Re: the previous chapter – it's nice that some of you took the time out to comment, it was so sweet and kind, I really appreciate it! While I was on pain meds post my minor surgery this week, I came up with yet another IchiHime story idea but writing is such hard work so I really regret that we aren't in 2009-16ish. While the fandom was (mostly) a dumpster fire, we did get good stories every now and then. Maybe the anime's revival will result in something? Who knows. My IchiHime crops are dying.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

The faint smell of spray lotion clung to the air as Ichigo regarded his corner of the cell. He'd spent much of the last hour rubbing it over himself, while dousing his belongings with pepper and stale onion they'd snuck in from lunch last week.

"You sure this is going to work?" he asked, setting his hands on his hips.

"In theory," Ishida muttered, spraying his own arms meticulously before passing the can to Chad. "Masking our scent is a gamble at best. Once we hit the water, it's only going to make the bloodhounds' jobs easier."

Ichigo scowled as Ishida shouldered past him towards a dustbin. He glowered at Ishida's back. "So what the hell did I spend the last hour dunking myself in vaseline and onion for?"

Ishida clicked his teeth in trademark irritation, but didn't spare Ichigo a second glance as he went about his business. "The few minutes we can buy are going to be crucial, Kurosaki," he snapped, coming around to finally face Ichigo. "The longer we throw the dogs off our scent, the better chance we have of making it out of here. Now quit dawdling and help Sado-kun undo the screws around the vent." He glanced at his watch. "It's almost tier time."

Ichigo followed Chad wordlessly, but felt the sweat starting to pool in his palms. The rough-edged determination that had egged him on throughout his period of incarceration seemed to be running a little short when it came to their escape. Yet, with his mind fixed on the mission, he figured there was little he could do in a frenzied state, so he put his fears aside and got on his knees to help Chad.

They worked in silence, the only sounds being Ishida muttering to himself and pacing around the room intermittently. Every time a guard came around, he'd tap the bedpost with his finger, making all three of them stall in their motions before releasing a breath and carrying on again.

When the overhead buzzers finally went off for tier time, the cell doors cranked open noisily. Ichigo and Chad stood up, wiping their sweat and preparing to go stand on the walkway, when Ishida curled a hand around Chad's elbow to stop him.

"I'd like to speak with you, Sado-kun," he said softly, an uncharacteristic, gentle glint in his eyes.

Ah. Ichigo felt himself getting suddenly embarrassed, so he quickly tripped over his own feet to cross the distance of their cell and give the two their privacy. Though neither of them had mentioned anything, he could tell they were going to have that kind of a conversation, and – despite having had a similar kind of talk with Orihime – the heat in his ears was too unbearable to stick around.

Once he approached the walkway, he felt himself cooling down again as the drafts of breeze fluttered past him. Inmates had all come out, standing with their arms perched on the railing. Some chatted idly, some paced back and forth from their cell to the railing to stretch their legs. Underneath, in the quadrangle, guards walked around in periodic motions as they kept vigilant watch on potential suspicious behavior or fights breaking out. His eyes drifted to the opposite aisle of the building, scanning the rows of inmates. His gaze landed on Grimmjow.

Grimmjow stared back, eyes narrowed in challenge.

At his piercing stare, Ichigo was reminded of the night he met Orihime. The low light, the grunts of the men who cornered him. Grimmjow's merciless blows. If the softness of Orihime's memory feebled his resolve, staring at Grimmjow strengthened it.

Suddenly, he felt the brush of a hand on his shoulder.

Ichigo turned around to see Shinji, whose spine had gone taut with his salute. "Hirako Shinji, Commanding Officer, reporting for servile gallantry, sir!" He clicked his boots.

Ichigo scoffed. "You look like an idiot," he pointed out.

Shinji grinned, then came over to stand next to Ichigo. He jerked his head back to cell #42. "Got a little romancin' going on in there," he noted.

Ichigo shrugged, a neither-here-nor-there movement of his head.

"Things like that can compromise a mission," Shinji said carefully, an edge of something in his voice that Ichigo didn't like. "It would work out well if we had someone keeping things in check, keep an eye on things – y'know what I mean?"

Ichigo snorted. He didn't like people like Shinji, typically; people who spoke in veiled metaphors and a general distrust in other people. More so, he didn't like people who implied distrust in his friends.

"If you're suggesting either one of us to fill in that role," he said, staring back at Shinj, "you're a lot stupider than I thought."

The low buzz from the speakers snapped them both out of it, however, considering the gravity of the situation.

It was time.

Ichigo's stomach dropped, but he pushed Shinji forward with one hand. "Go," he said quietly, using the murmurs and movements of inmates back to their cells to usher Shinji into his own.

Everything felt hyperreal, the pressing awareness shifting colors, sounds and movement into something a lot sharper than it was a moment ago.

Back inside their cell, Ishida and Chad had straightened as well.

"We have to move," Chad said quietly. "Before the guards start the count."

They all nodded, scrambling to line up quickly before the vent. Before Ichigo could move however, Ishida grabbed his arm and thrust the rope into his hands.

"I'm trusting you with this," he said quietly, staring at Shinji out of his peripheral like he didn't share the same sentiment in regards to Shinji.

Ichigo nodded, twisting the coarse material around his wrist wordlessly.

Then, Ishida took the lead. Shinji followed, considering if anyone spotted the latter in a cell he wasn't supposed to be in, it would all be over before it even began.

Ishida quickly propped open the vent and slipped in, his disappearing silhouette closely followed by Shinji's own lithe body. Ichigo pushed Chad ahead of him, then, with one last glance around their cell, he followed.

It had begun, he thought.

They were in.

x.x

In the dimness of the vents, Abarai Renji ran his hands along the coarse wall. At around eight in the night, a call had come in from plumbing – something about a gas leak in one of the pipes that the guy on night shift had noticed just before leaving.

Unfortunately, according to prison protocol, plumbers on night shift couldn't exactly leave without an escort. So Renji had slipped down the service elevator, taken a few right turns before finding the guy, and successfully walked him out. In and out, easy does it.

As he began walking back, however, he marvelled at the area he was navigating through. Vast corridors of walkways branched off into the darkness, each leading to a boiler room, a set of pipes or – sometimes – a dead end. In his entire career at Seireitei, there had been only a handful of instances that required him to slip down here, but he knew the layout roughly well enough to navigate it with ease.

The low sounds of water dripping were boosted by the hollow walls of the vents. The way everything caved in on itself, long and narrow, he could even hear the ocean thrumming somewhere in the distance. It was eerie, just as it was functional, but Renji didn't really have a lot of time to dwell on it.

See, he'd been meaning to approach Iba for the movie night list when he was hauled down here. And while he was practical for the most part, he couldn't help but get a phantom, lingering gut feeling that whatever was out there in the universe, it was delaying the inevitable.

Shaking himself off his nerves, he traipsed his way up the grate footing that led back to the waiting service elevator. He withdrew his keycard and swiped it across the rusty panel.

Dim lights flickered on, and the huge chunk of machinery began whirring into power. Renji had one foot in already, the other merely just lifted off the ground when he heard it.

The faint 'clang' from somewhere up north.

x.x

Ishida had just placed his palms on the vent, only to pause.

"What's the holdup?" Shinji called out, flicking his finger through his ear.

"The doctor," Ishida said, staring at Ichigo in concern. "Is she…?"

Ichigo shook his head, catching on quickly. He wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. "I told her to take the entire weekend off," he said, ignoring Shinji's amused stare. "She's not gonna be in there."

Ishida nodded, then turned back to dislodge the vent from its holding. Behind him, the other three men were sweaty and flustered, having travelled along the narrow linings of the humid vent rather quickly. The timer on Ishida's hands glowed, showing that they roughly had about 45 minutes until a guard would notice they were missing, but it wouldn't hurt to hustle. Making good time was crucial if they wanted to step out without contingencies.

Ishida, however, had seemed to permanently stop in his motions. He was staring at the vent, hands still over the surface.

Feeling a blaze of sticky heat running through his system, Ichigo was pushed to irritation at the hindrance. He was about to open his mouth, demand what the hell was going on, when Chad spoke up instead.

"Ishida, what happened?"

Ishida turned slowly on his heel to regard the others with a grim look. His face had turned chalky white, hands trembling. "We didn't put back the concrete," Ishida said slowly, regarding Chad with a significant look.

"That's never been a problem before," Ichigo pointed out, "We didn't put it back after I went to see Orihime either. Both times."

"You visited Doctor Hime-chan after hours?" Shinji marvelled, elbowing him. "Ichigo, you sly dog!"

The three cellmates ignored him as Ishida shook his head impatiently. "You didn't put it back, I did," he said, frustratedly running a sleeve over his forehead. "Both times, when you and Sado-kun were asleep."

"Why is this a problem?" Shinji asked, crossing his arms.

"Because there are plumbers and guards walking around here, Hirako-san," Ishida hissed, regarding him with an icy stare. "Making it this far without being caught is a miracle, but I am not so sure we will be able to get past much without anyone noticing there's a large hole where concrete is supposed to be!" He regarded the group stoically. "We have to go back and cover the entrance."

This seemed to burst a dam among the men, who had been listening in silence so far.

"Woah, hold on, wait, hold up," Shinji interrupted, bringing his hands forward in hestiance. "We are not going back, are you insane?!"

"Cool it, Hirako," Chad told him, towering over Shinji. Ichigo joined him on the other side, effectively subduing whatever Shinji had to say.

"These are not the best circumstances, I'm aware," Ishida said, a ball of dread building in his stomach. "But our plan hinges on at least reaching the water with a head start." He stared at Chad and Ichigo. "We cannot compromise on this."

There was a beat of silence. Then Ichigo stepped forward with a determined gaze. "I'll go."

"Ichigo, what if–" Chad began.

"You guys get started on getting through the doctor's office," Ichigo interrupted, rubbing his palms on his pants. When Chad and Ishida were about to protest, he cut them off with his hand. "Listen, no offense, but neither of you are fast runners and this one," he jerked his head at Shinji, "can't be trusted–"

"–hey!" Shinji pouted in protest.

"– so stop worrying about me and get moving, damn it," Ichigo said, already stepping back a few.

Chad's face fell. "Ichigo, we don't want to leave you behind."

"I'm flattered, man," Ichigo said, clapping his shoulder. "But you gotta go on without me alright? I'll catch up, I promise."

"And if you don't?" Shinji asked, narrowing his brows.

"Then you'll go on without me," Ichigo said, with a calm sense of clarity. When he saw Chad and Ishida's stricken faces, he shook his head firmly.

This escape, as collective as it was, had always been about Chad and Ishida. If Ichigo could give them this, this one shot at a forever they deserved, he honestly considered this a small price to pay, despite their hesitance.

There was a moment's worth of quiet.

"Always the martyr," Ishida finally chided in reply, but his eyes held a reverence and gratefulness that Ichigo could discern. And as reluctant as Ichigo was to admit it, the only thing they ever shared that was worth mentioning was that whatever their actions were, they stemmed from love. It was as much as a 'thank you' he was going to get.

Ichigo smirked. "Always the smartass." When he regarded Chad, he smiled. "Relax, I've got this."

Chad and Ishida nodded. Ichigo then stepped into Shinji's space, speaking low enough for only the two of them to hear. "If I hear anything about you betraying them in any shape or form," he threatened, "you don't wanna know what I'm capable of."

Shinji gulped, then nodded. "Godspeed."

Feeling satisfied with the outcome, Ichigo turned on his heel, heading back to the shadows they had just returned from to go shove some concrete in a hole.

x.x

All said and done, the job wasn't too difficult.

Granted, his hands were grimy and he felt hot as hell, but Ichigo had managed to scramble and smear the concrete in record time. Somehow, sealing the hole back up made it real. Solidified this night as a point of no return, the only pathway opening up being forward and out or back in and executed.

Rubbing the excess dirt off his palms, he stood up and consulted the covered hole. He grabbed the rope Ishida had trusted him with, then began heading back towards the doctor's office.

Spare his footsteps and his thundering heartbeat, it was mostly silent. There were the occasional, industrious rhythms of machinery all around him as he hurried back, but his ears had grown quite accustomed to them.

Ichigo rounded a corner cautiously, ready to strain his ear to listen for any approaching sounds, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

A few feet ahead of him stood Abarai Renji, one hand tightly gripping a flashlight that strained it's light right into Ichigo's eyes.

"You have to be fucking kiddin' me," Renji growled as Ichigo blinked out the spots in his vision.

"Abarai–" Ichigo began, then cut himself off. What the hell was he supposed to say? That he got lost?

Damn it all to hell.

"Got lost?" Renji mocked, one hand sliding over his holster. He closed his eyes and let out a humorless laugh. "Come on, kid. I knew you had an ego but this is a new level of insane."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. He knew Renji was trying to get under his skin, but maintaining his blood pressure from soaring through the roof was proving to be increasingly difficult. The night had been stressful enough without the penitentiary's most prominent guard cornering him on his way back. For all he knew, Renji could have already pressed some button, signalled some invisible alarm all the way up to the warden.

"You don't know shit about me, Abarai," he said, looking just past Renji's shoulders to figure out an escape strategy that left them with the least number of casualties.

There were none. The space was too narrow and wouldn't let up until one of them shovelled over the other. Shit.

"You're right, I don't," Renji said, directing Ichigo's attention back to him. "And I'll be honest, I slept a whole lot better when I didn't." He moved one step forward, but Ichigo didn't relent. "See, I liked you, Kurosaki, but I ain't stupid. So tell me there's a reason for this, give up the location of your men–" at Ichigo's widened gaze, he chuckled, "– yeah, no con escapes without a cellie or two, don't give me that babe in the woods look." He raised his arms out wide so Ichigo could see his unarmed palms. "Let 'em up and we can talk about how much of this I'm gonna write in my weekly report back to the warden."

"No deal," Ichigo replied curtly, bracing himself for Renji's reaction.

Renji sighed. "Surrender now and it'll only make it easier for you, Kurosaki," he ordered, body tight and alert as he held one hand out as if to ward Ichigo off. "If ya don't, that's a dime on your sentence. Maybe twenty if the Warden decrees it."

"Get out of the way now, Abarai," Ichigo gritted his teeth evenly, hands clenched into fists, "and no one has to get hurt."

Renji laughed. "What, you think this is gonna work? You're gonna break out, take a ferry out to some island and live out your days in freedom with your guys, that it?" He leaned closer, making Ichigo step back. "Even if you make it out of here – and that's a mega-sized if – they're gonna watch your family, Kurosaki. For years – decades, even. If they catch you breathing anywhere near your baby sisters, that's an execution sentence on your head, sure, but it's a lot of pain on them, too. A lot of pain they didn't ask for."

Ichigo said nothing; the only evidence that he was even listening was the slow, up-and-down heaving of his chest.

"I'm trying to help you out," Renji continued calmly, one hand still on his holster. "Talk sense into you. Come with me now and we'll act like this never happened. Do it by the book with the help of your lawyer and your loved ones right by your side."

Something about his tone made Ichigo wonder if Renji knew about him and Orihime. His heart flared wildly in a clawing, crazed fear at the thought.

Ichigo lowered his head, closing his eyes so Renji didn't see the regret in them. When he raised his chin again, his eyes were dark, blank. "I know where you live, Abarai."

"They have a pretty place overlooking the bridge!" he heard Orihime's voice ring in his head and he regretfully prayed she would forgive him for resorting to this.

The briefest flash of betrayal crossed Renji's eyes as he tightened his grip on his holster. Ichigo felt his own stomach sink in hot shame for having to use this kind of leverage on the one guard he didn't actually hate, but time was running out and Chad and Ishida's – and even Orihime's – safety was riding on how fast he could slip out of here. Preferably without Renji playing hero.

Renji, on the other hand, wondered if he would have given the other man a chance to explain himself if he hadn't stooped low enough to threaten the safety of his family. If there was an alternate universe where they could have stood on the same side.

"Are you threatening me, Kurosaki?" he asked coldly, his eyes hard and unforgiving now.

"Maybe I am," Ichigo replied, evenly, giving an unyielding stare of his own that he hoped didn't betray his speeding heartbeat.

They stared at each other for a moment, both hesitant to turn this into a confrontation but neither willing to relinquish their opposition to each other.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said, knowing Renji didn't care if he meant it. Not right now, maybe not ever. He could only hope that his apology would extend to Orihime, and keep her safe from the fallout of what would happen tonight. It was the least he could do, though that wasn't even saying much in the grander scheme of things that they'd fucked over. That he'd fucked over.

It was Renji's turn to say nothing.

For a split second, neither of them moved.

Then, at the same time, they lunged at each other.