Update! *choir singing* I hope you enjoy this one! I didn't want to cut Ichi slack yet, it's too much fun tormenting him =) Oh, you knwo you love it ;p

Ichi: I hate these stupid fics.

Grimm: Only because you're such a chick! =3

Ichi: I can deal with that... I can't handle the dick bossing me around.

Grimm: Oi! You love my dick!

Vae: ... Uh... let's get back to the story before things get heated *nosebleed*

Chapter 3

It's nighttime, the day having past in a blur that the orangette seriously wishes he could forget. Every time he lifts his hand, reaches for something or picks up a writing utensil, that golden Kido that's turned black after the fact stares right back at him. It reminds him of what he wishes weren't true. Not so much the fact he's bound to another, but the reason for it… the betrayal. Nelliel had left after their talk, heading back to Kisuke's shop with worry in her hazel eyes, and Shiro was the only one Ichigo had to talk to. Speaking with his pale duplicate wasn't exactly good for his self-esteem, which led the other to give Ichigo a much needed break.

*Ya goin' out, aibou? * Shiro wonders after hours of not speaking.

"… Yeah. I can't stay in all day… they'll probably track me down anyway. At least if I'm in a public place, they won't forcibly drag me off," Ichigo sighs. "Last time they almost got arrested, because I told the security guards they were trying to kidnap me."

A soft smirk touches his lips, remembering when Kenpachi was sent to pick him up. The man is so impatient in the first place; it was quite easy to goad him into attempted kidnapping. Thankfully, Byakuya and Renji were also present or Kenpachi would've had a hell of a time escaping jail… or would've finally found his utopia. Tonight, however, Ichigo is hoping to drink away his problems at the local club. Granted, nineteen isn't exactly of age… but this club doesn't card. Besides, who doesn't have a fake ID nowadays?

Grimmjow isn't exactly having fun and it's pissing him off. After Nell's return, the Shinigami left in hopes Ichigo would eventually cool off and realize his mistake… yeah right. Rukia and Renji stayed behind with Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. The group wanted to have a bit of fun, though pulling Stark along had been a difficult task, and now here they are in the nearest club. The music is too loud for Grimmjow's sensitive hearing, but years with Aizen have taught him how to ignore the sound and focus on something else, and his inhuman sense of smell is picking up a mixture of sweat and smoke tinted with a hint of sex and alcohol. Hallibel and Nelliel are out dancing in the crowd of people, Stark watching them with the eyes of a hawk the minute he caught one man attempting to cop a feel of his blonde mate. He's never one to press dominance, but if Hallibel catches someone trying to touch her Nell like that the man is going to die. Not the best way to start off a treaty, so he made it perfectly clear that both females belong to him with a deep kiss for them both. Sure a lot of the human males were jealous, who wouldn't be, but he's not about to compromise this treaty any more than it has been.

"Grimm, check it out," Nnoitra grins. "Your boy toy is over there."

"Hmm?"

Grimmjow, sitting beside a slightly buzzed Ulquiorra, turns to see the head of orange hair he's bound to. Ichigo is on a stool at the bar talking to the woman on his left, a drink in one hand and a man on his right. He looks well passed buzzed, his face flush with the alcohol and his movements sluggish at best. Szayel, having been dancing with Shinji since Nnoitra refused, rejoins them and looks in the same direction as Grimmjow.

"You should go talk to him while he's not in the state to fight you," he offers.

"No way!" Shinji replies shaking his head. "Ichi's a fucking violent drunk! He rarely ever goes out drinking alone, always makes sure one of us goes with him to keep him from getting put in jail. It wouldn't be too bad if everyone didn't want to get in his pants."

"Oh, hell no!" Grimmjow growls. "That ass belongs to me! If I ain't getting any, fuck if anyone else will!"

"I thought you wanted him to fight?" the blonde Visored questions in confusion.

"Grimm's a feline, extremely territorial… like… um… like hippos," Nnoitra nods.

"… Hippos? What the fuck? That's stupid," Shinji cackles. "They're vegetarians!"

"Yeah, and they can bite a man in half with ease," the lanky man snorts. "They attack whatever gets into the area, they're way territorial! I'm just saying, Grimm don't like people fucking with his things. Right now, that includes Ichigo. It don't matter if he gets to fuck him or not, he's certainly not gonna let anyone else do it."

"Mm hm, if Kurosaki needs that sort of thing, it's Grimmjow or nothing," Ulquiorra murmurs.

Ichigo stretches and slides from his stool, stumbling toward the restroom with a stupid smile on his face. He's unaware of the man at his right moving after him, but his friends catch it. Grimmjow growls animalistic, his stride long and stalking as Shinji debates whether or not he should intervene. After all, he's seen what Ichigo's done to the guys that try to take advantage of him… but, then again, he's never been forced to marry someone he didn't want to before.

Ichigo drank too much, he knows that. When he starts flirting with a woman, he knows he drank too damn much… women are simply not his cup of tea. Hoping to rid his body of enough alcohol to think a bit straighter, the orangette slides off his stool and heads to the men's room. The crowds are moving too erratically for him, his vision swimming as he's hip checked between dancers hoping for a quick lay. It's nothing new. With a sigh, he half trips and half tumbles through the restroom door. He never hears the door open a second time, just continues on his track to the nearest stall. After emptying his bladder with a relieved sigh and flushing, he heads to the sink to wash up. The body at the sink beside him makes him uneasy, though he pins it on too much alcohol so it's easier to ignore. When he's finished and he moves to leave, a heavy weight is pushing him to lean over the sink and his amber eyes grow wide in panic.

"Stay quiet and don't move," the mysterious male growls in his ear. "Don't want to get hurt more than you have to, right?"

"Get the fuck off me, or I'll…"

Ichigo stops suddenly when a blade is pressed to his throat, a gasp leaving his lips at the sadistic chuckle behind him. The man shoves closer, his arousal apparent as it presses against his ass insistently. Ichigo isn't one to show fear, his eyes reflecting back from the mirror before him defiant even in the midst of drunkenness, but he knows this will most likely be a pain he can't handle in the end. He swallows the whimper that wants to fall from his lips as his belt is fumbled with, the man yanking it off eagerly before his free hand starts to undo the orangette's pants. In the mirror, Ichigo sees a flash of blue. The man gasps when the hand holding the blade is gripped from his right, the pressure increasing painfully until the teen hears the crack and pop of broken bones.

"That's mine, fucker," Grimmjow snarls. "I suggest you go find someone else to play with!"

The assailant tugs his hand away, only to leave himself open for the heavy fist that slams into his face. Blood gushes from his busted nose, the guy screaming in pain as Grimmjow grabs Ichigo's belt from the floor. Afterward, he kicks the guy's gut hard enough to leave him lying upon the tiles and groaning in agony. Gripping the orangette's waist firmly, he guides his stunned bitch out of the bathroom and through the club. He doesn't bother saying goodbye to the others, he'll see them soon enough with his luck, so they're outside in no time. Before they had left, Yamamoto had given them each a rather nice flat… well… not each. Hallibel and Nelliel belong to Stark, so they're all living together. Nnoitra never likes being without a roommate, so he's staying with Szayel. Ulquiorra is staying with that woman, as the whole reason he wanted to come was to be with her. All in all, Grimmjow has a flat and that's all he needs to know. He takes Ichigo back to his place, praying they didn't let that crazy feline bitch redecorate for their honeymoon.

"… Thank you," Ichigo mutters with a scowl.

"What are you thanking me for?" Grimmjow frowns. "It's my job to protect you, dumbass."

"Don't. Don't think just because we're bound by that fucking Kido that I need your protection!" Ichigo hisses as the shock dilutes the left over alcohol. "I've never been protected in my life, I'm not about to lie down and beg for a shield I don't fucking need!"

"Don't… get aggressive… with me," Grimmjow hisses out feral.

Ichigo scowls at the hand gripping his upper arm, the grip tight enough to leave bruises as Grimmjow pulls him closer. The teal haired man is baring fang, his eyes practically glowing in his anger, and Ichigo instinctively knows he inadvertently challenged the other's status. He doesn't know how he knows, but there's a little voice in his head that sounds vaguely like Shiro screaming warnings at him… warnings laced with threats and colorful language… no wait… yeah, that's definitely Shiro.

"You know what? Fuck you!" Ichigo snaps. "I don't care! I don't care! I don't care! You don't care anything about me, you just don't want people touching what you believe belongs to you. I don't belong to you, I don't belong to Seireitei, I belong to me! Stay away from me! Just… don't touch me, don't talk to me, don't even look at me!"

"If I weren't there tonight to save your scrawny ass…"

"You shouldn't have!" Ichigo yells. "You should've just let it happen!"

Ichigo yanks his arm away from the overbearing alpha, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes as he stubbornly holds back the urge to cry. That's the closest anyone has ever gotten to raping him and he's feeling a bit emotional right now, so the last thing he wants to deal with is Grimmjow's arrogant attitude. Not bothering to say another word, the teen turns and heads home in a huff. Grimmjow, not used to having a bitch walk away from him, growls low and grabs the younger male's arm again.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Ichigo shouts as that damn finally breaks. "I did nothing to deserve this! I just wanna go home!"

The Sexta is surprised at first, looking around awkwardly as Ichigo sobs. He's never liked over emotional uke's… mainly because he's never dealt with them well. Nelliel had told him Ichigo might end up crying, she was almost positive with the way his reiatsu was churning violently. Nell had told him it's just best to let him get it all out, that he'd feel better if he could just sit and have a good cry. The sea green haired woman is one of the smartest betas when it comes to emotions, so he'll do as she says… which means he has to… hold… the teen. Yuck. With a disgusted look on his face, he follows Nell's orders and carefully pulls the younger male to him. He embraces him tightly, wrapping his reiatsu around him in a blanket of safety, and just lets him bawl. His shirt, a white tank top beneath a black silk button up, is soaked within seconds. As much as he wants to push the smaller away, he isn't stupid enough not to realize this is a crucial moment. Alphas need to be able to comfort their bitches, it's imperative he doesn't back down from such a challenge or Ichigo won't see him as an adequate dominant. It seems like forever before the crying settles to a few tears and hiccups, the orangette leaning heavily on the larger male as sleep begins to clouds his amber eyes.

"You're such a fucking pain in my ass," Grimmjow grumbles.

He lifts the lithe male into his arms, his muscles coiling beneath his tan skin at this new burden, and heads for home. Ichigo is sleeping now, slight whimpers… completely inaudible to anyone without Grimmjow's animalistic hearing… slip from his lips periodically. This is the first time the Sexta has ever seen one of his most powerful rivals so utterly fragile, the first time he's ever witnessed his own mate (which he's had more than one of in his many years as an Aduchas) reveal such a pathetically weak side of themselves. Weakness in Hueco Mundo equals death, no sort of or almost… the only answer to the equation is death and that's not a defeat others are ready to admit. Four years without him has made his mate soft, something he doesn't like in the least.

Ichigo grumbles in his sleep, turning onto his other side and yawning with a stretch. He sighs in satisfaction at the subtle pops along his spine, smiling softly before rolling on his stomach and burying his face in his cushy pillow. The door opens and he frowns, completely ready for his father to attack him. When it doesn't come, he opens an amber eye in question and sucks in a sharp breath.

"Awake? Good," Grimmjow states. "We've been asked over to that crazy shopkeeper's house, they wanna talk to you."

"… What happened last night?" Ichigo asks. "Something bad must've happened if I'm here with you."

"Don't sound so damn bitter," the Sexta huffs. "Get your ass up!"

"Seriously, Grimmjow. I feel as though I should remember something… but I can't recall anything past getting to the bar."

"That's because you went and got shit faced!" the other remarks. "You're fucking lucky I was there."

"… Why?"

"You almost got raped at knife point in the bathroom," he comments as though it's nothing. "I beat the shit out of the guy and brought you here, but not before you broke down and cried yourself to sleep. I hope you realize how uncomfortable it was for me to hold your emotional ass while you bawled! You'd better be fucking grateful!"

"Wait… you held me?"

"Don't you go blabbing about that, or I swear I'll kill you!"

"I don't even want to think about it, let alone talk about it," the orangette mutters. "And what makes you think I'm going anywhere with you?"

"… If you don't get dressed right now, I'm gonna drag your ass to the shop in your boxers," Grimmjow states blandly.

"… Boxers? Oh my god, you undressed me!" Ichigo hisses with a blush.

He draws the blankets around his body, covering everything but his face, and the Espada rolls his eyes. With a sigh, he grabs some clothes from the dresser stocked by Yamamoto and throws them to the bed.

"You're my bitch, of course I undressed you," he states with a frown. "That's my right… or did you forget we're married?"

"… I've been trying to."

"Get dressed."

The vibrant haired teen isn't stupid enough to entertain delusions of Grimmjow's threat being empty, he's positive the other would carry him through the streets in his boxers with a huge grin on his face. He pulls the given clothes beneath the blankets and struggles to pull them on, his 'husband' tapping his foot impatiently.

"All right, this is ridiculous," Grimmjow grumbles.

He yanks the blanket away from Ichigo, the teen yelping as a blush ignites on his face. With a swift yank, the Espada pulls off his boxers and reaches for the clean pair. Ichigo tries his best to fight him off, managing a good kick to his jaw and another to his stomach, but even Grimmjow's gigai is stronger than him. Not too surprising considering the amount of muscle the other has compared to Ichigo's lithe swimmer's body. The minute the orangette is dressed; he's tossed over the Sexta's shoulder and carried out the door. The youth sighs in misery, propping his head up on a fist with his elbow on Grimmjow's back. For a fleeting moment, he muses how barbaric this relationship is turning out.

Kisuke is in his tea room with Byakuya, Yorouchi, Renji, and Soi-Fon. Ichigo is dropped onto a pillow, Grimmjow taking the one beside him and halting any escape attempts with a hand on the back of the teen's neck.

"Kurosaki," Byakuya sighs. "I would like to apologize to you. This act of…"

"Betrayal," the orangette provides with a scowl.

"… It was wrong and we're very sorry. We didn't know you would take it so badly, but we really needed your help. This treaty is our way of trying to change… our way of opening our minds from our world of black and white, to the world of gray you seem to live within. We never meant to upset you; we just wanted to understand the world through your eyes."

"We couldn't think of a better way to do that than this treaty," Soi-Fon sighs. "Of course, Espada eat souls by nature. We couldn't trust them on their own, but we were all very busy trying to teach new Shinigami and get our own lessons back on track… changing them in order to teach this… new way of living. In all our centuries before you, life in Seireitei had bred generations of contemptuous and close minded people. We needed to work extra hard to open them up as well, it was imperative when making a treaty with the Visoreds and Espada."

"Why me?" Ichigo murmurs quietly.

"We could spare no one else," Byakuya admits sheepishly. "All the Taicho were trying to revamp our teachings with the academy personnel, the Fuko-Taicho and other Shinigami were too weak to deal with a lead Espada. You were our very last resort, but it sadly came to that."

"Why a marriage?"

"That Kido is very special, Ichigo," Kisuke smiles warmly. "It binds body, mind, and soul. It's the highest honor for Shinigami when it comes to marriage. We used it, because we not only wanted the Espada to feel welcome… but because Grimmjow couldn't hide anything from you. It hasn't soaked in completely yet, but soon you'll even be able to hear one another's thoughts."

"Oh, cool," Ichigo comments sarcastically. "Grimmjow, can you hear my thoughts right now?"

"… I don't think I want to," the other snorts. "I'd probably have to punch your stupid ass."

"You said it binds body as well… what happens with that?"

"Injuries are shared… at least the pain. He'll know when you get harmed even if you're across worlds at the time. Hopefully, you'll never be any further than down the street from him, but if you must go to Seireitei without him… he'll always be in the loop when it comes to your health. If you catch a cold, he'll know."

"Yes," Byakuya murmurs with a glare at Grimmjow. "And if you should find comfort in the arms of another, Kurosaki will know."

"Oi! I'm not the one that… Mm!"

Ichigo has his hands over Grimmjow's mouth in a heartbeat, a scowl glaring daggers into the Espada as he warns for a topic change. With yet another roll of his cyan pools, the larger man crosses his arms and looks away petulantly. Ichigo's hands are removed, his glare returning to those in front of him as he finally makes a decision.

"… No," he mutters. "I'm not doing this. Bond or not, I'm not a toy."

With that, he stands and walks away. Grimmjow tempted to bang his head against the low table in exasperation. The Shinigami warned the Espada that Ichigo was stubborn, he even saw it in those defiant amber orbs in Hueco Mundo, but this is just crazy. He gets up and heads out after his bitch, grumbling the whole way. Once he catches up, he yanks Ichigo back and lands a solid hit in his stomach. Amber eyes go large as the breath is stolen from him, his eyes rolling into the back of his head and his body dropping in unconsciousness. Grimmjow lifts the limp body into his arms. Even if he has to keep the little bitch knocked out, Ichigo will stay at his side. It's not safe for betas like him to roam.

Wow... Grimm's an ass in this fic. Oh well *shrugs* He can't be Romeo in every fic, that's just not him. He'll come around, don't worry! =) Till next time! I loves ya all!