Warning: Lots of Cussing, smutty-ness (No actual smut just yet though), and some gore. And I know the beginning is a little… uneventful, but I'm sure you'll like it after a little while.

::Chapter 1::

"I don't see why we have to follow him… He's a big boy; I'm sure he can handle himself." A gruff voice complained as two felids sped through the dense forest, the millions of trees engulfing them as they ran deeper inside.

Their steps were silent, cautious, and they would've been completely unnoticeable if it weren't for a certain someone who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Just be quiet, Renji! We were given a direct order by King Isshin to follow his son. I know Isshin may be a little… dopey, but we mustn't ignore his orders. Can't you understand how anxious he must be? This is his only son's first hunting mission. Be a little sympathetic, would you!" A sleek black lynx retorted with a wave of her hand. Her redheaded partner snorted and sighed in exasperation.

"I understand that. I'm just sayin'…" He shot back angrily but then clenched his teeth with a hiss. "Ya know he's gonna kill us if he finds out we followed him, right?" He began to quicken his step as he said this. He seemed somewhat nervous now, almost fearful of what would happen to them if Isshin's son were to really spot them.

"Why do you think that? We're only making sure he doesn't hurt himself, we—" She was cut off by her partner's growl.

"Exactly! He's not a helpless lil' kitten anymore, Rukia. Hell, he took down Kenpachi, a damn ferocious wolf! If he sees us, then he'll know that his father was the one who sent us, and he'll take that as a sign that we think he's too weak to go hunting on his own. Do ya realize how offended he'd be?" He explained to the small female that ran beside him. His sharp red eyes, however, never left the path of trees that zipped past them. His long crimson hair and tail whipped behind him as he gradually increased his speed, making his partner fall behind slightly.

Rukia's large midnight eyes spotted her partner's furry ears twitch nervously and she suppressed the urge to sigh.

He was right though, Ichigo would rip their throats out if he even caught a whiff of them.

She felt her own black ears bend back timidly at the thought.

"Stop."

Rukia slid to a halt just as Renji shot out his arm in front of her and stopped as well.

"What?" She asked as she looked around, her eyes wide and alert for anything suspicious, but she stopped when she saw her partner raise his head and sniff cautiously. She began to do the same, and almost cursed aloud when she smelt the slight tang of something she knew all too well.

Blood.

"C'mon." Renji ordered quietly as he stealthily clawed his way up a nearby tree. Rukia followed closely behind, and it didn't take long for them to weave their way through the pointy branches. They followed the scent until they made it to its source.

Both felines peeked out of the throng of leaves that blocked their way, only to widen their eyes and gasp at what they saw.

A once green field covered in blood.

Splotches of it.

Everywhere.

It was an unmistakable knell—a warning—that said that bad things were going to happen… and soon.

"You don't think…" Rukia started, transfixed, as she swept her eyes over the gory sight.

The once clean ground was drenched in crimson and there were small craters that littered the field, showing off brown, bare earth, instead of fresh green grass. There were even fresh chunks of meat thrown across the place, which told them two things: One, it showed that the killer had no respect for their prey, and two, judging by the fresh state of the scattered limbs, they had been here recently.

It definitely looked like something Ichigo was capable of… but…

"No… It has ta be them. It couldn't have been Ichigo." Renji snapped quickly, and he took one last long look at the gruesome scene with an insulted expression before turning and jumping off the branch, landing on the ground gracefully. "Damn, I lost his trail." He hissed in pure annoyance as he began sniffing at the air for that fruity scent that was uniquely Ichigo's. His crimson tail bristled in frustration when he couldn't detect it anywhere. Rukia landed on the soft earth beside him and let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Would you calm down, Renji? You're way too tense." She hummed sternly as she began to drag her partner forward.

"How can I be calm!? Those bastards are 'ere, and Ichigo's around somewhere. Who knows what'll happen if he gets caught by 'em!" He snarled while exposing his sharp canines, letting them glisten in what little sunlight that streamed through the leaves. He then snatched his arm away from Rukia's petite hands and began to sprint past her.

Rukia rolled her eyes and whispered, "And who was the one that said he could take care of himself?" Then she took off after him. 'Please don't get yourself in trouble… Ichigo.'

However, unknown to them, Ichigo was perfectly fine.

He was currently ducked low behind a small bush, furry ears lying flat against his head and blending in nicely with the mess of orange he liked to call hair. The white tip of his striped tail twitched back and forth impatiently as he watched his newfound prey pace back and forth across the grass restlessly.

'Come onnn' He hissed mentally as his impatience skyrocketed.

After a while, the unsuspecting buck finally sat down in the shade of a tree, a tired huff escaping his narrow maw. Ichigo was almost tempted to walk out and ask what the deer was waiting for, but quickly squashed that little bit of curiosity.

No use getting to know your dinner, right?

'Damn it… I'm getting too used to having other animals as friends… I blame Yoruichi for that…'

He slowly began to raise his haunches, his buttocks and tail swaying back and forth as he prepared himself to attack. His muscles were practically quivering with suppressed adrenaline, and that's when he let loose, quickly hurtling himself out of the bushes and straight at the startled buck.

Ichigo made quick work of killing his frozen prey by pouncing on its strong back and taking hold of its antlers to help snap the buck's thick neck. There was a soft, sickening 'pop' as the deer's head was practically ripped from its body, but it was a quick and painless death, which is just how Ichigo wanted it to be. He didn't want to make his prey suffer, because not only did it make the meat taste dull, but he would feel bad putting anything in pain. Torturing things just never sat right with him, and what use was it to hurt something that was going to help ease your hunger?

He even hated the thought of hurting enemies.

But don't get him wrong—if push came to shove, Ichigo wouldn't hesitate to kill, especially when it came to protecting his friends and family.

Sighing softly, he carefully stood up and dusted off his tight light-brown pants—most of the animals in his 'family' wore tight pants, seeing as loose ones just got in the way when you ran, and the males never really bothered to put on shirts, unlike the females who would complain about their bosoms showing—not that Matsumoto ever cared... Ichigo chuckled lightly as he slowly bent down to pick up his kill so he could lay it limply atop his shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get you home…" Ichigo whispered as he pushed his way through the bush and fern.

He casually made his way through the forest towards that dirt path that led to the Karakura pride-lands (Very unoriginal I know… xD).

His home. [(oh the cheesy-ness indeed xD)]

Letting a small smile slip onto his face, Ichigo looked up at the sky that was barely visible through the leaves.

'Ah~ It's nice to finally be out here on my own. And now that I have this for dinner,' Ichigo softly patted the dead buck's side that he was holding onto, 'I can prove to everyone that I'm not some little cub that needs to be taken care of anymore.' His smile grew bigger at this, but it automatically dropped when a familiar scent reached his sensitive nose. It smelt like the ocean breeze, but with a hint of blackberries.

'Renji…' Ichigo growled viciously as said felid suddenly rushed out onto the dirt path in front of him.

"You had better not be doing what I think you're doing." Ichigo hissed as his tail whipped behind him in a sign of aggression, but he stopped walking and almost stumbled face-first to the dirt when he took in Renji's appearance. The crimson tiger's red hair was in disarray and he seemed out of breath, but what made Ichigo's eyes widen was the fact that there was a bloody gash running across the taller male's well-muscled chest, and there were bruises littered across his black-striped face. Even the redhead's favorite pair of tight pants was nothing but shredded rags that hung precariously on his hips. "What happe—" Ichigo was cut off by Renji's panicked wheezing.

"Ichigo… She—Rukia… taken… Espada... I couldn't…" That was all he was able to say through his labored breathing, but Ichigo understood him perfectly.

Acting quickly, and being the over-protective felid he was, he instantly dropped his kill, letting it fall to the dirt, and then bolted in the direction that the other tiger had come from. He didn't bother to ask if Renji would be okay, because Ichigo knew that the redhead could survive from a little scratch like that—having personally given Renji several wounds and broken limbs before.

Using his nose, Ichigo swerved through the trees and towards Rukia's familiar scent that smelt slightly of a newly opened box of crayons—which isn't surprising since you can usually find her in her little den, doodling on the walls like some cavewoman.

Ichigo growled.

If she had really been taken by the Espada, then he couldn't waste any time.

The tiger silently urged his legs to move faster and he became nothing but a blur as he sped through the forest.

'They're close!'

The faint thudding of paw-steps could be heard in the distance and it was getting closer and closer, until Ichigo finally spotted the group of stampeding animals a few yards ahead of him.

'Holy shit… is that a gorilla?'

The tiger quickly shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts then took note of how many animals were there before slowing down and crouching below the sea of bushes and tall grass so they couldn't see him.

'There's way too many to fight at once… That Gorilla would be hard enough to handle on its own. Guess I'll have to take them out one by one.'

With that in mind, Ichigo swiftly moved until he was right beside one of them, a golden-blonde female cougar. Just as she spotted him, Ichigo pounced and knocked her unconscious before she could make a noise.

Luckily none of the others noticed, and they continued running.

Ichigo gave chase and took down the cats slowly, one at a time, but there were still three of them left standing when they finally noticed his presence. The orange tiger was instantly circled, but his attention was solely on the Gorilla that was holding onto Rukia's unconscious body.

"Release her!" Ichigo snarled, his teeth bared threateningly and orange tail lashing back and forth. His stance was aggressive, but none of the other hybrids seemed to be intimidated.

"Hey Cuatro, looky here. It's a little kitty cat! Ya think the boss will be interested in 'im?" The huge ape said as he shifted Rukia carelessly in his big, fat arms. Ichigo hissed and his tail bristled in anger.

"Don't just fucking ignore me! Put her down you ball of brainless monkey fluff!" Ichigo snarled, but it only served to amuse them.

"I dun know if th' boss'll like 'im but I sure as hell would love a go at the feisty kitten."

Ichigo quickly turned and his eyes widened.

Standing in front of him was the tallest animal he'd ever seen, even taller than Kenpachi!

The tiger quickly took a few steps back and glared daggers at the taller cat—who, by the smell of him, could either be a Leopard or a Jaguar, but looking at the spotted tail, Ichigo could tell that he was a clouded leopard.

The orange tiger quickly took a look at the third cat, who seemed to be the current ring leader, judging by his silent and overbearing demeanor. He was a snow leopard, with emerald green eyes, which was quite a rare species to be found around these parts.

"Whatchya say, Cuatra. Can I 'ave 'im?" The tall one said to the 'ring leader' as he took a step towards the aggressive tiger.

Ichigo growled deep in his throat and raised a clawed hand in warning, but the leopard paid him no heed.

"Halt, Quinta Espada." The white feline replied in an emotionless voice, and the taller one immediately stopped. Ichigo lowered his hand slightly, but his eyes never left the clouded leopard's form. "Give him to Sexta." He said with a slight hint of amusement in his monotone voice.

"Ha! Yer right! Sexta would love him. He always had a soft spot fer orange cats… Never knew why though." The stupid ape-man said with a loud boisterous laugh that seemed to shake the earth.

"Would you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here!!! And I'm not going to be 'given' to anyone! Just give me Rukia back and I won't have to hurt you." Ichigo snarled as he eyed each animal angrily.

"Ha! The kitten has a pretty big mouth, m'sure Sexta would like ta fix tha'." The tall leopard purred with a weird gleam in his narrow eyes… eye—Ichigo only just now noticed the eye patch that the leopard wore. Shaking his head, the tiger hissed and was about ready to pounce on the skinny felid, but he stopped when he smelt something.

It smelt of… jasmine and… blueberries?

'Why the hell does that smell so familiar.'

"Speak of the devil." The Cuatra said, not even blinking when a blue blur came stomping into the clearing.

"Where the fuck 'ave ya guys been!? How hard is it to grab a fucking kitty-pet and get your fat asses back!!? HUH!?" Came a gruff, harsh voice as the feline stalked closer. Ichigo felt every hair on his head and tail bristle as the intimidating feline drew closer. He had bright, sky-blue hair and hidden in the unruly hair were two dark blue—almost black—ears and a tail that was just as dark, swerved gracefully behind him. 'A panther… I didn't think there were anymore of those around after that one skirmish years ago…' Ichigo thought as he continued to take in the large felid's appearance. He was tall, and— unlike Ichigo's slim body which was built for speed—his body was broad and definitely built for strength. Hard muscles rippled beneath his tan skin, and Ichigo felt somewhat… nervous in his dominating presence.

"Yeah, yeah! We know! We were on our way back, when this lil' pipsqueak decided ta knock out half our gang and demand the kitty-pet back. And we were gonna bring 'im back for your ungrateful ass, but now I think I'll keep 'im all ta myself." The clouded leopard growled and then turned his attention back to the tiger.

"Didn't you hear me before asshole!!? I don't belong to anyone!! Fucktards!!" Ichigo yelled, losing his temper. But, again, it only amused the others. His dark auburn eyes tried glaring holes in their smirking faces.

"Keh. Wuh makes ya guys think I'd want a whiny bitch like 'im?" The Panther said, a wide grin taking over his pompous face and his deep blue eyes glittered tauntingly.

"Well, your always sayin' that ya like a challenge. And I figured since he 'ad orange hair…"

"Yeah, I do like a challenge. But tha' lil' pussy doesn't even look like he'cn throw a punch, le' alone put up a good fight." He scoffed and he stared at the small-ish tiger in a condescending way, all while completely ignoring the whole 'orange-hair' comment.

Ichigo had had enough, his temper was now off the charts, and he wanted to let out his frustrations on someone.

And the panther seemed like the perfect candidate for the job.

Ichigo spread his clawed fingers and leapt at the taller blue-haired hybrid with startling speed. The panther was caught off-guard at first but he quickly recovered and got in a defensive stance. Ichigo's claws dug into the panther's raised arms, ripping the flesh and splattering blood across the other's face. Ichigo then quickly released him just before he could counterattack.

Ichigo's tail lashed back and forth and his mouth hung open slightly, showing off sharp canines. The blue-haired felid hissed ferociously and began to circle his enemy slowly—almost tauntingly—while taking in every little detail.

That's when he finally smelt the other's fruity scent.

A sense of déjà vu overcame the panther, and he faltered in his step, which gave Ichigo just enough time to pounce.

"C'mon Sexta! Ya can do better than that!!" The gorilla cheered on, nearly loosing his grip on the small black lynx in his arms.

"Shuddup Decima. Let the guy pay attention to the damn fight!" The clouded leopard growled as he sat down on the grassy earth. The other leopard merely remained standing, his green eyes watching the fight very closely.

"Haha! Ya've got s'm nice moves, kit!" The panther laughed as he blocked a kick aimed at his head by grabbing Ichigo's slim ankle.

The tiger growled when he also noticed that the scratches on his opponent's arms had already stopped bleeding.

"What the hell are you made of!? Fucking steel!?" Ichigo growled in frustration before letting his hands fall to the floor behind him so he could push himself up and kick his other foot out, making it connect solidly with the Panther's gut.

The Sexta hissed in slight pain and released the tiger's ankle as he stumbled back.

"Fuckin' Dandelion." He grumbled while rubbing at his abused torso, which immediately stopped the orange felid's next attack.

"W…. What'd you just call me?" Ichigo whispered, auburn eyes growing wide. His bright hair wisped around his face gently, though his body remained motionless.

"I called ya dandelion. What of it?" The panther growled back, which made Ichigo snap out of his little trance.

"Don't fucking call me that!!" He yelled before starting his flurry of attacks once again, only with much more determination this time.

"I can call ya whatever the fuck I wan'! Dandelion!" The panther taunted as he dodged each attack.

"QUIT IT!"

"DANDELION!!"

"I said stop it!"

"Dan-Dee-Lie-Un!!"

"GRAHH!" Ichigo jumped in the air and landed atop the larger felid, making them tumble to the ground. They then became a mass of orange and blue fur as they rolled around in the grass, hissing and scratching at each other all the while.

Another wave of Déjà vu washed over the blue panther as he pinned the smaller cat to the ground and stared down at his struggling form.

"Why… Why the hell do ya seem so familiar?" He whispered to himself, just low enough so Ichigo couldn't hear him, which he probably wouldn't have been able to anyway, since the kid couldn't stop snarling. "Calm down would ya!" He growled as the tiger attempted to claw at his face, but he pinned the hands down by their skinny wrists just before they were able to touch him.

Ichigo arched his back and tried to twist his body away from his attacker but it was no use. He could only lay there and pant heavily, but that still wasn't enough to make him give up.

"Stupid fucking asshole! LEGGO!" Ichigo screamed as he kicked out helplessly, but the panther only pressed his body down on top of his to keep him still.

After a moment though, all of his wiggling seemed to pay off, because he somehow found enough room to squeeze his knees between their bodies. Ichigo quickly used the ground as leverage to help push his knees in the larger cat's stomach and propel him off.

'freedom!' He thought as he turned on his stomach to push himself up, but his so called 'freedom' was short-lived, because just as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, the panther was back—and with a vengeance.

"Yer not gonna get away tha' easily, dandelion." He hissed mockingly in the tiger's striped ear, and he braced his arms beside the smaller felid's, while his knees were placed right between the other's, making them spread a little bit more. It was a rather salacious position, and it made Ichigo very, very uncomfortable.

"G-get off!" He tried to throw his attacker off of him but he couldn't, and that dominating feeling was rolling off of the panther again, which made Ichigo cower slightly. His cat-like-instincts told him to just submit to this larger cat already, 'fold your ears down and lower your head!' it said, but Ichigo refused to do so.

After a few more moments of useless struggling from Ichigo, the Sexta growled in annoyance then bit down on the back of his captive's neck and he also began grinding his hips against the tiger's backside roughly, which was a rather forceful way to show dominance.

Ichigo yelped out at the feeling of sharp canines digging into the sensitive skin of his neck, and even though it wasn't hard enough to make him bleed, he was still forced to give in—seeing as that was the only thing he could do now.

He hesitantly lowered his ears and tail, and he spread his legs a little wider in what he hoped was a sign of submission. He also bowed his head closer to the ground, which forced him to rest his weight on his forearms instead of his hands.

Never had he been forced to do this before and Ichigo felt the shame and humiliation of it all. It also didn't help that he could feel his attacker smirk triumphantly and begin to fucking purr.

'Well at least he stopped humping me…' Ichigo thought, but was disappointed when he felt the panther's hips begin rubbing against him once again, though it was less aggressive and more… sensual… this time.

The tiger was about ready to start his yelling tirade again, but he snapped his mouth shut when he felt the purring cat flip him forcefully onto his back.

"oof!" A soft moan escaped Ichigo's lips when his naked back collided with the ground, and—still feeling the urge to surrender to this cat—he forced himself to tuck his hands under his chin and keep his ears folded back. He even curled his legs up and kept them spread, which exposed his vulnerable torso. The panther calmly hovered above him, his larger body keeping the tiger trapped, and even though Ichigo was surrendering, his irritation at being dominated like this could be seen by the way he scowled and twitched his orange tail occasionally.

"Heh, I take back what I said. Yer not as weak as I thought ya'd be, and ya look so cute, all curled up like a good lil' bitch." He hummed and then bent down to sniff at the side of Ichigo's neck, a satisfied purr still rumbling inside his chest. The tiger let a low, feral growl vibrate within his chest and his glare darkened when he felt a rough tongue lick at his pulse and the panther's blue hair tickled the side of his face lightly.

Ichigo quickly turned his head to the side to look around for a way to escape, which unknowingly gave the panther more room on his neck to lick and nip at. A blush slowly dusted his cheeks and he couldn't stop the weak mewl that escaped his lips when he felt his orange tail being tugged on playfully. What made him so angry was the fact that he was just being toyed with.

"Let me go." He growled, but his voice still sounded weak as he pawed at the larger cat's chest, hoping, praying, he would take the hint and get off, but the Sexta just ignored his plea in favor of licking the side of his face slowly. Ichigo let his gaze frantically roam across the field for any sort of help, and that's when his auburn eyes locked with Rukia's wide midnight blue eyes. She was still tucked in the stupid gorilla's large arms, but none of them seemed to have noticed that she was no longer unconscious. Ichigo immediately motioned towards the forest with his eyes, urging her to try and escape, and he tried to push aside the humiliation from being caught in the position he was in.

She seemed to catch what he was telling her, because next thing they knew, she lashed out her sharp claws at the gorilla's face, catching him across his eyes and nose. He let out a loud, ear splitting yowl and dropped the small feline to the ground. As soon as she landed, Rukia sped back into the safety of the trees, only sparing Ichigo a short nod before she disappeared.

Ichigo could only watch as the two leopards and the vengeful gorilla gave chase, leaving him alone with the perverted panther.

"Shouldn't you be helping your friends?" He grumbled, hoping he could somehow get free so he could help Rukia.

"Tch, those bastards can handle a lil' kitty-pet. I'm much more interested in a certain tiger tha' I 'ave trapped b'neath me." The panther smirked then dove back down to continue marking the poor tiger's neck.

"You fucktard! Get off me!" Ichigo was now resorting to cursing and whining. "You stupid, dumb, perverted, dick-headed, muscle-brained, rat-sucking, dog-sniffing, squirrel-humping, blueberry!" Ichigo threw a tantrum as he tried to shove the other off of him but he froze when he felt the strong body above him stiffen and even that sinful tongue of his had disappeared. "u-uhm..?" Ichigo folded his ears back nervously when the panther raised his head, electric blue eyes looking down at him, and his expression was completely blank, but Ichigo could tell that he was pissed.

"Wuh was tha' last thing ya called me?"

Ichigo stifled the urge to laugh.

'out of all the things I had called him, he gets his tail in knot from being called blueberry?'

"B-Blueberry." Ichigo answered hesitantly while averting his gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, Ichigo finally chanced a glance at the quiet panther, but his eyes widened slightly when he saw the expression on his face.

He seemed to have a far-off look, as if he was remembering something from a long time ago, which was a drastic change from the blank/angry look he had on before. Ichigo became curious as to what brought about this new side of the cat, but he squashed that little bit of curiosity in favor of trying to escape.

Rukia was out there somewhere, and she needed his help dammit!

"…Ichigo?"

Said tiger stopped trying to wriggle out from under the other felid and looked up in surprise.

"How the hell do you know my name?" He asked, flabbergasted, but as he looked up into those suddenly watery blue eyes, a name automatically fell from his lips, a name he never thought he'd be able to say again.

"Grimmjow?"

Said panther's face suddenly broke into a wide grin and he embraced the smaller cat tightly, their bodies pressed flush together.

"Is it seriously you?" Ichigo continued as he hugged the other back just as firmly.

"Sure is, dandelion." He answered back with a chuckle, but Ichigo didn't seem to mind the nickname, now that he knew it was Grimmjow who was saying it.

'No.' The tiger's eyes widened in realization. 'I can't be doing this!'

He quickly caught the panther off guard by pushing him off and then he stood up, his expression cold as he glared down at the blue cat.

"I… I've missed you, and… you have no idea how many endless nights I had searched for you, but… but now that I know you're an Espada." He spat the name out with so much venom, that it made Grimmjow flinch slightly, "I just… I can't be friends with you. It's just wrong…"

"Wait a sec, Ichigo! Listen ta wuh yer sayin'! Ya can't honestly say yer gonna jus' walk away now! We've finally found each other again! Doesn't tha' mean anythin' to ya?" He growled as he stood up and grabbed the side of the tiger's shoulders firmly…yet gently at the same time.

Ichigo just averted his gaze to the ground and slowly shrugged off Grimmjow's large, warm hands.

"Of course it means something to me, don't be stupid… But can't you understand!? We're enemies! I mean, even your buddies are after Rukia now, and she's my friend! I should be out there saving her, not arguing with someone who never came to say goodbye to me before he left me alone for eleven years!! Eleven fucking years!" Ichigo yelled and he bolted towards the trees where his lynx friend had disappeared, but Grimmjow quickly pinned him back to the ground. "Please… Just let me go, Grimmjow…" Ichigo said, his voice sounded so weak and pathetic, and the panther was tempted to do what the orange kit asked, if only to wipe away that sad expression from his face, but he just swallowed his guilt and growled in frustration.

"...Grr… You… you—… Stupid, fuckin'… Ya know what!? FUCK YOU! Ya think I wanted ta join the fuckin' espada!? FUCK NO! After my family was killed by yer fuckin' so called 'friends', I was forced ta join Aizen so I could survive! Tha's how it was fer every one of us Espada! And its s'not like I jus' left 'nd never thought of you again. I thought abou' yer stupid bright orange hair almost every day! Ya think it was easy not seein' my best friend fer eleven years, knowin' tha' I couldn't even go see if he was still even alive!? NO! It wasn't!! But ya know what!? Screw you Ichigo! Hope ya live a long 'nd fuckin' happy life with yer stupid friends!" The panther snarled as he pushed off the shocked tiger, only to hiss and storm away, not even sparing the other felid a glance. Ichigo quickly got up and was about to chase after his long lost friend, but stopped himself.

"What the hell am I thinking? I've lived without him for this long; I can live without him for a little longer. Rukia needs me right now…" He whispered to himself, and just before he disappeared into the other side of the clearing, he promised himself that he'd find Grimmjow again, and he'd help mend their broken friendship, even if it took another couple more years.