Part 7- The One Who Raised Him

Byakuya Kuchiki, one of a more noble Shinigami bloodline, had been asked to watch the house by Yamamoto, so watch it he did. Grimmjow had left and the crimson haired woman had followed him, leaving no doubt in his mind that the orangette they seek is still inside. He knows the old gargoyles with him are some of the fiercest, so he's been waiting for Ichigo to come outside. He knows the vibrant haired male well, when he finds Grimmjow gone he'll come rushing out to locate him. Ichigo was brought to him the very day Yamamoto found him in the forest, as his little sister was only a few years older than the newborn. He was told Ichigo was special, though not in what way, and that he was abandoned by a careless mother who turned up dead when investigated further. Byakuya didn't hesitate to take the small ball of sunlight into his arms, promising to raise him as though he were his own. The raven haired Shinigami, possessing more of a samurai look when taking on his gargoyle features, has always had a soft spot for the two he raised.

"He what!" Ichigo shouts.

"No! Ichigo, you can't go outside," a young female calls as she grabs his arm. "What if they're watching the house, stupid?"

"Angela," Goliath murmurs. "Don't worry, Ichigo, Demona went with him. If anyone can keep him safe, it's her."

Byakuya lifts a palm, a few cherry blossoms sitting in his gloved hand, and uses his abilities to multiply the petals and send them to pass before his charge. Ichigo sees them, his body stiffening though his eyes hold confusion and helplessness, and then Goliath is leading him back into the mansion. All he has to do now is wait, Ichigo will come to him before tomorrow's moon rises.

Grimmjow is stock-still, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter as the purples haired female stretches out along it to watch him. Ichigo couldn't be Kisuke's child, though he carries a strange intelligence he's seen within the blonde man. Ichigo told him Yamamoto said both his parents were killed by a rival clan… that the old man was there to witness it. Everything Ichigo thought to be true is a lie!

"What am I supposed to do now?" Grimmjow sighs. "Ichigo's future is in the hands of a clan he doesn't even belong to, his heart is held by an Espada considered their enemy, and his biological father is the leader of clan no one has heard from since they were created!"

"I'm sure it'll all come together in the end, Grimm-kitty!" Yorouchi purrs. "And if it doesn't, I'd like me a hunky feline mate to play with!"

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think you're my type… I got a thing for orange haired males with a feminine frame."

"Well, if you're ever hurting for a lay, I'm available!"

"I'll keep that in mind," he sighs.

"Grimmjow, we should get back now," Demona states from the doorway. "It will be sunrise soon and I don't want to worry Goliath."

The sleek feline nods and pushes off the counter, stopping to look in on Kisuke… he's been taking this information a lot harder than Grimmjow. He's still staring at that picture, a miserable and lost look in his eyes. The Visoreds have left to scout around, knowing not to bother the blonde when he has that look.

"If you want to see him… I can bring him tomorrow night," Grimmjow offers.

"… I would like that," he murmurs with a sad smile. "But… don't tell him yet, okay? I… I want to be the one that breaks it to him."

"Better you than me," Grimmjow snorts.

"So… he has his mother's temper then, eh? Figures Masaki would leave me with a hot-headed brat to take care of."

"Hey, at least it was no picnic for the Shinigami."

"Too true," Kisuke laughs lightly.

Grimmjow and Demona leave, the moon lighting their path as they head back toward the forest. In the meanwhile, however, Ichigo is sitting upstairs in the mansion with his mind full of too many questions and thoughts. He knows Byakuya would never harm him, he dotes on him as much as his little sister, Rukia… but he works for Yamamoto and the old man tried to hurt him just because Grimmjow protected him. On the one hand, this could be a trap set to capture him. On the other, however, Ichigo would believe that if it wasn't Byakuya… that man's honor and pride would never allow him to stoop low enough to set a trap like that. Mind made up, the orangette opens the window of the fourth story… and jumps. Almost immediately, just as he thought it would, a breeze full of cherry blossoms settles around him to keep him from harming himself and moves him over to the edge of the trees where the tall raven haired man waits. His haori is the inverse of Kisuke's, white sleeve-like gloves on his hands and a silk scarf around his neck.

"Ever the daredevil, I see," Byakuya murmurs stoically.

"I knew you'd catch me, you always do," the teen grins cheekily.

"Why haven't you come home, Ichigo?"

"… I just woke up today," he sighs. "I was injured really bad…"

"What!"

"No! It wasn't Grimmjow, it was the other Espada," he explains quickly. "In fact, if it weren't for Grimm, I'd probably be dead."

"Ichigo, that Espada is not good for you," he tries to reason. "Yamamoto wants him dead because he's touched you."

"I knew this was all my fault!" the smaller males sobs. "He said it wasn't, but I knew it was! Why can't they just leave us alone? I love Grimmjow, he takes really good care of me and he loves me, too… for more than just my abilities."

"You don't know that."

"I do! I never told him about my abilities until the day before we were attacked," Ichigo murmurs with a blush. "That had already been half a year into our relationship… He told me he loved me after the first month, but I hadn't said it until after he did."

"… Do you truly love him?"

"I do, more than anything."

Grimmjow and Demona arrive about two hours before sunrise, the clan greeting them happily and telling the teal haired man Ichigo is upstairs sleeping. He searches floor after floor, trying to sniff out his mate and finding only weak scents that haven't been passed over for hours. Finally, he finds the room Ichigo has been hiding away in. the window is open, a sense of dread falling to the pit of his stomach like lead as he walks over to it. He sticks his head out, sniffing the air to find a lingering trace of cherry blossoms. He can remember Ichigo telling him that the man who raised him smelled like cherry blossoms all the time, that it was a part of his abilities as an evolved gargoyle. Unbeknownst to him, tears gather in his eyes and he whispers his lost love's name.