" he asked. Grimmjow shrugged.
"I wouldn't know. I think he had a brain scan scheduled before I left but I'm not too sure. The doctors refused to tell us anything, which pretty much means it's really bad or they know as much as we do. Fuck it all, what's the point of having money if it can't even save your last damn parent you have?!" He snarled.
Isshin frowned; yes that was generally the response doctors gave to their patients when things looked pretty bleak. And Grimmjow and his siblings would become orphans at a young age if nothing was done about it soon. He was right; money didn't mean a thing when it can't actually buy health. "What hospital is he staying at?" he asked calmly, ignoring the excessive cursing that came from the grieving teen.
Grimmjow decided he needed to give a little more credit to the twins' father; he was acting pretty professional now that the silly act was gone and it relieved him to know that he might be serious about looking into his dad's case. He relaxed slightly. "We went to Jutendo hospital." He muttered. Isshin frowned.
"Damn, that's about an hour-and-a-half drive from here at this time of the day." He muttered. Grimmjow kept his mouth shut that it only took him forty-five minutes to get to the twins' school. Isshin sighed. "Well I guess I have no choice but to call in a big favor then. Ah well, if I was ever going to take advantage I suppose now is as big as any emergency I'll get in my lifetime." He stated casually, confusing the Aizen heir. Wouldn't his wife's condition be big enough to pull some favors? Isshin must have noticed his face because he let out a small smile. "Masaki and I were doing the best we could before Rukia Kuchiki donated that American medicine to us. I called in several favors for her as well, but I suppose things move much slower when the patient in mind isn't incredibly high standing in society." He responded lightly, making Grimmjow cringe with guilt as he had only just moments ago complained about how money wasn't enough to this man whose salary was probably the amount it took to buy the outfit he was wearing today. Isshin waved it off. "Don't feel bad kid, I could have made a ton of money myself when I was younger. I chose not to since I wanted to be a normal man with his beautiful wife and four perfect children. That was enough for me." He assured the troubled teen.
Grimmjow let out a tiny huff of laughter. "Right now you sound like the wisest man on Earth." He mumbled. Isshin unleased a toothy grin, instantly reverting back into the man that he was used to seeing.
"Hah! Do me a small favor and tell that to Masaki if you wouldn't mind!" he crowed cheerfully. His good mood only dampened slightly as he brushed crumbs from his sandwich off his hands and picked up the phone, dialing a number quickly. Grimmjow took this time to actually look around the clinic.
It wasn't very large, though there were enough beds to hold up to twenty people if needed. Childish drawings adorned the walls, probably from young patients Isshin and Masaki had treated. The walls not covered in drawings were a pleasant yellow color, probably meant to calm down family members and patients alike. Proof of both Isshin and Masaki's degrees hung proudly from the back wall above Isshin's desk, verifying them both as graduates of Tokyo University Medical Center, a prestigious honor, as that was one of the hardest schools to get accepted into regarding that specific career choice. Grimmjow couldn't help but wonder if that was where the two of them met. Perhaps he could ask Ichigo about it later when he was feeling up to it. He was brought out of his musing when he heard Isshin speak.
"Ryuken! Yes, I know it's been a long time…eh? What do you mean not long enough?!" He whined comically, clearly knowing the other person on the line very well. Wait….
Grimmjow blinked. Ryuken….he couldn't possibly mean Ryuken Ishida? That was the director of the very hospital his father was currently at! Could Isshin Kurosaki really have that many connections? Now that he thought about it, he belatedly realized that Ichigo and Shiro's friend Uryuu had the same last name but he never made the connection. Still, from the looks of it, Isshin and Ryuken Ishida didn't seem to have the best relationship, as Isshin looked thoroughly insulted by whatever the silver haired man on the other line had to say.
"I…..you…" He sighed, and sobered up again. "Alright look Ryuken; I really did have something to ask you about." He paused. "Yeah, it's about a patient you have in your hospital. Aizen, Sosuke Tenkan." He stated plainly.
Grimmjow quirked his eyebrow in surprise. He's never told the twins his dad had a middle name, so how did Isshin know it? Few people even knew his father had a middle name, so that in itself was very odd. Isshin nodded even though the director couldn't see it.
"Of course I understand the importance of patient confidentiality, I didn't get my degree by twiddling my thumbs up my ass at the university." He stated flatly. Grimmjow barely restrained a snort that wanted to escape his throat. "I'm sure you'd like to believe that, but I actually have one of his sons in my office right now. Grimmjow, the eldest." He stated calmly. Grimmjow straightened up from his position on the bed. "Heh, it's a long story, but the summary is that both of Aizen's sons are dating mine. He came by to ask me personally to take a look at his father's test results." He grinned, as though so proud of his sons for whatever reason (he just made it clear he didn't care about money after all). The goateed man rolled his eyes. "Seriously Ryuken? I've been known to exaggerate every now and then but why would I ever make something like that up? Oh, so you don't believe me? Well then, talk to him yourself." He challenged the medical director, not listening to anything else the man might have to say and extended the phone towards the startled bluenette.
Grimmjow cleared his throat and mouthed a thank you to the kooky clinic doctor before bringing the receiver to his ear. "Oi is this really Ishida Ryuken?" he asked, trying to play off his nerves by sounding confident. A deep sigh was heard from the opposite end.
"Well I'll be damned; he wasn't lying after all. You'll have to excuse me for having been so doubtful. I'm sure you are more than unfortunately acquainted with your boyfriend's father then?" A monotone voice asked with no emotion. Yup, this was that cold bastard who could rival Ulquiorra's normally deadpanned expression. "Nonetheless, I cannot help but be rather suspicious Aizen-san. Your father has been showing no signs of another attack, and is expected to leave the hospital tonight. Our hospital is one of the best, if my staff could not find anything in your father's results, what makes you think…Isshin of all people could?" he asked flatly.
Grimmjow felt slightly bad for the man sitting right in front of him for having to endure such an arrogant bastard like the elder Ishida but did not let it show on his face. "I appreciate the update sir, but I figured fresh eyes couldn't hurt. After all, he graduated from the same university as you; nervous he'll find something your people couldn't?" he taunted. He could only imagine the thin lines the man's lips must be in order to refrain himself from shouting at the Aizen heir. He smirked when he heard the drawn out sigh.
"No I can't say I am. However, since this is a delicate matter I am going to have to ask; are you giving me and Kurosaki Isshin, permission to allow a transfer of your father's medical records over to his clinic?" he asked, sounding like he'd rather perform surgery on himself than go through with the procedure.
Grimmjow's lip curled up. "Yes, I, Grimmjow Aizen, hereby give my full consent to transfer copies all corresponding medical files spanning from the first of March to today, August 28th, regarding Sosuke Aizen, my father, to the Kurosaki Clinic for further examination as soon as feasibly possible." He announced, purposely making the consent as law abiding and proper as one could possibly muster. His father would be so proud to hear his eldest son use extensive contract abiding vocabulary in order to avoid any possible loopholes. Isshin certainly looked impressed as he snickered and flashed him a thumbs up. It likely also impressed the stoic medical director, who had often spoken to Ulquiorra instead of him since Ulquiorra held a stronger grasp of biology.
There was a moment of pause before the tell-tale sound of fingers tapping across a keyboard and light grumbling entered his ears. He grinned and tossed the phone back to the clinic doctor.
Isshin did nothing to hide his amusement, thanking the director for complying with him and giving him his email address and fax number in order to receive the copies. "Thanks again Ryuken! Try not to be a stranger! Masaki has asked about you every now and then!" he remarked cheerfully. He only brightened up further when the man asked him a question. "Why she's doing great actually! If you have a moment, I'll transfer you over to the front so you can talk to her yourself!" he offered. He rolled his eyes at the response. "Alright, so be it, I'll be expecting those files within an hour. Have a good day old friend!" he remarked before promptly hanging up on the director. "Well I'll be damned; I haven't heard him get this angry since my wedding day. I think I'm going to have to use you as my impromptu lawyer one day if I need one!" he decided.
Grimmjow snorted. "I wouldn't bet on it; I'm not interested in following my father's footsteps, although, I am interested in the idea of going into politics." He shrugged. "I do have just one question though; how did you know my father's middle name? Only, I don't know, maybe a dozen people actually know he even has one." He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Isshin once again blinked owlishly at him. "….eh? Are you sure? I was so sure you gave me his whole name when we first met and….." he trailed off at the hard look he received at the obvious lie and sighed, regaining his serious look. "Alright you caught me. I knew him when I was younger." His lips pursed. "Hell, I even went to his and your mother's wedding. This was a year before I even met Masaki though, so she's completely clueless. I've known about a lot of things actually. You might have heard of my former family name, Shiba." He announced.
Grimmjow felt his eye twitch again. Shiba? Like Kaien and Mikoto Shiba? Holy fuck, no wonder Isshin didn't care about money; he used to be a part of one of the wealthiest families in Japan! Not only that, the family was known for being one of the original founders of the Shinigami, the infamous Swords Society that Ichigo constantly tried to pull out of him since about two months ago! He felt his mouth go dry.
Isshin shrugged. "I still talk to my brother and sister-in-law every now and then, but I never wanted to be a part of that life. I was more interested in saving lives than worrying about some ancient organization that my great-great-whatever's founded." He shrugged. "I promised Masaki I wouldn't bring the boys or our daughters, for that matter, into it. Well, I guess fate is a coy little vixen. I you were a part of it the moment I first slammed headfirst into you." He chuckled.
Grimmjow felt a little uneasy. "So…..does this change our...perception of each other then?" he asked.
Isshin shook his head. "Nah. You had no idea that my sons were related to the Shibas; I took on their mother's maiden name to avoid the ass-kissery that came with being a Shiba. Truthfully, I would not be totally disappointed if they are extended an invitation into the society. It means that they would have gotten in on their own without any familiar influence whatsoever. After all, you know the rules about who accepts new members." He said with great amusement.
Grimmjow knew; it was several members, his own father and Kaien himself being members as well, but Kaien would not be able to vote since they were his nephews…..
"They don't know anything about their uncle's role at all then I take it? They were pretty confused when Momo accidentally brought it up." He remarked calmly. Damn, who would have thought this would have went from being about his father possibly dying to Ichigo and Shiro being related to the renowned Shiba family?
Isshin grinned sheepishly. "Well, you see, I sort of begged him not to bring it up. To the twins, both sets I might add, they think he's just a really successful owner of several chain hotels. We made it clear to the kids that money wasn't the main objective, and even when Masaki was sick….well…" he trailed off. Grimmjow understood.
"You didn't want to seem like a hypocrite by running to your brother for money to get the medicine she needed." He correctly assumed. Isshin sighed.
"Yeah. We wanted to do it the right way, the way anyone else who wasn't connected to money would have to. Ichigo and Karin were furious at us for months when we told them that's how we wanted to do it. It's more than just claiming we don't need money; it's about teaching the kids about how important life is regardless of wealth. Of course, the proper way is incredibly slow. Chances are it would have been that way too had Rukia not already insisted on providing the medicine. It's rude to decline such a generous gift after all. Kaien sure was furious that I 'went to someone else for help' instead of him though until I explained to him." He grinned. "Funny as hell too; here I am the eldest of the family, and being chastised by the younger brother for being too damn stubborn!" Grimmjow was not surprised; Kaien was a little hot headed himself, and was beginning to remind him of a certain fiery redhead.
Grimmjow was about to comment on the similarity of the two when the fax machine went off. The two stared at it in surprise as several sheets of paper began piling up. The bluenette swallowed heavily. "That was rather quick." He muttered.
Isshin nodded. "Yeah, I guess Ryuken hasn't given up his habit to have nothing put off until it's completed. Really good when studying for an exam, terrible when you're trying to go to a party or sport event." He deduced flatly as he pulled out several folders, no doubt to organize the now monstrous pile of papers threatening to overflow the machine. This made Grimmjow wince; how many visits to the doctor's office had his dad been taking? Maybe March wasn't far back enough and yet. "Geez, that's a lot of tests for a period of six months. What made you ask for files that far back in advance anyway?" Isshin asked, though there was no annoyance in his voice that he would have to look through so many pages.
Grimmjow felt his mood go south again. "It's when he first started getting really bad headaches. That was weird for all of us, since he never used to get sick. I'm sorry if this eats away at your time. Normally this is the part where I'd say I'll pay you, but I doubt you'd take my money." He noted. Isshin grinned, assuring him he was correct. He sighed. "Well, I won't what the hell anything is saying, but since the twins won't be out of school for another four hours I figure I'll help you organize them by month or something." He mumbled.
Isshin let out a dramatic sigh. "Thank the gods above and below! That would have taken forever to do on my own! I'd been grey by time I was done. Grey I tell you!" he whined in an equally theatrical fashion. Grimmjow snorted and started taking several stacks of paper (the fax machine was still going, which made him incredibly nervous) and only looked at the dates. This went on for another three minutes before the machine finally finished (and Isshin assured him it wasn't because the printer was out of paper). "Hey, Grimmjow, when the boys get home you should take them to see your dad." He offered. Grimmjow looked at him in total surprise. He elaborated. "I was told he'll be able to sign himself out tonight but it's not really him they need to go see." He gave a knowing look.
Ah. He had to be talking about Ulquiorra and Nel. That made sense then; Ulquiorra may not be in the mood for Shiro's antics but he would definitely want to reach out to the twins as friends who knew what he was going through. Nel was so young, that it will be hard for her to understand what's going on. She really gravitated around Ichigo, so having him around should be a source of comfort for her too. He nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll do that. I'll make sure to bring them back….." Isshin held up his hand, catching him mid-sentence.
"Tomorrow morning bright and early so they are ready for school." He decided for the younger man. The teal haired man grinned, and they continued their task of sorting through the stacks of papers in comfortable silence. Until….
"Hey, why is it that you and your wife immediately assumed I was here for me and about….performance issues?" he asked, feeling his pride tug at him to not to forget to ask about that particular incident.
Isshin outright cackled at the question. "Oh come on, when a healthy-appearing young man your age comes in without any visible health issues, what else are we supposed to take it as?"
…..
"You…..want us to go with Grimmjow and visit his sick father, and spend the night at their house?" Ichigo repeated slowly, not sure if he had heard his parents correctly. Shiro was just as confused as he was, especially when they came home to see the turquoise haired teen still there waiting for them with an overnight bag that their mother had set up for them.
Masaki nodded. "You'll still have to complete any homework you were assigned, because you two are still going to be going to school tomorrow, and I don't want to hear a word of complaint. They're your partners, and every good relationship stands by their partner through thick and thin. Shiro, I'm sure Ulquiorra really needs you right now, especially if he hasn't been able to leave his father's side. You two know just how scary this sort of ordeal can be after all." She offered kindly. Shiro bit his lower lip, feeling bad since he never tried to text or call the other albino, too nervous he would say the wrong thing.
Shiro sighed. "Yeah, I know Ma. I just ain't tha' good at comfortin' others…..ya know tha'." He reminded her flatly. It was true; he was terrible at perking people up or comforting them, sometimes making it way worse than it originally was. She and Isshin chuckled lightly under their breath, making no attempt to hide that they were mocking their youngest son.
"Well…at least he'll know you mean well and are trying!" Isshin declared, flashing his paler son a large thumbs up and an overly confident wink. "We mean it you two. Sometimes there are more important things than school. However, like your mother said, it will be no excuse to slack…Shiro." He remarked with a sly grin, amused at the flustered blush that appeared on the aforementioned albino.
Ichigo couldn't help but grin. Well, it was a pretty convincing argument. "Nice rebuttal Otouto." He teased before sighing. "Alright, we'll text you when we get to the hospital. Thanks you guys." He smiled softly, before tugging his still sputtering twin towards the door. "Quiet laughing Grimmjow and get your ass out here before I decide to take the wheel." He called behind him at the snickering bluenette, who paled and hurriedly thanked the Kurosaki elders before rushing out to protect his baby.
Masaki chuckled. "Those two have it bad for one another." she remarked, placing a still delicate hand on top of her husband's much larger one. Isshin chortled as well.
"Yeah, I'd say they got it pretty badly. But hey, young love is beautiful love, and one day maybe they'll be in the position we're in right now…albeit with better circumstances I hope." He finished, muttering the last part. "And I know for a fact Shiro's head over heels for Ulquiorra. I swear he'll drop anything he's doing just for that boy." He grinned.
Masaki held a lingering glance towards the door, the car having revved up and left already. "They did well Isshin. They did very well." Was all that she had to say before obligating herself to prepare dinner for just four tonight.
….
AWTG: And there's that! The plot restarts with the failing health of Aizen-sama and a shock (not really) about the twins' connection with the infamous Shinigami! I hope to have another chapter out much sooner guys. Please bear with me. In a few chapters I am going to have a poll that will be done in the reviews themselves so be excited everyone; the big stuff is going to be coming up soon! I love you all and please don't forget to review your authoress! Goodnight everybody!