How did we get to 20 chapters? I can't believe how much time I poured into writing this story, and how much time you guys spent reading it. Seriously, thank you 100 followers. I can't believe so many people like my story enough to follow it and I can't believe so many of you keep asking for more each week. Let's see if I can keep your loyalty.

Chapter 20

"Our time is running out, Isshin." Shinji said.

It was late at night. Isshin's family already put themselves to bed. Despite Ichigo's and Grimmjow's jetlag they managed to fall asleep as well, they had an unexpectedly tiring day. Isshin was about ready to go to bed too, but he was too antsy after seeing his son in a state where his blood was shed. He knew that the day would come eventually, but he has always been over protective of his kids.

As much as he didn't want to accept reality he knew his friend sitting across from him was right. "My sources say that there have been a lack of shinigami and they are starting to search again. If they are in the human world that could only mean that they checked the afterlife already and didn't find enough potential." He said.

"You don't need to tell me, Shinji." Isshin said, nursing a glass of scotch. "If they are looking down here they are probably looking for us."

Shinji shrugged. "We had a good run while it lasted, but do you seriously think that we are able to escape this time?"

Isshin knew what he was insinuating. Urahara was a skilled scientist and it was due to his help and abilities that they successfully able to escape Central 46 despite their ranks. They were able to hide because Urahara sent fake signals all over the world to throw them off their tracks. For who-knows-how-many-years they were even able to live a somewhat normal human life though, but is seems that it wasn't going to last any longer.

If there were two shinigami in their town that could only mean that they were closing in and they were no longer patient enough to let the escapees roam free. They were probably needed and they were probably desperate.

They confirmed that Ichigo was an unregistered hybrid despite him and his vampire partner defeating them. They probably returned to Central 46 in search of backup, but it was better than Ichigo and Grimmjow killing them. If they started to lose the small amount of shinigami they had then they would have started to take more drastic measures and he wanted to keep his son as human as possible. He didn't want his son to kill anyone if it can be avoided and if the worst case scenario happened and he gets taken his punishment wouldn't be as devastating.

The institution probably started to connect the dots already and learned that this was where they were hiding. There was no point in sending off fake signals anymore. If there was a hybrid then there had to have been at least one shinigami that mated with a human. If there was a hybrid of that age that has not been registered then that could only mean that he was the child of one of the escapees.

Isshin cursed his ability to not keep him hidden better. He knew it was bound to happen one day, but he was hoping that Ichigo would come out of it unscathed. If his predictions were correct then that means that they were going to target him. He was the best way to find the rest of them.

"You realize we need to move too, right?" Shinji asked. "My sources also say that with the interference of the Aizen clan the hunters started to become more active too. Central 46 isn't going to like that."

"It looks like they are going to take more drastic steps to try to keep the world under control. I agree that they are necessary, but I disagree with most of their orders. There is no need to interfere with what is going on in the realm of the living." Isshin said finishing the glass of scotch.

"You think they are going to try and have another war with the hunters?" Shinji asked. "I was really hoping after all these years that they would learn not to try anything and that there was no purpose to this war."

"You know better than that. Being a shinigami is all about change and adjusting to the new ways of life, but Central 46 has always been conservative." Isshin said. "It looks like we need to prepare for the worst, and for that we are going to need Urahara."

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for what's to come so I already made it a point to get some things off my chest." Shinji said.

"What exactly do you feel guilty for? You've never really made any solid ties in this world."

"Well…"

Isshin pinched his temples when he saw Shinji's expression that didn't even look guilty, but his hands were positioned in the cliché 'I don't know' pose, which could only mean one thing.

This guy seriously decided to drop that bomb without consulting him? The matter Shinji was suggesting had absolutely nothing to do with him. It was meant to be his job to tell her, but it looks like he decided to take matters into his own hands. He was so selfish. Shinji may have started the fire, but it looked like he might be the one to get burned.

"I need to take a walk." Isshin grumbled getting up to walk out of the house Shinji following behind him. "Why do you have to make things so complicated now of all times?"

Shinji shrugged. "I don't know. It's sort of a hobby at this point."

Grimmjow sat against Ichigo's door with his head against it listening to the conversation down stairs. He knew it, that Hirako guy totally knew Ichigo's dad and they were up to something. He hinted towards it, but he didn't know for sure.

He didn't fully understand what any of what they were saying meant, but he did understand one thing. Something was coming and they needed to prepare. He wanted to help out as best he could and play a role if it meant that Ichigo would be safe, but he felt so left in the dark that he couldn't see what was in front of him.

He didn't know what Urahara had to do with any of this, but he must have known something too even if he was in a different country. The abroad program had only about two weeks left and within that time they are going to have to survive without his help. He said that he wanted Ichigo to go home because it was going to be safer there, but despite there being a lack of vampires here there were plenty of shinigami that seemed to desire taking Ichigo's life and apparently forcing him to work. This had to be some sort of messed up joke.

Grimmjow gripped his arm. Despite that guy warning Ichigo that it would have been dangerous for him to use that power again he did it anyway. His arm was completely patched up, but Ichigo warned him that he better not let his dad see it since he put stitches in. That was before he passed out from exhaustion. It seemed that using a bunch of his powers in one day wore him out and that weird healing power was the thing that pushed him over. That meant no late night sexy time for him which only frustrated him more since now would have been the perfect time since his sisters were asleep and his dad and the other shinigami that meddled with their lives were gone.

Grimmjow understood that Ichigo didn't know the truth about his dad, but he really wanted to tell him that his father knew about his new found powers at least even if it meant not telling Ichigo that his father was also one. He didn't want Ichigo to feel alone in this since he understood that there was no way he was enough support as upset as that made him. He'll be there for him, but he really hoped that him being there would be enough for him for the time being at least.

His father seemed to be pushing it a bit if he didn't want his son to at least be prepared and know his options. It seemed ridiculous that he wanted to keep all of this a secret from him. Isn't knowing all of that information kind of crustal? Grimmjow kind of convinced himself that he somewhat understood the information he listened in on, but he was still new to this shinigami thing. He had no idea what this Central 46 was or what that institution really did or how many troops they had that they could send after them, and what their actual goal really was.

After meeting Ichigo's father he started to question his own. He wondered if his own father would keep secrets from him. His father was incredibly laid back so he tended to be pretty open. He didn't plan too much nor did he desire making his clan stronger. That was mostly Grimmjow's wishes that he agreed to. Maybe that was the reason why he wanted Grimmjow to take over as the head of the clan despite him still being capable of doing it himself. Maybe he thought that taking care of their expanding clan was too much work and he became lazy. That sounded more like him.

Grimmjow lifted his hand to his nose and took a deep breath. He was hungry. There was no denying it. He lost some blood during that fight with that shinigami Yumichika and he fired a Gran Rey Cero which also ate away at his energy. He showered and washed his hands to the point where his hands were almost raw, but he could still smell his blood on his. It didn't smell as good as Ichigo's, probably because Ichigo also had human blood in him, but damn it was still able to spark his appetite.

He wished Ichigo was still awake, but he knew he would only be hungrier if Ichigo didn't heal him. He can wait a little longer, but till then he had to protect Ichigo at least until his father came back. Then he would be free to sleep. Vampires needed to be invited into the house if they wanted to prey on Ichigo, but shinigami played by different rules. They had a clear goal in mind and they will be back, and they will be stronger.

Ichigo woke up in his bed in the arms of Grimmjow which he was gradually becoming more used to. He's been home for about a week now and there haven't been any more instances with shinigami. It was surprisingly peaceful and he even sometimes remembered that he had a boyfriend. That's right that was a thing now. He was no longer single and he was in a relationship with a guy from a foreign country and he was an entity that should really only exist in mythology. He was getting used to the routine of waking up in Grimmjow's arms that was always asleep way longer then he was since he always insists staying up until Ichigo was asleep.

It already started to dawn on him that usually strangers wouldn't stay in someone's house for so long. He may have known him for an entire semester at school, but he was a stranger to the rest of his family. His dad seemed to be getting along a bit too well with him and even already started to treat him with the same treatment as he treated his own kids…which Ichigo honestly found a bit off putting.

His father seriously started to dote on him just like he did his own kids and even started to attack him like how he attacks Ichigo. Ichigo doesn't know what Grimmjow did to make his father like him to that extent, but it was still seriously wrong. What if Grimmjow doesn't move out of the way in time and his father ends up shattering his foot against his face? It won't exactly be easy to keep Grimmjow being a vampire a secret if his dad ends up breaking his foot which Grimmjow comes out completely unharmed.

He helped out with chores so it didn't take too long for him to gain Yuzu's approval, but Karin was a bit more of a harder egg to crack. She probably figured out that he and Grimmjow was a thing, but she kept quiet since Yuzu seemed still oblivious. It takes a lot to get her approval on anything so Grimmjow seemed to have to deal with that when that time comes. His father was a total wild card since Ichigo had no idea what he was thinking. Sometimes he was his goofy self and embarrassed the hell out of him all the time in front of his boyfriend who just howled in laughter at Ichigo's flustered expressions, but when he thought that nobody was looking he wore such a serious expression that really put Ichigo on edge. Then there was that time he took care of his and Grimmjow's wounds with that solemn expression. He said those words that were very unlike him and Ichigo just didn't know how to take it.

"Morning, Ichi." Grimmjow said curling up further into Ichigo if it was even possible. Damn his body was seriously too hot.

Ichigo stared at Grimmjow's face that was half lidded and hazy like he still didn't want to wake up for the day. He was amazed how quickly he was able to heal compared to him. There was no evidence of any injury from a week ago in America and even from the shinigami attack where he had his arm cut up pretty bad even if he did heal that one.

Ichigo always felt that he healed fast and that was before he learned that he was a shinigami, but vampires seemed to be in a league of their own. Ichigo remembered back to the burns that Grimmjow had when he saved him when he was abducted by Tosen, but they were completely gone after Grimmjow drank from him…and they did those other things. Not only that, but despite having his arm torn off he still suffered some injuries from that battle in the Natural Science building. There was not even a trace of it while it took Ichigo nearly a week for all his cuts and aches to go away.

"Ichigoooo, are you awake yet?" He heard his little sister call from downstairs.

"Barely, what's wrong Yuzu?" Ichigo asked.

"I need you to run to the store for me. I prepared a list of things we need." Yuzu called out. "Take Grimmjow with you if you think you are going to need extra hands."

Ichigo sighed, but he couldn't complain. Being home was so boring and he was itching to do stuff. He went out with Grimmjow a lot and he hung out with Rukia and his other friends from high school, but he wasn't used to not seeing Renji for long periods of time since he was always there. There was no way he was going to admit that he missed him though. No way.

It didn't help that Rukia was also planning on leaving that night since her brother finally decided to tell her that he agreed to let Renji join the clan. It took way too long, it must have seemed like he still wasn't sure. There was only one week left so she must have been biting her nails that entire time. He was happy for Renji to finally be allowed to turn into a vampire, but he would be lonely without the both of them.

He was glad that he was able to introduce Grimmjow to her and he mostly got her acceptance by that point, but she was a bit difficult to win over. He had no idea how Renji was able to do it…probably because they had history. Ichigo knew that Grimmjow would let her accept him eventually even if it seemed like they weren't there yet.

Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow expectantly and he groaned. "Do we have to?"

"I can go, but do you seriously feel safe leaving me alone?" That made Grimmjow get out of bed and start pulling a shirt over his head. It was manipulative, but it worked.

The entire time that Ichigo was home Grimmjow never left him alone when they went outside. All of Ichigo's high school friends had the honor of meeting him and his childhood friend Tatsuki was incredibly proud of Ichigo finally coming out as bisexual which all his friends were surprised to learn since they always saw him as so independent and hardheaded. It amazed them even more that Ichigo decided to date someone who was even more independent and hardheaded then he was.

Tatsuki came out as gay a long time ago and she was silently waiting to see the day Ichigo came out too. He never admitted his sexuality to her, but that girl had a miraculous way of figuring out what anyone was thinking. For someone who was so good at sports, especially more contact sports to a point that made Renji have to run for his money when she played rugby with him, she became a psychology major in college. It fit her surprisingly well.

"We'll be down in a second." Ichigo called out, triumphant that he was able to get his lazy boyfriend to move as he started to get ready himself.

They walked downstairs, Grimmjow a little slower than Ichigo since he was clearly a bit more tired and lazy then he was. Ichigo picked up the list on the kitchen table before walking out of the house calling out that he was leaving. Yuzu quickly thanked him as she continued working on lunch since they slept through breakfast.

It didn't take too long to go down to the market and get everything that they needed and Grimmjow even seemed to perk up a little as he started to wake up more. He got distracted by all the food and even teased Ichigo. The orangette never understood why he insisted on embarrassing him in public. He was such a child sometimes. Shouldn't someone who was give or take 220 years old act more mature?

As they walked out with their bags in hand Grimmjow seemed to have a bit more of a skip in his step.

"Okay, seriously. What has gotten you all excited?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's because when we act all like this we look like a married couple or something." Grimmjow joked.

Ichigo turned bright red. "Sh-shut up," He stuttered. "Since when did you get all lovey-dovey like that?"

Grimmjow thought back. He always sort of just acted like that around Ichigo. He never really minded cuddling up to him and he enjoyed teasing him from the day he met him. Now more than ever his flirting would be accepted and even on rare occasions, like once in a blue moon, Ichigo would flirt back. It was always a relief since it reminded him that Ichigo acknowledged the relationship.

"Geez, since always, you are always so oblivious." Grimmjow said nudging him as they walked down the street with cloth shopping bags in hands.

"Aww, isn't that just adorable. Who would have thought that a vampire would fall in love with a shinigami, and a hybrid one to boot?"

Instantaneously Ichigo and Grimmjow felt an immense pressure. Oh no, not again. It's only been a week. He wasn't ready to fight someone stronger yet. It was too late though, all the people on the street vanished from their site as they were forcefully dragged into another protected space.

Ichigo still didn't understand how to get out and he was already grasping at everything that he learned to try and shatter the area they were in, but before he could even try anything a terrifying man dressed in black and white cloak stood in front of him with his arms to his side, guard completely down like he didn't see Ichigo and Grimmjow as a valid threat it was that or he had some kind of death wish.

The man was tall to a point that it was freakish. He thought Grimmjow was tall, but this guy seemed to tower over him and the way he spiked his hair didn't exactly help make him look any shorter. He had a large scar over his left eye that stretched from top to bottom of his face and he wore an eye patch over his other eye.

Excluding the cloak he was wearing it was obvious that this guy was a shinigami. Just from the presence he gave off Ichigo could tell that he was strong. The power that he was emitting was so strong that Ichigo felt like his lungs were going to cave in on themselves.

"As much as I'd hate to break up the happy couple I've been ordered to collect you dead or alive. It's time to stop running around hybrid. You are coming with me whether you like it or not." He said. His voice was deep and intimidating; it made the hairs on Ichigo's arms stand on end.

There was no way he was going to beat this guy and there was no way he was going to be allowed to escape again. Grimmjow already seemed to take the initiative though. He dropped the bags he was carrying, shoved Ichigo behind him, and lunged at the shinigami, but in a blink of an eye and before either of them fully knew what was going on Grimmjow was being crushed under the large shinigami's knee.

The shinigami tutted from his lower, but still plenty tall position, "It looks like you guys aren't planning on making things easy for me. I'm glad; if I just came to collect you then this wouldn't have been any fun. I hope you are ready hybrid."

"Okay Renji, I'm about to go to the airport. I'll tell you when I get there." Rukia said. She was sitting in front of her laptop. It was probably not smart to be on it before she decided to fly all the way to America, but she really wanted to talk to Renji before she left to be stranded in the air for fourteen hours.

Renji was still in the abroad program. Just because Ichigo left doesn't mean the world stops moving. A lot happened this year and things seemed to calm down there when Ichigo left, probably because Aizen left too.

Apparently things were looking up. Renji was getting along well with her brother, his friend who was in a coma due to being attacked by a vampire woke up, and his friend other friend was making pretty good progress in his training to become a hunter.

"No way, tell me now. You seem really bothered by this. Seriously, you've been looking a bit off for like an entire week." Renji said sounding concerned. Rukia was going to fly over to America so that she could be the one to turn Renji, but she learned something recently that she has been keeping to herself. He didn't want to see her bothered and wanted her to be happy when he finally gets to see her in person after months of just video chat and Facebook messenger.

"Alright fine, but you have to keep this a secret from Ichigo since it concerns him." Rukia said.

Renji sat there waiting for her to continue. He was used to keeping large secrets from Ichigo and he was prepared to have to do it again for Rukia's sake. If she were to ask him for an arm he would respond with 'which one?'

She sat on her bed, fidgeting with her hair as she tried to look for the right words to say. "So I met this guy about a week ago who I've never met before-"

"Oh God, you aren't replacing me are you?" Renji joked.

"Haha funny, no he was sorta weird looking, but he apparently knew something about Ichigo that I didn't know about." She said. "Renji, do you know about shinigami?"

Renji's eyes widened. It was a subject that he wasn't exactly exposed to for a while. "Yeah, Ichigo just discovered that he was a shinigami. I told you about that. Did you talk to him about it?"

Rukia shook her head. "I visited him a few times, but I couldn't find it in me to bring it up. I couldn't stop looking at him. This entire thing is driving me crazy."

Renji gave her a soft look. "This entire thing is crazy, but I know Ichigo. He would tell us that this has nothing to do with us."

Rukia shook her head and her eyes hardened. "You know I hate when Ichigo says that, especially since this time it does has something to do with me."

Renji looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?"

Rukia sighed and looked away. She watched a bird hop around probably looking for food outside of her window. "You know you are the only person I've ever showed that picture of my dad to right?"

"Yeah, why is that by the way?" Renji asked.

"There was a reason I was naturally drawn to Ichigo when I was put in class with him, and it wasn't because of the smell of his blood though I will admit now that it was a factor. The real reason why was because he looked a lot like my dad." Rukia said pulling a picture out of her drawer that was next to her bed. It had a simple picture of a young looking man with black spikey hair with a terrifying resemblance to Ichigo that Renji hasn't seemed to notice until Rukia brought it to his attention.

"Oh shit, I never thought of that before. Now that I'm seeing it it's kind of amazing." Renji said picking up his laptop and brining it closer to his face so he could have a closer look. The image on Rukia's computer changed to that of the redhead's spikey pineapple ponytail before Renji brought his laptop back onto his lap changing the image back to his tattooed face.

"My name before I was adopted was Rukia Shiba. I've told you this a long time ago. My surname came from my father, Kaien Shiba. Ichigo's surname came from his mother, but his father's original name was Isshin Shiba."

Renji's eyes bulged out of his head and his mouth slipped open and the only sound that was able to come out of him were guttural sounds, but he was finally able to muster something out. "H-how do you know all of this?"

"The man who I still don't know about apparently knew both of them. He told me that both of our fathers were shinigami and they were brothers that have escaped some sort of institution together. I don't really know what that means, but I can put only a few things together. Ichigo and I are cousins and I am also part shinigami."

A/N: Before you ask: Yes, I was planning that the entire time too. I'm not sure if I mentioned my unhealthy love for plot twists. I hope I'm not killing any of you because I think I heard some minds being blown in the distance...Those minds are probably being blown from something else. Make sure you tell me your criticism or if you actually enjoyed this chapter by leaving a review. If not you can just send me some death threats or something. I'll only cry a little.