With fingers wrapped around a hefty, ornate door knocker, Ichigo took a steadying breath. He slammed it three times and stepped back, running his tongue over swollen lips. There would be questions, ones he didn't want to answer even if he was able to. Only a brief wait longer, the door creaked open. "Hey, Ru."

"Oh, my God, Ichigo, what happened? You're all bruised!"

"M'fine," he grumbled as he dodged her probing fingers. "Don't worry about it."

Rukia crossed her arms, indignant. "How can I not worry about it? Have you seen yourself?"

"Just got a little rough at the dojo." He cocked a sly smile. "You should see the other guy."

"That's not funny."

"You gonna let me in or just stand there and mother me all day?"

She sighed but stood aside to allow entrance into the grandiose home.

"Your brother here?" Ichigo asked, stepping over the threshold.

"No, he's away at a division-head meeting today." Her eyes narrowed as she examined Ichigo's profile. "You got those from karate?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm pretty sure the rules don't allow biting, Ichigo."

He clamped a hand to his neck. "Lay off, will you? Why do you always have to be in my business?"

"You could've just told me you had a date, you know." Rukia's shoes clicked on the marble floor as she strode towards her room. "Does the owner of those teeth have a name?"

Ichigo groaned. "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you."

She put her hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Don't talk." She reached for her doorknob then leaned back against the door to face Ichigo, grinning. "I'm just glad to know you broke your dry spell." Rukia cackled and slipped into her room before Ichigo could react to her comment on his sex life.

When he followed her, she was already splayed over her bed, feet dangling off the side. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." He grabbed her desk chair, flipped it around, and sat down straddling the back. He rested his chin on crossed arms. "Any news on Orihime?"

"It's not my case, Ichigo."

"Well…" He paused, wanting to be careful about his wording. "Have you heard from that guy you came around with?"

"His partner said he quit."

"Quit?"

"Yeah. The partner doesn't talk much, so I didn't get a lot out of him. Apparently, he's very busy training his replacement."

Ichigo bit the inside of his cheek to hold back choice insults he had for said replacement. As he stewed in his distaste for the future Sexta Espada, Rukia suddenly sat up on her elbows.

"I wanted to ask you something about that guy, actually."

"What?" Snapped from rumination, his face pinched in confusion. "What guy?"

"Jaegerjaquez. Well, more so about what happened the last time I was with him." She lay back down, hands folded on her stomach. "I've been afraid to talk to anyone about it. I feel like I don't know who I can trust anymore."

"You can always trust me, Ru. What happened?"

"When we went to talk to Chad, he did—they both did something… superhuman. Chad was trying to close his apartment door, but Jaegerjaquez had stuck his foot in, and it just… bent around his foot. And then when Chad opened the door, his arms looked metal."

Ichigo's eyes were wide. He hadn't spoken to Chad since he warned him not to talk, and while he knew Grimmjow had seen his enhancements, it hadn't occurred to him that Rukia did too. He didn't know how to respond to her.

"I know, weird, right? I wondered if maybe I was just imagining things, since Jaegerjaquez brushed it off, but it's all I've been able to think about for two weeks. He told me Chad's arms were Urahara's doing. Could that even be possible?"

Thoughts firing at a rapid pace, Ichigo opened and closed his mouth to speak several times. It was now or never. "Rukia," he started, his tone measured.

Seeing his serious expression, Rukia pulled herself up to perch at the edge of her bed, eyebrows knit together. "He was right. You do know him."

"Do you remember what happened to Kaien?"

A flame of anger lit behind her eyes. "Of course I remember. My SAC had a mental break and murdered his wife before begging me to kill him so he wouldn't hurt me, too. How could I forget that?"

"What if I told you that's not exactly what happened? That it wasn't a mental break, that someone did that to him?"

"I would ask you why you've been keeping secrets about your cousin's death for three years. And what this has to do with Urahara."

"I can answer those questions, but I need to know that it'll stay between us, Ru."

The conflict in Rukia's mind was evident all over her face. Ichigo knew that she would want the truth about Kaien. He hoped it was enough for her to risk her job. She took a shaky breath. "Alright. Don't make me regret this, Ichigo."

He pulled out his phone and dialed, holding it to his ear. "Yo? Can you pick me up at Rukia's place? It's time we bring her into all this. Yeah, I'm sure. I know. Thanks." Hanging up, he stood from the chair and returned it to its place at the desk. "She'll be here soon. It's not gonna be easy to hear, but I promise you it will be the truth. And, uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Your phone has to stay here."

"What is he doing here?"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Ya really didn't tell her anything before you brought her here, huh?"

"Thought it'd be easier to believe if she could see it with her own eyes."

"Your partner said you quit," Rukia spat.

"Is that the lie he's goin' with? S'pose it's less trouble than admittin' he tried to have me killed." His lip curled in disgust. "'Specially since he thinks I'm actually dead."

"He thinks you're dead?"

"Yeah. Prolly would be, too, if Ichigo hadn't'a brought me here. They ripped my fuckin' arm off, Kuchiki."

She looked him up and down, then raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a third arm I don't know about?"

Grimmjow pulled on the collar of his t-shirt, exposing the sutures lining his shoulder. "Just the one that bastard Luppi took. Are you here to get the truth or just sass me?"

"Ichigo had plenty of time to tell me the truth in the car. He made me wear a blindfold and noise-cancelling headphones instead."

"Can you two stop antagonizing each other for five goddamn seconds?" Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated. "Or at least wait until after we sit down?" He dropped onto a couch in the common area.

Grimmjow took his place next to Ichigo, slouched with his legs spread and arm draped over the sofa back.

Rukia sat in a small armchair opposite them. Her eyes darted between the men, and her mouth fell open. "Oh. My. God."

"Rukia." Ichigo's tone was warning, like a parent chiding a child. "Don't."

"He's the owner of the teeth! Are you serious? This guy?"

"Shut up, it's none of your business!"

Grimmjow laughed, sharp and barking. "I knew you couldn't lie to her. Should'a let Yoruichi put the make-up on ya."

"She's not my color," Ichigo grumbled through gritted teeth. "Are you guys done making fun of me? Can we move on?"

"Aw, I wasn't making fun a'ya, Ich." Reaching up from where his arm rested, Grimmjow ruffled the back of Ichigo's hair. "Just bein' honest. You're a shitty liar."

"Really?" Rukia's voice was cold. "Because it seems like Ichigo has been lying an awful lot lately to me."

"Ru…"

"What happened to Kaien?"

Ichigo sighed. "Are you familiar with the minor enhancements SACs sometimes go through as part of the Seireitei's cybernetics program?"

"Not especially. I know he was in the hospital recovering from a procedure that day."

"Right. But the procedure went wrong. Well, it was tampered with, to be more accurate."

"Who would do something like that? What would they even have to gain?"

"The director of Hueco Mundo Intelligence, Sousuke Aizen. He was experimenting with mind-altering augmentations."

"The director of Hueco Mundo Intelligence experimented on your cousin, leading to his death, and you're sleeping with one of his agents?" Rukia jabbed a finger toward Grimmjow.

"'Sleeping with' is a strong—it was just one—" Ichigo sputtered, his ears reddening.

"I ain't his agent anymore, Kuchiki. He wanted me dead 'cause I wouldn't play ball. I'm not on that bastard's side."

"Am I supposed to believe that you'd cut ties so quickly?"

"Believe it or don't, I got nothin' to prove to you."

"Ichigo is one of my best friends! I'm not going to just let him—"

"He's a big boy, he can make his own decisions. Sorry they ain't to your liking." Grimmjow paused, cocking his head. "Actually…" He pulled on his undereye with his middle finger and stuck out his tongue. "I'm not fuckin' sorry at all."

Ichigo threw an arm in front of Grimmjow's chest as if to hold him back, the other gesturing a frustrated question. "Am I gonna have to separate you two?" He looked between them pointedly. "Can you not get over yourselves?"

Rukia crossed her arms, avoiding his gaze. "I can't say that I understand…" She spoke slowly, her words deliberate. "Or that I approve, but… I trust your judgement. If you believe him, then I believe him."

"Thank you, Ru." He turned to Grimmjow, eyebrows raised in expectance.

"What? She was the one with the problem, not me."

Ichigo's expression sharpened into a glare.

Grimmjow huffed. "Fine. I'll play nice." He pushed at the restraining hand and it fell to his lap, giving his thigh a quick squeeze in thanks.

Rukia cleared her throat, her eyes remaining fixed on what must be a particularly interesting vinyl tile. "So, the Director?"

Ichigo's roaming fingers pulled away, and he leaned forward, forearms resting on knees. "He's been pushing the limits of cybernetics for years. Kaien was just another casualty of that. From what Urahara said, it seemed Aizen was looking for a way to make his subjects more pliant, more susceptible to his influence."

"What, like mind control?" Her attention finally raised from the floor.

"Kind of. It didn't work, though. Kaien resisted. He broke through to you, or you broke through to him, I don't know, but he regained control long enough to… Well… you know."

"Long enough to tell me to shoot him, you mean."

"He told you he didn't want to lose himself again. He knew what he'd done to Miyako. He didn't want to do the same to you."

"How do you—" Rukia pressed fingertips to her lips, her eyes wet. "I've never told you that."

"Urahara keeps eyes on the Seireitei's cybernetics reports. Looking out for incidents Aizen might have been responsible for. Kaien was one of them."

"How long have you been working with him?"

"With Urahara?" Ichigo leaned back into the couch. "My whole life. He's practically family. I didn't want to lie to you, Ru, but I didn't want him thrown in prison for something he didn't do either."

She tapped her cheek in thought. "I take it Aizen was responsible for what happened to the Visored?"

"Yes."

"And Orihime?"

"Most likey."

"No evidence of any of this, either?"

"Nothing that would hold up in court."

Rukia crossed her ankles, smoothing the skirt of her dress over her thighs. "Then it seems we have our work cut out for us, don't we?"

Ichigo's lips parted slightly, gaped in a moment of surprise before breaking into a grin. "You bet your ass we do."

"Ya got an idea where to start, Kuchiki?"

"I have some… thoughts on the matter, yes."

Pages, folders, photos, the floor was covered in files spilling from their many boxes. Grimmjow sat on the tile, one leg jutting in front of him awkwardly, rifling through cases Rukia had "borrowed" from the Seireitei. Ichigo knelt across from him, thumbing something from Urahara's archives. The logo on the front told Grimmjow it came from the office of his former employer. "S'that mine?"

Ichigo's eyes didn't raise from where they scanned the documents. "Hmm?"

"That file's Espada. Is it mine?"

He flipped the folder in his fingers, and Grimmjow locked onto a photo of emerald eyes that made a shiver run down his spine. "Yoruichi finally got her paws on this. Was considerably more difficult than swiping yours, I'm told."

"'Cause there's prolly a lot worse shit in there. Pretty sure Ulquiorra gets sent on the dirtiest of dirty jobs."

"I get that impression from his file. His augs are intense, too. I'm not sure I wanna see what the three above him had done."

"More intense than mine?"

"I dunno, maybe it just has a squick factor that yours didn't have." He laid the folder over his knee, fingers running over words. "Like this thing with his eye, that it's basically a camera he can pop out of the socket to pull recordings off of?" Ichigo shivered, sticking out his tongue. "Gross."

"You should see the hole it leaves in his head when he takes it out."

"You've seen him use that one?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "It was more useful in our line of work than a lotta other shit we have done."

Ichigo hummed in understanding, still glued to the pages. He wrinkled his nose. "Jesus, he's brutal."

"What'd ya read?"

"Looks like he's got quite the MO. These photos of his victims, they've all got this same chest wound, always the same spot. The way it's described in the reports, too… They really turn you guys into lethal weapons, huh? I think he kills with just his hand."

Grimmjow froze. "What?" Ichigo tossed him one of the pictures, and he held it with a shaking hand. The gaping hole in the victim's chest… "Holy shit." He reached for another box Rukia had brought, this one taken from the trunk of his car, still in the hospital parking lot plus one tire boot. He grabbed the folder lying on top and tore it open. Greeting him were the two cops from the alley, with the same holes in the same place. "Holy shit. I'm a fucking idiot!"

"What—" The file landed on Ichigo's lap before he finished his question. He looked at the crime scene photos, eyes wide, then skimmed the words beneath them. "These are the cops that were escorting Orihime?"

"He was the one who took 'er. I should'a known. He kept sayin' shit that would make my skin crawl, but still I never thought…" His claws twitched under his fingertips. "So stupid!"

"Oi!" Ichigo swatted Grimmhow's shin with the folder. "None of that. You're not stupid or an idiot. I mean, come on, how often do detectives arrest their partners for a crime they were both investigating. It's a little crazy, Grimm."

"I've never been in a combat situation with him as an Espada, only as a special agent. I've never seen him… Fuck, and Szayel knew, too. I thought he was tryin' to say that one of us had done it, but he was tryin' to say a specific one of us had done it. To let Ulquiorra know that he knew."

"There's no reason you should have seen this before now. Stop beating yourself up over it." Ichigo rubbed Grimmjow's ankle where his sweatpants had ridden up. "Maybe you should go back to the Seireitei files, get your mind off of this?"

"My eyes are tired. Why'd we get saddled with this schlep work, anyway? Kuchiki dumps a bunch'a boxes on us, and we gotta be the ones to sift through it all?"

"Rukia has a job."

"So do you."

Ichigo blinked. "I, uh… Technically. But it's just working for my dad, it's not like—"

"Not that I don't like havin' ya around, but I think you could be doin' a better job of at least pretending to live your normal life. I mean shit, when was the last time you even went home?"

He looked up and to the side, head tilted and eyebrows pinched. "Thursday night? I think I left Friday morning."

"It's—" Grimmjow rolled his wrist, arm heavy in his lap, to look at his watch. 00:35. "Sunday now, Ichigo."

"Shit, is it really? I got so wrapped up in feeling like we were finally getting somewhere…"

"Go home. This stuff'll still be here in the morning."

"My dad knows where I am." Ichigo pushed the files from his lap, crawling delicately across the paperwork with a playful smile. "What if I want to stay here with you?"

Grimmjow could feel his face tightening, teeth clenched so hard it hurt.

Ichigo reared back on his toes. "Do you not want that?" The words fell out as a hurried murmur.

Something caught in Grimmjow's throat, and he swallowed, saliva going down thick like syrup. A strangled noise escaped from within him, some strange mix of a whine and a growl. He tried to speak around the choking feeling. "No, I—I do want that. But they're watchin' you, Ich. Do you know how long I was at the hospital before they knew I was talkin' to Ishida? Couldn't'a been longer than ten, maybe fifteen minutes. It'd set off some alarms if ya don't ever fuckin' go home. I just—I don't want you—" He tried to shy his face away, but his cheek was caught by a warm hand, pad of the thumb rubbing against messy stubble.

"You're worried about me."

He puffed harsh air out his nose. "Just got first-hand experience being on the wrong side of those assholes is all."

"Hey. Look at me."

He did, and he found himself drowning in those amber eyes again. He could see the sincerity there, almost felt like he knew the words Ichigo would speak before he heard them.

"I have that first-hand experience, too. You're right. I should be more careful." Ichigo leaned in and kissed him, pressing against him with crushing force, as if the strength of their lips alone could make his next statement more true. "But we're not gonna go down without a hell of a fight, alright?"

And Grimmjow believed him.