Chapter XV: I Need Your Help
When they finally arrived at Ichigo's house, he threw the passenger door open before Grimmjow had even come to a complete stop. He could see plumes of smoke curling upwards into the air and he felt his heart beating against his chest a mile a minute. He took off towards the large crowd that was formed between the fire engines and ambulances, pushing his way through desperately. When he finally made it to the front, he nearly started to sob at what he saw. The whole house was wrapped in angry flames, from the clinic to the garage on the opposite side. He knew that if they hadn't gotten Yuzu out in time she'd be gone. He tried to push his way forward but he was stopped by a policeman.
"Please, that's my house! My sister might still be inside!" he screamed as he felt tears stinging his eyes.
"Onii-chan!" His head snapped to the left, eyes catching Yuzu. She sat on the back of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a mask over her mouth.
"Yuzu! Please let me through, sir!" he pleaded. The policeman relented and allowed Ichigo to move forward. He ran towards Yuzu, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Yuzu returned his hug full force, as she spoke frantic Japanese.
"I was so scared onii-chan!" she cried, her voice muffled by the mask she wore. Ichigo spoke back to her in Japanese as he stroked her hair.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here, Yuzu. I'm so happy you're alright; I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."
"Nii-chan, who is that man?" she asked gesturing toward the crowd. Ichigo turned to see Grimmjow arguing with the same police officer he'd had trouble with. He went over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Would you mind letting my cousin through please?" he asked politely. The policeman sighed and allowed Grimmjow to get through. The blue-haired man grumbled under his breath death-glaring the officer as he brushed past. Ichigo chuckled at Grimmjow's actions as they headed back towards Yuzu. She stared curiously at Grimmjow and Ichigo, but she kept quiet. A fireman approached them, tapping Ichigo's shoulder.
"You're Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"Yes sir," he responded.
"Alright, we'd like you to contact your father and let him know what's going on. Your neighbor who made the phone call tried but was unable to reach him. Your sister got out before the fire spread too much, but she'll still need to be taken to the hospital to make sure there's no injuries and that she hasn't been affected by smoke inhalation. You'll need to ride with her. . ."
Ichigo nodded as the fireman gave more instructions, making mental notes to call his dad and find a way to get Karin to the hospital. The major problem he was having was where they would go. Obviously there would be no salvaging anything from their house, and he couldn't book a hotel room, since he was still a minor. This was turning out to be quite the stressful day.
When the fireman was done talking, the EMTs began to strap Yuzu in for her ride to the hospital. Ichigo turned to Grimmjow.
"I don't think they'll let you ride," he said. Grimmjow nodded.
"No problem, I'll follow."
"You know you don't have to, right?" Blue eyes rolled before Grimmjow flicked Ichigo's forehead.
"Get on the damned ambulance and stop asking me stuff like that," he said, a playful grin on his lips. Ichigo smiled back.
"Alright, see you there."
Once they arrived at the hospital, the EMTs rolled Yuzu inside; Ichigo waited after he'd ensured Yuzu that he'd be inside soon. Grimmjow's car pulled up shortly after, the blue-haired man stepping out and heading towards Ichigo instantly.
"Did they take her in already?" he asked and Ichigo nodded. He still felt nervous asking Grimmjow for favors, but he didn't have any other options. Grimmjow spotted his anxiousness easily. "What's wrong?"
"I - I was just wondering. . .could you book a hotel room for us? I'm not old enough to do it, but -"
"No."
Ichigo fought off a scowl. To Grimmjow, it looked like another one of his manly pouts, which was too cute.
"Why not?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow chuckled, ruffling the spiky orange hair.
"Because you're going to stay with me." Brown eyes widened before Ichigo shook his head rapidly.
"But I can't! My sisters - I don't want them to -" Grimmjow cut Ichigo's nonsense off with a quick peck to his lips.
"C'mon, Ichi. They're gonna find out sooner or later. Why not now?"
Ichigo couldn't argue with that logic. Tier had already found out, and he was fairly certain she was the only person with malicious intent. He really thought his sisters would like Grimmjow, and he knew they'd adore Nel and Véronique if they got to meet them too. He smiled slightly before he nodded.
"Okay then, we'll stay with you, but only if Karin and Yuzu feel comfortable with it."
"That seems fair. Have you figured out a way to get your other sister here?"
"Yeah, Renji's gonna pick her up from the school and bring her here."
Grimmjow nodded, and they walked inside the hospital together. They weaved through the many patients waiting in the hallway for rooms to free up until they found Yuzu. She was sitting calmly as a nurse asked her questions. Ichigo was proud of her for being so collected and brave in a situation like this one. The nurse walked away as Ichigo and Grimmjow reached Yuzu's bedside. Ichigo stopped in front of her, and she smiled up at him.
"You're getting worry-lines, onii-chan," she commented with a laugh. Ichigo laughed a bit too and ruffled her hair.
"I suppose I should be more like you, huh?" Yuzu gave a definitive nod and they both laughed again. Once they'd sobered, Yuzu turned her gaze to Grimmjow, who'd been watching their exchange in silence.
"What's your name, mister?" she inquired, and Ichigo shifted nervously.
"My name is Grimmjow," the blue haired male replied, standing at Ichigo's side. "What's yours?"
"Yuzu." The brown haired girl stuck her hand out and Grimmjow took it in his own larger one. "Are you onii-chan's boyfriend?"
Ichigo's eyes widened and he shook his head rapidly, sputtering nonsense in the negative. Grimmjow just chuckled, but he shook his head as well.
"No, I'm just a friend."
"Oh." Yuzu didn't sound like she believed that response at all, but any inquiries she was thinking up were cut off by a loud commotion near the check-in desk. Ichigo rolled his eyes and headed over, knowing it could only be Renji. He wasn't shocked to find that he was right; Renji was practically about to jump over the reception desk as he yelled at the nurse who looked rather indifferent to his vexation.
"Hey, Red Lobster, you wanna chill?" Ichigo called out. Renji's tattooed eyebrows were furrowed as he scowled at his orange haired friend.
"You better inform this lady, Ich," he growled. Ichigo laughed.
"Miss, would you mind letting my idiot friend and my little sister through please?" he asked, politely.
"I'm sorry, but patients are only allowed two visitors at a time if they haven't been assigned a room," the nurse responded as she pushed her glasses up on her nose, a living portrait of nonchalance.
"No problem. Karin, you go back with Renji, and I'll come back up here with Grimmjow."
"I don't want to go anywhere with that idiot," Karin commented, crossing her arms over her chest. Renji pouted and Ichigo laughed again. "And who is Grimmjow?"
"Dat bae," Renji said, cackling when Ichigo frowned deeply. The oranget punched his stupid friend in the arm. Renji hissed at the pain but continued to laugh.
"He's just a friend of mine, Rin. You two go ahead back there, alright?" Karin rolled her eyes but followed after Renji anyway. Ichigo caught Grimmjow's attention and gestured for him to join him up front. The blue-haired male strolled over after giving Yuzu a kind smile. They walked to the waiting room and sat down; Grimmjow brushed his hand against Ichigo's slightly, causing the younger to smile a bit.
"Have you tried to get up with your dad again?" he asked. Ichigo shook his head, crossing his arms across his chest. Despite wearing his hoodie, he was still freezing. That was one of the reasons he hated hospitals.
"He's still not answering. I even tried calling the hotel that the convention is being held at, but he's ignoring the calls to his room. I'm starting to get a little worried." Grimmjow scratched at the stubble on his chin as he thought deeply.
"What hotel is he staying in?"
"Charlotte Hilton." Grimmjow nodded and pulled out his cell, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. Ichigo watched as he dialed and placed the phone next to his ear. "Yes, could I speak to Sandra Wallace please? This is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Yes, I'll hold thank you."
Ichigo watched curiously as the blue-haired man waited patiently for the person he'd asked for to pick up. He didn't want to seem nosy though, so he got up and walked back over to the reception desk. He could see Renji's obnoxious ponytail heading back up front. The redhead made his way over to Ichigo, a lopsided grin on his face.
"Your sisters are just chatting it up about bae back there," he chided. Ichigo rolled his eyes, but didn't try to fight off his impending blush.
"Yeah, I'm sure you helped with that, Mouth-Almighty Tongue-Everlasting." Renji laughed and Ichigo couldn't help but to join in as they walked back to the waiting room together. Ichigo noticed that Grimmjow had left the room, presumably to find a quieter place to talk on the phone.
"Speaking of help," the redder-head began once they sat back down. "where are you all going to stay? I saw your house on the news, and it's totalled bruh. Did you want to stay at my house? I mean, we've only got the one spare room, but I'm sure we could -"
"Yeah, I know, and it's okay. We're going to stay with Grimmjow." Renji's tattooed eyebrows hit his nearly non-existent hairline and Ichigo raised an eyebrow of his own. "What?"
"You sure that's a good idea, Ich? I mean, your sisters seem to like him well-enough, but do you think they'd be comfortable with something like that?"
Ichigo frowned a little as he pondered his best friend's inquiry. His sisters really did seem to like Grimmjow, and he honestly didn't see the harm in them staying with him, just until their father returned. But that could become an issue - his dad finding out. He hadn't truly been ready for Karin and Yuzu to meet Grimmjow, but the circumstances had sort of thrown him into revealing a portion of his secret to them. He certainly wasn't ready for his father to find out about the blue-haired man. Nobody involved was ready for that. He heaved a sigh and rubbed his palms against his jeans.
"You know what, I'm sorry to make you sweat it," Renji said, gently once he noticed his friend's unraveled state. He patted the orange head's back amicably. "If you think it's a good idea, you should definitely go for it. Just know that I've got a spare bed and a couch if things don't work out." Ichigo smiled and nodded.
"Thanks, man."
Just then, Grimmjow made his way back through the automatic doors, frowning deeply at his phone's screen. He sat down next to Ichigo, who looked at him curiously.
"Grimmjow, what's wrong?" the teen asked, carefully. The older male continued to frown before he gave Ichigo a grave look.
"Your father isn't in Charlotte, Ichi."
So very sorry for the lateness...my life is so terribly hectic right now, between school and work, so my writing has definitely hit the back burner, something that I'm finding really hard to deal with...anyways, I hope that you can find this enjoyable, even if it's another cliffhanger...
Until next time,
Patd06
