Another chapter! Yeah! XD Don't worry, I have taken mercy upon all of my darling readers! ;p You finally get to know who did it in this chapter. I know, I'm a saint =D See what you think! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and I love all your reviews! They make me feel special. Lol! Let's see how the villaness takes provoking Ichigo's wrath... Momo didn't do so well, but maybe they'll do better!

Shiro: I give 'em five minutes 'fore they're screamin'! XD

Ichi: I give them five seconds!

Grimm: It's times like these I don't know whether to be wary... or jump him. *sighs in indecision*

Chapter 36

The phone rings a third and fourth time, sending Grimmjow's heart into his throat. He hangs up and dials once more, listening with bated breath as it rings and goes unanswered. His feet are moving before he can think, dropping his bag and holding Akira close. The night outside the store is cool and cloudy, though there's no rain tonight, and the fresh air that chills his breath upon contact is welcome. It clears his head and calms his racing nerves. Ichigo only went down the street, how much could possible happen in the short amount of time that passed! He holds Akira against his chest, attempting to keep his son warm while rushing toward his mate's location, and slows down nearer the store. He doesn't hear any sirens or see any flashing lights; no panic of any kind is filling the building… Why isn't Ichigo answering his phone!

"Akira, I'm gonna have to get a leash for your momma," he sighs. "This amount of stress isn't good, even for me."

Akira purrs in agreement with his dad, sending him a mischievous look normally only Ichigo can pull off. With a chuckle, the teal haired male speed-walks through the small store and comes to a halt so fast he nearly drops Akira in surprise. Lying along one of the shelving units, a shovel dropped hap hazardously across from him, Ichigo is unconscious. Blood trickles from his temple, dripping into a small puddle of crimson on the linoleum floor.

"Ichigo!" Grimmjow gasps. "Fuck! Hang on, I'm here now. I'll… where's Yasu?"

Cold fear grips his lung, his cyan eyes widening in realization even has his breathing quickens with the beginnings of hyperventilation. Ichigo stirs with a groan, the only thing that keeps Grimmjow from panicking, and shifts his weight to lift himself up. He's dazed at first, unaware of what happened and searching for his daughter. Once his memory catches up to him, his eyes water before he completely closes himself off to the world. Those once bright amber orbs are dull with defeat and hopelessness, his smile gone with his daughter, and even his posture seems less determined.

"Ichigo, what happened? Where's Yasu?" Grimmjow questions softly.

"Th-they… they took her," he stammers in a dead tone. "They took her away."

"Did you see which way they went?"

"No."

"Ichigo, we need to get you and Akira to safety. Please, come with me now."

"… I'll tear that bitch apart," the orangette snarls in threat. "She took my cub! She fucking stole my cub! Her head is mine!"

The feral instincts residing in his little firecracker are ablaze with wrath, the feeling of dread returning full force as he catches a glimpse of half of the pair known as 'Silent Death'. Brushing off the shiver that wants to trail down his spine lovingly, Grimmjow lifts Ichigo to his feet and grabs the pack Ichigo used to carry Yasu. He also picks up the baby stuff he knows they still need, hurrying to pay before setting Akira in Ichigo arms as an incentive to calm down. Grimmjow ushers the two out of the store, hoping they manage to locate Yasu before Ichigo goes berserk. He doesn't like the distant feeling he's getting from his mate at the moment, doesn't appreciate the cold silence as his mind mulls over the best plans of attack, and makes a mental note to never get him this pissed off about something he did.

Shiro is lying in a meadow; the same one Ichigo likes to think in coincidentally. He's been going over the strange feral glint within Gin's icy blue eyes for a few hours now, ever since he woke. He had left Gin alone that morning, albeit it was murder on his psyche, and retired here to think. The pale twin frowns at a hint of wrongness about the area, his senses working to catch anything he might've missed before and finding nothing. Suddenly, someone pounces from the relatively tall grass near the trees and Shiro cries out as he attempts to scramble away. He's tackled to the ground, a joyous laughter filling the clearing and calming his racing heart.

"What the fuck!" he shouts in irritation. "That wasn' funny, damn it! I could a had a heart attack, you stupid fuck!"

"Calm down, Shiro," Gin laughs. "Who else could sneak up on ya way out here? Who else would wanna try?"

"Not the point! What the hell are ya doin' outta bed, anyway?"

"I heal fast," the silver haired fox shrugs uncaringly. "Not as fast as Grimm, but pretty fast when I wanna. My injuries were keepin' me from ya, so I wanted ta get rid of 'em."

"An' ya couldn' do that in the crypt?"

"I wish," he scoffs a bit miffed. "But no one knows I can heal like that an' I didn' wanna give up such a secret 'til I knew who I was dealin' wit. The longer I was helpless, the longer I was allowed ta live."

Shiro sighs and relaxes, his lover removing his weight from the smaller male's back before lying beside him. With a curious glance his way, the more pale twin props his cheek on a fist and eyes his boyfriend. Gin looks so much better now, his skin colored a bit more porcelain and his eyes glimmering with far more mischief.

"Tell me 'bout yer gift, koi," Shiro requests. "I know ya ain't like other people… yer like Grimm-kitty, ain't ya?"

"… I didn' ask fer this, Shiro," Gin frowns. "Ya hafta understand, Aizen was relentless when it came ta perfectin' his strongest. Grimm wasn' the first ta go under the needle… I was. Just as wit Grimm, Szayel didn' wanna do it. I didn' either. Aizen didn' really give us a choice at the time; he was real good at manipulation."

"I don' care that yer not like everyone else, Gin," Shiro snorts derisively. "I like that 'bout ya. I'm just curious 'bout it."

"I was always real smart, a strategic thinker and pretty cunnin' when it came ta spyin' fer Aizen. He wanted ta make me even better an' Szayel's research helped him. Szayel mixed the genetics a two different foxes inta my own, a desert fox an' a arctic fox. I don' like ta use the gifts often, but when I do none can beat me."

"You could a figured all this out 'fore Ichi," Shiro says in awe.

"No. Shockin' as it is, he moved faster than I could a," Gin frowns. "I mean, I tried fer a bit… but he seemed ta be on a level I didn' touch yet. He must a had more practice."

Shiro smirks knowingly, shifting himself to lay his head upon Gin's chest. He briefly wonders how the others are doing, especially after the revelation they made last night. Rukia has been hanging out at the lab since the cubs were born, but Shinji has been quiet for quite a while. As if he's reading his mind, his cellphone rings and the caller id flashes 'Shinji'.

"Sup, Shin?" Shiro answers.

"Get me the hell out of here!" Shinji screams. "I can't take it anymore! Every time I turn around he wants to have sex! If he doesn't leave me alone, I'm gonna strangle him!"

"Calm down, Shinji," the golden eyed male sighs. "What's goin' on?"

"I let him sleep with me one time! One time! And now he's under the impression I'm his boyfriend and he's entitled to fuck me whenever he pleases!" the blonde rants. "Do you have any idea how many times I've wanted to go see you guys and he's suddenly decided screwing my brains out to the point I'm exhausted is a good idea?"

"Ya pro'bly should a just enjoyed yerself," Shiro snickers. "Ichi an' I went… uh… quiet fer a little while. Found Momo, the one that shot Grimm? After that, we found Gin. Just need ta catch the bastard behind all this shit now."

A scream unlike any they've heard rolls over the meadow and sends birds and animals retreating. Shiro stills, Gin looking around cautiously as he tucks his lover closer to himself, and Shinji breathes an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line.

"What did Ichigo do now?" he snaps. "He only ever acts like that when he goes 'quiet' and no one will let him kill something."

"I don' know," Shiro murmurs. "But ya might wanna get over here fast… I don' think I'll be able ta talk him down alone."

"I'm on my way."

They hang up almost simultaneously, Shiro sliding his cell in his back pocket and Gin refusing to let him up. After a long moment of sitting in one another's embrace, they stand and head back to the building Ichigo is in. The trek could've lasted hours and it still would've been too short, the two stopping outside a secure room within the back of the building. It's usually used to hold bears and large felines, the walls holding vents that normally supply a gaseous sedative for those unaffected by the simple darts. Right now, however, its occupant is one seriously pissed off orangette. Grimmjow and Szayel are outside the room with Rukia and Pantera, Rangiku having left that afternoon to bother Toshiro.

"What the hell happened?" Shiro wonders.

He glances at Akira in Grimmjow's arms, the little boy gazing at the door as though he knows where his mother it. Ichigo throws himself against the door, shaking it on its sturdy hinges, and scratches at the small window furiously. One more glance at the group before him and Shiro frowns, noting that Yasu isn't present at the moment.

"Where's Yasu?"

"… Ichi was caught in the store," Grimmjow grumbles sadly. "Your stalker knocked him out with a shovel and stole Yasu. Ichigo's out for blood now, so I had to lock him up until he calmed down a bit."

"He won' like that."

"Obviously."

"Well, Shin's on the way. If anyone can talk Ichi out of this, it's him and I. I can' do it on my own, though, Ichi's too far gone," the pale twin sighs. "How'd ya manage ta keep him from huntin'?"

"I put Akira in his arms until we got home," Grimmjow smirks. "After I got him in that room, I grabbed Akira and bolted while Szayel shut and locked the door."

"Smart."

Ichigo has tired himself out after three hours of attacking a door that won't budge, slumping in the corner of the small room and glowering at the obstacle in hatred. His daughter is out there, his cub was taken from him, and he'll be damned if he lets anyone stop him from getting her back. Those outside his prison are quiet, yet that silence is blown out of the water when Shinji arrives. He knows the other isn't happy, can hear him yelling at Nnoitra as they approach, yet he brushes it off as an annoyance. It doesn't occur to him that there may be a reason he's there… not until the door is opened, anyway. At the sight of a distressed Shinji and a pissed Shiro, Ichigo feels his rage dying a slow painful death. He stands, ready to defend and attack if need be. He's been through this more than once, most their 'talks' ending with bloody lips and injured knuckles, so he's willing to bet this one is going to be quite brutal with all their bad moods getting swung around. Shinji wastes no time, walking straight up to Ichigo… and slapping him across the face. Stunned, Ichigo can do nothing but blink at his good friend stupidly.

"I cannot tell you how pissed off I am!" Shinji gripes. "I've been locked in an apartment with a persistent man led by his libido, missed the birth of my precious niece and nephew, find out you went hunting without me to make sure you didn't go completely insane, and now you're ready to tear down your own lover for reasons he should be pissed about, too! Snap out of it!"

"My cub is gone!" Ichigo snarls. "The one that took her is going to suffer!"

"You don't even know who took her!"

Ichigo stops at that, the flinch in his features caught on immediately by his brother and friend. He goes silent; backing away to pace the length of his cell, and Shiro jumps on the chance to learn who kept Gin from him. He's at Ichigo's side in only a few steps, his hands gripping his younger brother's shoulders and resisting the urge to shake him… that would only make him more furious.

"Who was it!" he snaps. "Who took Gin from me!"

"No!" Ichigo hisses out. "I can't… I don't want… It's too painful! Please, just let me deal with this!"

"Like hell! They stole Gin from me! Ya got ta get back at that Momo bitch fer shootin' Grimm-kitty; I'm gonna tear apart the bitch that took Gin from me!"

"Shiro… no. You can't…"

"I can an' I will! Now tell me who it was, damn it!"

Ichigo clams up, his amber eyes filled with pain and sadness as he glances away from his brother. For the first time since they were born, Ichigo has locked Shiro out of his mind. Shiro, flinching as though he's been struck, backs away from his younger twin with his mouth slightly open in his disbelief. Never has Ichigo blocked him like this, it's more painful than having Gin separated from him.

"Ichi," he murmurs so quietly they almost don't catch it. "Why..?"

"I just can't right now, Shiro. This is just too much for me. This bloodlust… I'm not used to it," he remarks while searching for the words. "It just… it's so blinding. I feel like I'm losing my mind! I can't handle all these conflicting emotions!"

"Ya need ta calm down, Ichi," Shiro frowns. "Just 'cause yer havin' problems don't mean ya need ta lock me out. Ya never do that, Ichi, an' I don' like it. Please don' let this break us up. We ain't never had nothin' wedged between us, don' start now."

"I can't do this; the urge to kill is just so strong!"

Grimmjow walks into the room, gripping Ichigo close to him and growling aggressively toward the other two. It doesn't take much to get the two rushing out of the room. Once they're gone, Grimmjow pulls Ichigo with him to the corner. The smaller male is settled onto the floor, Grimmjow sitting to pull his mate onto his lap and wrap him in the comfort of his arms. Ichigo relaxes just a bit, still furious he's been locked up by his own mate and allowing him a moment of time to explain.

"This isn't helping Yasu," Grimmjow states bluntly. "I need you to calm down and think rationally."

"But…"

"I'm not interested in your rebuttals, Kitten; I'm more worried about you calming down. You're one of our best minds and apparently you've seen who this person is," Grimmjow informs with soothing tones. "You need to separate your animal side from your human side; I need you to think logically instead of instinctual. Can you do that?"

"… I can try."

"Great. Now… Who took our cub?"

Not more than an hour later, the Espada are gathered within the meeting room. Ichigo is curled on Grimmjow's lap, Akira sitting on Shiro's as he glowers at those around him. The only reason he allows Shiro to hold him is because the pale twin looks so much like his mother… and he likes to bite him when he gets aggravated. Nelliel is sitting on Hallibel's lap, Stark snoozing in a chair beside them with his head on Hallibel's shoulder. Nnoitra is attempting to coax Shinji on his own lap, yet the blonde is brandishing a knife he pilfered from Hiyori beside him in a threatening manner. Rukia sits patiently between Gin and Shiro, keeping an eye on the two that have a tendency to jump one another at random times, and Ulquiorra is watching everyone with a bland expression. The last to enter the room is Szayel, Kisuke and Yorouchi hurrying after him with determination on their features.

"Let's get this show on the road," Yorouchi growls. "I have skulls to bash!"

"Excuse my darling wife, she's never as violent as when her own blood is threatened," Kisuke smiles. "Please begin the meeting… the only Visoreds that will be present are the ones here already. The Shinigami will be notified later by Rukia if you don't mind."

"That's fine," Grimmjow nods. "Please have a seat."

Yorouchi immediately plucks Akira from Shiro, knocking the smaller boy off his seat and taking it over without thought. Whining at the unfairness as Kisuke slips beneath his wife so she sits on his lap; Shiro barely catches when Gin pulls him onto his own. With a gasp at the near failure of her mission, Rukia shoves Shiro back onto the floor and clambers onto Gin's lap herself.

"Sorry," she blushes. "Grimmjow told me you're not to be too close… he's afraid you'll have a repeat of your hospital visit."

"Of course he is," Gin grumbles.

He can't throw the petite girl off his lap; Grimmjow would get after him later, so he tosses Shiro an apologetic glance. The pale twin decides to save Shinji, taking up a spot on his lap and complaining about the lack of seating.

"We didn't exactly plan on joint meetings," Ulquiorra comments. "If we had, we would've made the meeting room a bit larger. Now that we know we'll have to, I'll be certain to take care of it."

"Gee thanks, that helps me so much right now."

"Enough! Our cub is out there in the possession of a crazed stalker!"

"But… why would they kidnap Ichi's cub?" Gin questions. "I don' get it. If they're after Shiro I can understand tryin' ta kill Ichi, but takin' his cub?"

"… They thought it was mine and Shiro's," Ichigo huffs.

There's a long silence at that, eyes bulging as those around him attempt to absorb this information. Ichigo is confused at first, but quickly remembers he didn't tell everyone why his life was in danger at the hands of their newest enemy. He briefly wonders if he should even bother divulging such embarrassing information, yet knows it's too late to go back on it.

"They're main target has always been me," he frowns. "Momo and the other gangs were just a distraction. Our enemy has been focused on getting Shiro to themselves, as they're in love with him. Since they know us and are rather close… or were… they're under the impression Shiro and I are a couple. They think killing me and getting me out of the picture will open Shiro up to them. Seeing me with Yasu, the twin that looks so much like us, probably gave them the impression she was born of Shiro and myself."

"How do you know all this?" Nelliel questions.

"Some is assumption, but if you think about it… wherever Shiro happened to be involved, things were shaped to accommodate his presence."

"Explain, please," Ulquiorra murmurs curiously.

"The first attempt on my life was by Trae's new beau," Ichigo sighs. "Shiro wasn't anywhere in the area. During the car accident, the car was pushed off the road instead of directly hit. Gin was wearing a hood at the time and was mistaken for me. Momo had told us they had to make sure Shiro was okay, but Gin was taken as a captive since they thought he was me. In the crypt, when we saved Gin, Shiro was out of sight within the darkness. Had he been seen, our enemy wouldn't have tripped the wire I set to collapse the tunnel."

"But it ain't like they haven' watched us fuck before," Gin scoffs.

"They what!" Shiro shrieks. "Ya knew an' ya didn' tell me!"

"Duh."

"No doubt the curtains were drawn before you uncovered your hair," Ichigo points out.

"Well… yeah, I guess."

"So… who are we hunting this time?" Rukia wonders eagerly from Gin's lap.

"… Lisa."

The collective gasps of shock and disbelief are loud within the silent room, all eyes on Ichigo as his steely gaze takes them in. He could never forget the face of the one he thought was his friend, the taste of utter betrayal when he saw her take Yasu from him through the gathering darkness. The pain in his heart was almost too much to bear. First he had thought he lost his good friend to the psychotic foe they faced, mourning a body burned beyond recognition with only a bracelet to identify it, and then he's watching his 'late' friend running off with his cub.

"That can' be true," Shiro whispers. "She's dead."

"No, we just found a body with her bracelet," Ichigo frowns. "She faked her death."

"But it matched her," Shinji snaps. "It was her, I know it was! You must be mistaken!"

"Actually," Rukia murmurs quietly. "The Shinigami that led the surveillance team that went missing… we never found her. She wasn't among the bodies recovered in that trap."

"So what! That doesn't mean anything!"

"Shinji… her name was Nanao," she informs almost soothingly. "She was more Lisa's twin than you are Ichigo's. The Shinigami were always mistaking her for Lisa, which is a main reason she was never let out on the field. She was brilliant and worked for Shuunsui, the same man Lisa worked for before defecting to Kisuke's side. Another look at Lisa's burnt body will most likely bring up results of it being Nanao instead."

"Lisa was always a cunning one," Yorouchi frowns. "I can't believe she would go this far! I knew she liked Shiro, but this is madness!"

Ichigo growls quietly against Grimmjow's chest, his heart torn in so many directions he can't stand it. He needs his cub back, but he doesn't want to hurt his friend. Then again, the Lisa he knew would've never done this… unless it was all an act from the beginning. He doesn't think that's the case; however he knows she's too far gone in madness to talk sense to. Arguing erupts within the small meeting room, everyone at odds on how to handle things from here. Ichigo excuses himself, Shiro on his heels and Grimmjow sending Gin to watch over them. What he doesn't know, is that Ichigo's already decided how things will play out from here. He's going to take care of things as he should've from the beginning; he's going after Lisa with a vengeance. A quick glance of calculation coldness in Shiro's direction, the gaze returned a tad chillier, and the two immediately jump Gin the minute they're out of sight and hearing range.

There you have it! You all finally know who did it! With any luck, next chapter will be the last ;p So... did you suspect Lisa? Was it really that difficult to figure it out?