Disclaimer: I do NOT own bleach. But you already know that so why bother.

"Normal speech"

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks

"Phone calls"/ Texts

A/N: Sorry again for the tardiness! I've been rather ill lately and haven't been able to fully concentrate on my writing. What I have published has been because it was already half ways at the very least.

I hope you enjoy this either way, and sorry once again.

#7#

He felt the breeze tug harshly onto his orange strands of hair. He tried to even out his breath as it came out in small clouds of air to show just how cold it really was. The orange head tried to ignore the shiver that went down his spine as he shifted his position very lightly while he kept visual on his target through the sniper scope. He dragged his body a little to the right on the cold floor of the rooftop as he once again, gave a deep breath and tried to accommodate himself so that he could remain unseen, yet ready to make a run for it in case someone came from behind. He had a bullet proof vest though. But it never hurt to be careful. And more so at the moment.

The highly trained sniper bit his bottom, full lip as he assessed his situation and narrowed his eyes on the white haired man with small, eerie, red eyes. He scrunched his eyebrows as he noticed how the man was now moving forward in the brightly lit room of the building across the street. He twirled his gloved finger slowly in the small area of the trigger guard while he carefully prepared his index finger to fire at any given time.

He had long removed the safety.

His victim was the leader of a slowly dying yakuza group. His name was Jin Kariya. And while the orange head harbored no ill feelings for the man, he could hardly say he was sorry for what he would do next. The only reason why he hadn't killed the blasted man yet was because he was waiting on the police to get to the site.

He sometimes hated working alongside the blue idiots that didn't even know how to wield a gun. Pft. Pathetic.

But even then he willed himself to stay still; making sure his breath came in slow and tamed inhales as he concentrated. However, not a second after, he started to hear static coming from his radio earpiece and licked his lips to moist them even if just a little. He didn't want his voice to crack when speaking to the one on the other end of the line. It would only come down to another heated reprimand and he needed to stay quiet.

Yet willing to keep his throat from feeling like a dry desert was hard.

"Ichigo, are ya still in position?"

He gave a long and audible sigh, biting his chapped lip as he suppressed the shiver that ran down his spine. He was getting fuckin' worse by the day.

"Y-yeah, I've been ready for a while now. Just waiting for the idiots to come into scene."

The one on the other end paused, and Ichigo silently held his breath as he knew the quiver in his voice was heard loud and clear. He was only hoping the topic wouldn't be pursued.

"…The Covert Ops will also be there. Along with a head of department. You can't necessarily call them all idiots."

"See if I care."

Ichigo only gave a loud snort before rolling his eyes, stiffening slightly when one of the white haired man's subordinates was beckoned forward.

'What is that bastard doing now?'

Apparently, the one transmitting the news noticed his sudden change in breathing and almost immediately quieted down; opting to wait and see if Ichigo was forced into action earlier then planned.

"Nobody knew of the ambush, right?" He asked, a low hint of apprehension barely noticeable beneath his controlled tone.

"Not that I know. Why, is something wrong?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes yet again, once more starting his rhythmic playing with the trigger as he extended his heightened senses.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Is he doing something suspicious?"

The orange head eyed the man once more as he noticed how he was given a syringe from one of his followers and stepped forward towards the bulky man with reddish hair. The white haired man suddenly stabbed the guy's forearm with the needle, and Ichigo found himself widening in eyes as he noticed just what they were doing. He cursed, followed by an annoyed tsk before making note as to who else was being injected.

"Their using drug. From what I see, it could be something to heighten the senses. Or maybe some Decardon to go into an adrenaline high. I don't really know, but it defiantly doesn't look good."

"Can you still finish the job? Get a clean shot?"

Ichigo scoffed as he tried to not roll his eyes and concentrate on the scene being played before him. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel the drugs were going to be the least of his problems.

"Of course I can, Shin. This doesn't hinder me at all. Though I can't say the same for the people on feet."

"Yeah, yeah, don't act so cocky mister smarty pants. The mission is a simple one. So if you finish up quickly, than ya can get yer ass back to resting. Didn't mean to get ya wrapped up on this job though. Besides, I know we ain't cool yet."

"Roger, out." He answered in an even tone, trying to not sound mad as he dismissed the man.

In the end, he merely pursed his lips into a thin line as he tried to not think of the disagreement he had with his family days before. He still hadn't spoken with anyone personally even if he had talked to Shinji on the phone when he tried to apologize and understand Ichigo's point of view.

It's not like it worked, mind you.

So instead, he tried to think of the mission he was given. It was simple enough, just like Shinji said. And though it was a mere snipe-the-leader-before-a-coup-d'état-comes-forth kind of job, he still had other shit to worry about. Like babysitting the rookies that were coming into the field today -and were finally arriving with the rest of the police. He really hated this, but it also came with the job. Ichigo had also heard that the department head would keep his distance. And though he thought it would be a nice way to teach the newbies, he still feared for their lives.

Not like anybody would die on his watch, though.

He was about to level out his breathing to stillness and prepare himself for the shot, but barely audible footsteps startled his highly sensitive senses. He turned at inhuman speeds, grasping his Five seven from the holster at his waist and aiming at the intruder with unreadable, brown eyes. All in a spasm of 2 seconds.

However, as he came in contact with cyan blue eyes, his own widened in unconcealed shock -breaking his previous composed state and feeling his heart making a painful tattoo on his chest. Yet, he never moved a single inch even as he clearly recognized the man. Ichigo never removed his gun.

On the other hand, Grimmjow didn't even seem threatened by the gun at point blank. He had his eyes hardened in unwavering resolve as he casually stood a few feet away from the orange head. The man, even when relaxed, could feel the almost tangible killer intent coming in waves from the smaller man but he still held his head high.

Seconds that seemed like hours passed by. The blunet never retracting his hands from the pockets of his black slacks and Ichigo keeping his steady hand ready to shoot as he had quickly composed his rattled state. The next second, though, the orange head gave a sigh of relief and dropped down his hand. He placed his gun back in its holster, once more going to lay on the floor as he adjusted the scope and kept visual of the target and the police surrounding the building. The orange haired sniper vaguely heard footsteps coming forth and before he knew it, the blunet was crouching down by his side.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon." The blunet muttered, voice barely above a whisper as he stayed hidden in the shadows as well.

The baritone voice sent shivers down his spine. A feeling foreign from the cold winds and his rising fever he was choosing to ignore. Ichigo could almost see the grin stretched on the others handsome features. The psychopathic-like smirk that promised a great deal of torture and pain, yet Ichigo only found himself mesmerized by the being behind him. He tried to form words, eyes darting from his victim to the rookie cops snooping around the structure as he wet his dry lips and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I-I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Yeah well, I would've liked to meet in better circumstances. But life doesn't listen to what we want, so I guess we'll just have to adapt."

The sniper gave a low chuckle, thoroughly agreeing with the other man as he tried to reevaluate his situation and make sure everything was in order. He still couldn't get rid of the apprehension he was feeling. And for some reason, he knew the blunet had nothing to do with it.

"Pretty accurate..."

Ichigo tried to avert his gaze from the scope to gaze at the man besides him. He was wearing a black, button up dress shirt to go with the darkness of the night. A holster strapped on his back holding two guns, a SW1911 and an M&P22. There was also a belt at his waist that kept knives, cuffs, ammo and other stuff in place. However, what really brought his attention, was the golden, shimmering badge.

"Are you the department head I was told about?"

The blunet rose and eyebrow at the question. He was curious as to why his presence wasn't questioned, but apparently the orange head was much more perspective than what he thought.

"Yeah, that's me. Though I wasn't told anyone else was coming. And the fact that I would be here should also be secret."

"Can't keep anything from us, remember. We're the ones that keep information from everyone else. Even our comrades."

For the record, Grimmjow only looked mildly annoyed as he scowled and shifted in his crouch. He tsk-ed, eyes narrowing on the building across the street and noticing his people entering the site while Ichigo stiffened and bit his lip in deep concentration.

The recruits started to invade the two story structure, not as subtle in their move as he would have liked but doing their job nothing the less. However, this didn't mean they were doing a good task. Suddenly, the ones with Kariya heard the noise and started to get up.

Ichigo noticed, rather skillfully, that another set of footsteps was nearing their location and coming nearer and nearer. Alarm bells went off, and the only thing making him stay put was the hand on his shoulder and the subtle movement the blunet made to get up while simultaneously throwing Ichigo's hood on to conceal his orange tresses.

The blunet grabbed one of his guns – the SW1911- from his holster, eyes trained on the edge of the roof where he knew the fire escape lay. He was going to make sure nothing went wrong with the mission. And Ichigo needed to complete his part or his men would pay the consequences. So if he would have to go down in the process, then so be it.

Ichigo, on the other hand, kept his full senses trained on the scene playing off across the street. For some reason, he knew that if anything happened, Grimmjow would be able gain him enough time to shoot. So he tuned out his surroundings. Only him and his prey. The squad getting near the main room, and the noise behind them approaching.

They both felt a rush of adrenaline. A pang of dread and preoccupation and nerves. Yet, before anybody noticed, time seemed to slow down and everything happened in a spasm of 10 seconds.

Ichigo breathed in as he grasped tightly his FN A3G rifle. Suddenly, the door to the main room where his kill lay, flew open and the police came forth. The orange head heard Grimmjow curse and move making the sniper realize he was out of time and at the same time, spot on. He exhaled, and pulled the trigger in a swift movement.

Then, time started again as glass across the street flew out and Ichigo hardly had time to move as he realized their visitor was now on the roof. A new gunshot, foreign from the chaotic disorder downstairs, tore the night, followed by a horde of bullets coming from his blue haired comrade.

"Get down!" He heard someone scream, the blunet being his only option making him obey without a second to spare.

Like if by pure instinct, the orange head grabbed his rifle and sprung into action. He gritted his teeth and ran behind the AC mechanism a few feet away from the blunet even as he noticed the pain assaulting his right thigh.

Apparently their company had thoroughly expected Ichigo to be on the floor and had directed his aim at ground level. Bastard. But he really didn't have time to think about the pain of his new injury. The newcomer sure as hell knew what he was doing. It was like if he knew of his presence. And that, all in all, was something to be surprised about.

There was actually a single person that Ichigo could think of that would be able to pull off a stunt like this. And let's just say that it didn't appease him in the least.

So he took everything in stride and concentrated on doing everything in his power to just get away. He quickly glanced to look at the department head hiding behind a metal box while shooting at their mystery assailant and decided he would get in action as well. Ichigo tried to blend into the wall of the AC, taking his usual mask out from his black overcoat and putting it on to further conceal his identity. It had been a good move on Grimmjow's part to rise his hood when he was still busy shooting so at least his identity was still secret.

As the assault was paused, Grimmjow noticed from the corner of his eye the shift in movement from his self-proclaimed partner. It was odd to see the handsome features of the orange head concealed but the blunet understood his predicament. However, the next action the berry took had him taken by surprise momentarily.

Ichigo had slung his rifle over his shoulder and had taken out his Five seveN. The act looked so ordinary and graceful. Like if he had done it so many times that Grimmjow could barely take his eyes off the elegant, lithe figure he knew to be his berry. However, before he could act, a grenade came out of nowhere, landing in-between the two men. Ichigo had already sprung to action, and before anyone noticed, the two authorities had moved their position.

Ichigo had ran forward and grabbed the blunet just in time to escape the explosion of the attack. The blue haired man had grudgingly followed along since he couldn't see shit. However, that didn't mean he stayed calm when the floor beneath his feet disappeared and he was pulled along by gravity.

Grimmjow had a little bit of problem getting oriented, but once he finally noticed they had fallen on a balcony, he settled down. The blunet turned to look at Ichigo to find him slightly crouched on the floor. He was peeling off the strands of his jeans to see the extension of his injuries but decided to leave it for later.

"Ya okay Grimm?"

"I think I should be asking that to you, Ichi."

Ichigo turned to look at the blue haired man with slight curiosity even when his face wasn't visible. Grimmjow hadn't seemed to be bothered by the mask, and Ichigo wasn't planning on taking it off.

"I'll be fine I guess. But we should hurry. Surely, that bitch will be on our heels."

Grimmjow didn't even question Ichigo's vast knowledge of information. He was starting to get the gist of how the undercover Japanese force worked and only decided to follow Ichigo down the fire escape. It was incredible how the orange haired man could stay so calm in such situation, like if he was so used to it, nothing seemed to affect him anymore. It was kinda sad, but more than anything it brought rage to the blue haired man.

They were about to completely descend to ground level when suddenly a grenade passed right by their noses. The blunet vaguely heard Ichigo curse, before he was thrown on the floor and covered by a lithe body. The next second, and explosion ensued and they were both thrown off the railing and onto the hard concrete floor. Grimmjow heard an ominous chuckle in the background, a voice that just pissed him off and at the same time made him want to barf.

He tried to stand up in the midst of the smoke, but found himself being pinned by Ichigo's body. The orange head moved slowly and clumsily the next second, and Grimmjow was finally given free rein to extract his gun and lazily help Ichigo to his feet.

The orange head also did the same once he steadied himself on unsure feet. He was starting to feel queasy with the blood lose and explosions going around but couldn't do much about it anyways.

"Oh~ Hard to kill now, aren't ya~?" A sing song voice flittered through the debris.

"Then I guess it'll be that much satisfying."

A figure started to form itself in between the smoke, and the person kept coming closer and closer until his face came into view. The male had a loop-sided smirk plastered on his face as his violet eyes scrutinized his prey. His raven hair was trimmed in a messy and uneven mane, effeminate features twisted into a sadistic expression as glee and a row of three pink stars just above his left eyebrow –tattoos.

"Luppi Antenor." Ichigo breathed out, his voice raspy and full of barely concealed pain that even Grimmjow had to do a double take.

"Ho~" The male responded, his voice just as playful "So you know me." His eyes narrowed on the masked man before him "Than I'll just have to make sure you're not left alive."

Suddenly, Luppi darted forward with all intents and purposes set on killing the man before him. However, Ichigo was quick to move and so was Grimmjow as the both took off on a shooting spree.

The lithe raven head moved skillfully in the narrow ally-way as he evaded almost every bullet and tried to move forward. He threw a knife, the sharp piece of metal narrowly missing its target as Ichigo dodged the blasted thing and twisted around to restock his gun un that lapse of two seconds. The knifes kept coming, this time being directed towards the two males making the bullet storm decrease slightly while giving Luppi an opening to strike.

His eerie, violet eyes narrowed on Ichigo as said person took a step back to dodge the next knife being directed at him point blank. He was about to twist around to evade the impalement, his body easily adjusted to speed fighting when suddenly his feet flattered. His head-ache deciding it was damn time to be noticed and making him slip on thin air.

Luppi smirked, his grin twisted and insane as he kept on going while Ichigo slowly fell. The orange head was sure he would be a goner when suddenly a bullet shot rang in the dead silence. The next noise being Ichigo's body falling with a thud on the cold concrete floor, and Luppi's corpse falling lifelessly with a hole right through the head.

Grimmjow cursed as he sprinted towards the fallen orange head that was starting to cough his lungs out. He crouched down and lifted the orange head on his lap, before hastily glancing around to make sure they were alone before removing the mask. He hated to see such beautiful being concealed by such a bone chilling mask but what nearly had him cursing once again, was Ichigo's flushed face which was a dead giveaway to a rising fever.

He tried to touch the orange head's forehead, his fingers inches away before a tanned hand halted his movement and chocolate colored eyes shone beautifully in the dead night –the mesmerizing orbs barely visible beneath pale eyelids.

"G-Grimm?"

His jaw clenched involuntarily as Ichigo sounded so lost and slightly weak. It was kinda odd how even when down the orange head could still maintain his dignity.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm right here, berry."

Ichigo furrowed his brows as he went to sit up. However Grimmjow had nothing of it as he tightened his grip on the smaller male's shoulders.

"Don't move around so much." Grimmjow supplied softly "Your thigh stopped bleeding for now and you hit your head when you fell. 'Might have a concussion or something."

Ichigo didn't make move to crawl off the comfy lap like earlier, but instead settled for shifting in his place and blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision.

"'Feel like crap, but doubt it's from the fall."

Grimmjow gave a low chuckle "Yeah, might be so. I think that fever of yours might have something to do with it."

The orange head winced as he tried to shift again. Apparently, no matter how much he moved he just couldn't settle down yet.

The blunet, noticing his discomfort moved his position so he was cradling the orange head on his arms instead. Ichigo's head placed comfortably in the nook between Grimmjow's neck and shoulder. The man seemed to settle down as he gave a tired sigh and relaxed into the embrace.

"Hey Grimm?" He asked after a full minute of peaceful silence –besides the gunshots in the distance and the police sirens echoing on the tall walls.

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

Grimmjow almost looked alarmed at the straightforward way he was asked. Ichigo rarely asked for things directly –of what he had learned from the orange head.

"Sure. Ask away kitten."

Ichigo looked mildly annoyed, half surprised at the new nickname before he gave a long suffering sigh that just read I-can't-believe-I-put-up-with-this-shit-but-I-finally-give-up-on-trying-to-change-your-mind. He couldn't quite comprehend why Grimmjow was so set on wooing him, but apparently he had something to fight for –besides his looks he supposed, because with the blunet's appearance, he could get anyone.

"I need you to help me get on my car. I'll handle the rest from there."

The blunet looked highly impressed as he gave Ichigo a disgruntled look. He tried to show his complete exasperation but was still quite sure he wouldn't even be able to convey half of it.

"You seriously think I'll let you go alone? If I take my eyes off you, I wouldn't be surprised if you bled out or left your fever as it is."

Ichigo defiantly didn't pout. He was simply pushing his bottom lip forward as an expression of petulant annoyance. And it was sure as hell not the definition of pout.

However, Grimmjow only found this astronomically cute and couldn't help but smirk at his berry.

Oh~ He could defiantly eat that strawberry.

"So? Lead the way."

The orange head merely huffed a breath even as a small smile involuntarily flittered from the corner of his lips. He glanced at Grimmjow from the corner of his eyes before reluctantly pointing towards the right.

"Through this ally-way, two blocks north, take a turn to the left and right away to the left again. There should be an old, rusty garage door half open. That's where I hid the car."

"Well," Grimmjow started, his strong body easily aiding him in carrying the orange head and his rifle while he stood up and trotted towards the direction he was given "you surely give a new definition to hidden."

Ichigo couldn't quite keep the smile from his voice this time around "Baka."

"I know~"

The rest of the trip was kept in relative silence as Grimmjow found the silver Ascari KZ1 right where he was told. He was mildly surprised at the monstrosity of a car he had stumbled upon but said nothing as Ichigo shuffled to get the keys out. He opened the car, gingerly placing Ichigo on the passenger's seat with all the care in the world along with the gun as he trekked around to the driver's seat. Once he was settled down, he asked the dozing man for directions before driving into the night and towards Ichigo's home –or at least, he hoped he was given directions towards his home.

In the end, Grimmjow was surprised to come face to face with a two story house sitting lonely in a calm and wealthy neighborhood. It was surrounded by other housed but it still managed to pull off that abandoned-but-at-the-same-time-not kind of vibe. He parked the car inside the garage before closing the metal door automatically and glancing to look at the orange head that was starting to stir awake. He was mildly disoriented but was starting to come along as he straightened up and glanced around. The blunet quickly got off and went around to once again grab the orange head into his arms before he reached out for the assault rifle. He didn't think it was such a good idea to leave a gun lying around and decided to take it inside.

The blunet entered through the garage door, forsaking the need to take off their shoes as he entered the rather homey house. It was weird how it remained lonesome yet still managed to keep the warm feeling of a place one would want to return to.

"Any chance I can get back on my feet?"

Grimmjow looked down at the settled man before snorting and continuing his scanning of the house. He was trying to find any hint as to where the bedrooms lay, but his best guess would be upstairs so he started to make way to the upper floor. As he arrived at the top, he found himself entering a new area of the house where there was a living room and a long hallway. He rose an eyebrow at the extension of the house as he gazed down through the railing placed on one side of the living room and found himself looking down at the main entrance –there was a chandelier right over the main door, a few feet higher than eye level. There were many doors around the place. And he couldn't quite decide on which to enter before shifting in his arms brought his attention.

"It's the door to your left, Grimm."

"This one?" he pointed towards a lonely door on the other side of the hall.

Ichigo nodded once before the blunet stalked forward and opened the door. It was a big bedroom –obviously the master bedroom- with a king sized bed along with bathroom and walk in closet. Grimmjow calmly placed the orange head on the bed before he finally went to touch the other's forehead. He immediately jerked back as he hissed and cursed at the heat. He was about to storm out of the room to look for a cloth in the bathroom and wet it to cool down the raging fever, when suddenly a warm hand grasped his wrist.

He stopped, body turning back to look at the flushed orange head and his slightly glazed eyes.

"What's the matter?"

Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows as he scanned the blunet for an answer. His gaze was fierce and hungry. That of a hunter analyzing his prey, but Grimmjow never jerked back. He returned the stare, his cyan blue eyes bearing holes into the orange head's skull in response.

"Why?" the voice came out raspy. Weak even as he tried to hide it. Almost sounding scared.

"Why what?" Grimmjow fought back, his eyes hard as steel as he leveled the other's stare.

"Why are you helping me without a single doubt? Why are you here tending to me? You didn't need to stay, nor bring me home, yet here you are. The question is, why?"

The blunet sighed as he averted his eyes and concentrated on taking off his shirt. Ichigo stared him down like a hawk the whole time, but Grimmjow never wavered as he teared a thick piece of cloth and started to wrap Ichigo's thigh.

"You're going to bleed out if this continues. I can't get that bullet out myself, but I'll call someone else to take it out as soon as I calm down your fever. But for now, this'll do."

He carefully tied a knot before applying a bit of pressure to make sure everything was fitted correctly. Suddenly his cyan blue eyes came back to stare into chocolate brown as he gave a small, warm smile in return.

This, however, made Ichigo's breath hitch in his throat as he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the beauty of the expression. It said so much, yet so little, that Ichigo found himself drowning in so much emotion. It was breath taking.

And it was beautiful.

"Because I can." Grimmjow suddenly started to say "Because I want to. And because I think I would kill myself if I left you to tend for yourself. What kind of an asshole would that make me? I'll tell you. An idiotic, highly brainless, tactless, unsightly asshole, that's what."

Ichigo stared astounded for a few seconds before he let out a startled huff of laughter that came out more like a grunt. This was all just highly unimpressive.

"Are you trying to look cool? You're still acting like an idiot."

"I never said otherwise." The blunet affirmed "And you might be looking for reasons, but there are no reasons."

Ichigo gave a wry smile in response. One that looked slightly strained as he stared into deep blue that seemed to swallow his very being. He was being pulled into those orbs. Gravity doing nothing as he willed his heavy body to sit up straighter so he could reach that perfect man. His hand going forth to cup the blunet's right cheek as he brushed his thumb underneath those eyes that drove him crazy.

Grimmjow leaned closer, his eyes exclusively locked on those chocolate colored eyes he loved as his lips twitched into a small smirk before he gave a low chuckle and dove in to seal his mouth over perfect, full lips. They were even softer than what he expected, the other's lips fitting perfectly with his own as he deepened the kiss and was responded with equal fervor. It was innocent, but just as much passionate. And when the need for air arose, neither retracted themselves much from the other, breaths mingling as Grimmjow broke into a feral, face-splitting grin, and Ichigo gave a low chuckle.

"You know, Grimm?"

"What?" He responded, his silly grin plastered on his face and looking about as permanent as it can get.

"I had bandages in the bottom drawer."

The blunet blinked in mild surprise as his smirk subsided and he glanced back to look at his ruined, bloody shirt, than back at the orange head which was still chuckling. He shrugged, a blend between a laugh and a scoff coming out as his smirk came back in full force.

"You know, I would have expected something else. Like how that was amazing. Or how it was mind blowing. Or how I wish we could kiss again. Not my fuckin' shirt."

Ichigo just couldn't help widening his smile even with his rising fever and his cotton stuffed brain.

"Than what would you do if I kissed you right now?"

Grimmjow didn't even miss a heartbeat "Than I would kiss you back."

"Not enough." Ichigo breathed out seductively "If you kissed me all day, every day, for the rest of my life, it still wouldn't be enough."

"Then," He grinned in response, his razor sharp teeth and baritone voice sending shivers down Ichigo's spine "I'm going to kiss you, and I don't know if I'll ever stop."

"You'll get sick." Ichigo answered, his lips once again inches away from the blunet's.

"It would be totally worth it."

To be continued…

A/N: I do not know how this escalated to a kiss… oh well, all that ends well, goes well.