Chapter Forty Three

Junichi stared out over the waves with a small smile on his face. Things were going just the way he wanted to, only a few snags in the plan here and there, but those were easily dealt with. He'd heard that Renji and his brother had fled Tokyo almost a week prior but when his brother had suggested they do something about it he had shrugged, saying that it was of no importance. It really wasn't. Renji and Shuuhei both had been fools he had used as a distraction and they had both long since passed the usefulness. He was glad the complication hard cleared itself up. It left him free to continue with other things.

His brother sat beside him on the deck of the ship, passing him notes every now and again, begging him to move on with the plan. His brother was an idiot as well and didn't understand that his usefulness was passed as well. But that didn't matter at the moment. He was quite capable of placating the fool for as long as he felt he needed to.

He looked at the pad of paper that had found it's way into his lap for the hundredth time that night and easily fought back the sigh that wanted to escape his lips.

Aniki, we should move forward with the plan. I know you want to take your time with this, but let's not let them become too over confident.

His brother really was an idiot. But then again, Hiroki had never been very smart. If Junichi were honest with himself he was surprised the idiot was still alive.

"I suppose we can set the dogs loose. That would make things interesting." Junichi said, smiling at the water. That idea could actually prove to be more than fun and now that he thought about it, it made him smile all the more. "Yes. I think it's time to spice it up a bit. Turn on the heat, so to speak."

Hiroki smiled at his older brother. He was such a smart man. Junichi reached for his phone and put his next set of plans into motion.

Ichigo had just fallen asleep when the door opened and his father walked in the room. He blinked at the ceiling a few times before looking over at the digital clock by the TV. It was well after midnight. With a quiet groan he sat up and looked over the back of the couch, his stomach dropping at his father's disheveled state. No… they hadn't… had they?

"Pretty late for an art show, don't you think?" He said, his voice surprisingly loud in the dead of the night.

Isshin snorted and pulled off his already loose tie. Ichigo frowned and sat up straighter. He realized that for the most part he liked it when his father was a bit more serious, but it also meant that the situation was serious. Isshin turned to his son and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

"Things went late." He said simply and his tone made Ichigo flinch.

"So, are you and okaachan...?" God, he really did not want his father to answer that, but the question had just popped out and there was no going back now.

Isshin cocked his head to the side and sighed. "Ichigo, are you gay?" He asked, changing the subject.

Ichigo choked, gaping over the back of the couch, his mouth moving like a fish out of water.

"Wha… what… how… n-no! I'm not gay!"

Isshin cocked his eyebrow and decided it was long passed time to speak openly with his son.

"Ichigo, I've known for a while that you've… what you've been doing for a job. And where."

"Oh my God, did she tell you that?!" Ichigo felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. This was not happening.

"That's beside the point…."

"No it's not! Shinji and I asked her not to say anything to you about it!"

"Calm down or you'll wake your sisters and then we can have this conversation as a family."

They stared each other down, for the first time their fighting reaching a level passed the ridiculous. This wasn't something they could playfully come to blows over. Wasn't something that could be ignored. Ichigo stood up, crossing his arms much like his father was.

"Look, dad." He started, taking a deep breath. "I took the job to help out with Yuzu's medical bills. And it did help, so…."

"So now that she's done you can stop."

"I don't want to stop. Not yet. I like what I do and you can't tell me what to do anymore. I'm not a kid."

He watched Isshin's jaw muscle twitch. "That's right, you're no longer a kid. I get it. But think of what this could do to your career, Ichigo. What if it were to get out that you were doing such a thing once you're a doctor? I understand you were doing it for your sister, but you're reputation will be ruined."

Ichigo hadn't really thought about his future in regards to dancing, thinking only in the moment as he usually did. It made sense though. Even if he was okay with the gay lifestyle, okay with taking his clothes off in front of men, and even okay with being in a relationship with a man, that didn't mean the rest of the world was. He looked at the floor and frowned, feeling like a scolded child.

"I don't care. I'll deal with that when the time comes. If it comes."

"And what about this Grimmjow person?"

"What about him?" Ichigo shot out defensively.

"Ichigo, career aside, do you really think you can have a future with a man"

"What makes you…."

"Oh, come on Ichigo. I may act like a big goofball most of the time, but I can see it in your eyes. Give me some credit at least."

"I…."

"You want kids some day right? You want a family of your own, right?" Ichigo nodded, still looking at the floor. "You can't have that with a man."

"I know that." He said quietly. And he did know it. It was something he had been trying not to think about ever since he had realized he was in love with Grimmjow. He took a deep breath, steeling himself against any bad thoughts, and looked his father in the eye. "Sometimes plans change. Sometimes things work out differently than you have planned for them. If this is the way things are supposed to be for me, then so be it. I'll modify my future plans a little."

Isshin sighed. So his son was in a homosexual relationship and was already so far into it that he was changing his own future plans. Not really what he had wanted for the kid. He had expected… more from his son.

"So you are seeing him?"

Ichigo let out his pent up breath and nodded. 'Yeah. For a couple months now." He said quietly, suddenly very tired.

"Well, damn…."

The silence was thick and uncomfortable and both men shifted their weight, not sure if the conversation was over yet, and not wanting to leave it at what it had stopped at.

"So are you really seeing okaachan?" Ichigo asked, looking up at his father once more.

Isshin shrugged. "Who knows with that woman?"

"So what else has she told you that she wasn't supposed to?" He asked irritated, not liking his father's answer to his last question.

"Etta only told me because she was concerned. She wants to see you succeed just as much as I do."

"Whatever." He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, something he had unconsciously picked up from Grimmjow. "Can we stop talking about this now?"

Isshin pushed away from the counter and clapped a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, another serious look crossing his features. "Enjoy your youth, Ichigo. Enjoy this… whatever phase it is you're going through. But don't get too involved with that man, Ichigo. One day you might wake up and realize that it was a mistake. That you want children and a family. Think about how he'd feel if that happened." He walked passed his son, elbowing him in the arm as hard as he could. "Good night!"

Ichigo rubbed his arm and frowned again. Was he really going to get tired of Grimmjow and want to leave him for a woman in the future? Was it really just a phase he was going through? He scrubbed his face with his hands and plopped back onto the couch, laying down and staring at the ceiling, his mind working furiously with everything that had just happened.

Ichigo walked through the door and shut it quietly behind him, leaning against it as his bag dropped to the floor. He wasn't sure if Grimmjow was home or not and he was hoping for not. His mind was still reeling from the night before and he needed some time to get his head straight. Unfortunately he wasn't alone. Grimmjow walked out of the bedroom, towel barely hanging from his hips and hair still wet from the shower.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come in." He said, rubbing a second towel over his head. He looked up and frowned, cocking a hip as he looked at Ichigo. "What's wrong?"

Ichigo looked up and shook his head. "Nothing." He said quietly, walking towards the bedroom. "Just tired. I'm gonna go take a nap."

Grimmjow reached for his arm as soon as he was close enough, stopping him with a small tug. Ichigo sighed, his shoulders drooping, and suddenly launched himself into Grimmjow's arms, hugging tightly. "It's not fair." He mumbled.

Grimmjow smirked, wrapping his arms around him. "I take it you found out he knows about you stripping?"

So that's what Grimmjow had wanted to talk about. "And he knows about us. And he's fucking Shinji's mom."

"Whoa." Grimmjow snorted. "Big night, eh?"

"Shut up."

He wasn't about to tell Grimmjow everything his father had said, he hadn't even been able to sort through it all himself. He reached up and buried his fingers in Grimmjow's hair, taking a deep breath through his nose and inhaling Grimmjow's scent. It made his entire body tingle and stir and he looked up into those brilliant blue eyes. He loved those eyes, even when they were angry they were beautiful. He loved everything about this man, the good and the bad. Seeing him now, with all the turmoil in his brain and heart, he knew that even if things got rough for him or them or whatever, he'd love this man forever. After a night of sleeplessness and a day of awkward glances and silences, something broke inside him and words came tumbling out.

"I love you so much. I don't even care about babies. I won't get sick of you, this isn't a mistake. I don't care what he thinks. He's stupid and he doesn't know anything…."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow the fuck down. Who said anything about babies?" He didn't like the panic in Ichigo's voice and a protectiveness rose in him. He cupped Ichigo's cheeks and forced him to calm down. "What the hell happened last night?"

"Nothing. Just… Grimmjow I want you to fuck me. Fuck me so hard and long I can't think anymore. I don't wanna think anymore right now."

He wanted to, oh how he wanted to do what Ichigo asked of him, but a big part of him wanted Ichigo to sit down and talk it out. He was confused by that part of him, and a little pissed off truth be told, but when Ichigo pulled his towel away and reached for his cock, wrapping his warm fingers around it, he sighed. Grabbing Ichigo's head and forcing him to look up at him, he let a small smile creep upon his lips.

"Ya sure this will make you feel better?"

Ichigo nodded and leaned forward. "It will for now." He breathed, pulling Grimmjow down for a deep, intoxicating kiss.

Just as things seemed to be heating up and they began to make their way to the bedroom the buzzer sounded and Grimmjow growled.

"Fuck. Ichigo, I gotta do some things can… can you hold it for a bit?"

Ichigo scowled but nodded, adjusting the half hard cock in his pants. Grimmjow grabbed his towel and buzzed whoever was downstairs up before turning back to Ichigo and smiling.

"Just so you know, Szayel is coming up too, but they won't be staying long, I promise. Then I'm all yours."

Ichigo continued to frown as he watched Grimmjow walk to the bedroom to get dressed. He wasn't happy at all about seeing that pink haired asshole and he wasn't going to pretend to be nice to him, even for Grimmjow. When there was a knock on the door and Grimmjow still hadn't left the bedroom Ichigo sighed and answered it, surprised that he recognized the man before him.

"Oh, you must be the infamous Ichigo I've heard about." The tall man with shaggy brown hair said, smiling lazily at him.

"Uh, yeah." Ichigo said, confused.

"I'm Starrk. Nice to meet you."

It clicked then where he had seen this face before and he smiled. "Hi. Uh, c'mon in."

He opened the door a bit more and let the man in, glaring at the smaller man that came in behind him. Szayel smiled at him as if nothing had happened, but the bruise on his chin and the swollen lip couldn't go unnoticed. Ichigo grinned inwardly and opened his mouth to say something about it when Grimmjow came out of the bedroom and greeted the men loudly.

"So you brought everything?" He asked, nodding to the cases Starrk had set on the kitchen table.

Starrk nodded and glanced fleetingly at Ichigo before returning it to the task of opening the cases. What was inside surprised Ichigo into complete silence. Grimmjow reached down, pulling the compact, black gun from the foam seating and lifted it into the light, turning it every which way before cocking it and aiming at the TV.

"These the same ones from the last time?" He asked, his tone going from friendly to businesslike.

Starrk shook his head. "Nah. That one is new. And so is everything from the other cases. You said you wanted things that could be easily hidden and the stuff from last time was kinda big. These guys can pack a punch though. Get the same job done but are way more compact."

Grimmjow uncocked the gun and set it on the table, glancing behind him at Ichigo and gnawing his lip a bit before deciding that they could talk about this in private later. Ichigo couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd never seen a gun up close before and didn't figure that his first time would involve so many of them. There were at least seven in the first case and there were two more cases on the floor near Szayel.

"The hell are those for?" He asked quietly, drawing all attention to himself.

"They are for shooting." Starrk said calmly before returning his attention back to the case.

"We'll talk about it later." Grimmjow said, a hard look in his eyes.

"Oh, come now Grimm. The boy just want's to know what's going on." Szayel lifted the small gun from the table and tossed it to Ichigo, pleased when the young man caught it and looked down stupidly at it. "Besides, this involves him now as well."

"And I said that Ichigo and I would talk about it later, so shut the hell up." He snatched the gun out of Ichigo's hand, not liking how it looked there, and set it back on the table. "Do we have enough to make sure that everyone from now on is armed?"

Starrk nodded. "I don't see why so many of your men were unarmed as it was."

"That's because Aizen ordered it. Trying to go legit means getting rid of the gangster look. Guns didn't help in that area."

Starrk nodded and yawned, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I gotta go pick up my kid, so are we done here?"

Grimmjow nodded and put the gun back in the case, closing it and locking it. "Thanks again." He said, handing Starrk a thick envelope.

Starrk took it and saluted with it, turning to leave. Szayel stared at Ichigo and smiled. "I suppose I'll see you around, Ichigo."

"Fuck you." Ichigo said under his breath and Grimmjow rolled his eyes, pushing Szayel towards the door.

As soon as both men were gone Grimmjow turned to Ichigo and crossed his arms. Ichigo copied him and cocked an eyebrow.

"What the hell is up with the guns?" He didn't like guns, not one bit, and he didn't see a reason for having them.

"You didn't wonder why I was just getting out of the shower in the middle of the day?" Grimmjow asked, dropping his arms and walking back across the room to where Ichigo still stood.

He frowned. No, he hadn't really thought about much of anything since he got back, save for everything that had happened the day before and the fact that he really wanted to fuck his boyfriend. The man he loved.

"Last night a couple of my guys were shot by Ichimaru's boys. Said we were tryin' to cut in…." He sighed, not really liking the way he was explaining it, but he was trying to keep things simple for Ichigo. And not give too much away. "Anyway, long story short, There's kinda a fire under my ass right now and safety is an issue. Things are bad."

"Like how bad?" Ichigo almost didn't want to know.

"Like bad, bad. Aizen and Ichimaru were on friendly terms and something like this could start a whole mess of shit no one really wants to deal with. Szayel, Starrk and I spent the whole night clearing things up and I decided that the guys need to start packing." He sighed and looked away from Ichigo, not really wanting to say what he knew he had to. "And you too."

Ichigo was silent a moment while things sunk in before he realized what Grimmjow had just said. "You want me to carry a gun?!"

"It's either that or I set up a bodyguard."

"Grimmjow, I'm not going to carry a gun and you don't need…."

"I'll decide what needs to be done in a situation like this, Ichigo. You don't know anything about this world or how dangerous it can be. I only want to protect you."

He didn't realize until after the words were out of his mouth that it was the exact wrong thing to say to Ichigo. The young man's body went rigid and his eyes narrowed, the air around him beginning to buzz with irritation.

"I don't need you to protect me, Grimmjow."

Lack of sleep and irritation flowed through his veins and straight to his mouth, making a bad situation worse.

"Yes I do. This isn't something you can take care of yourself. You've never dealt with gangs and…."

"Excuse me but yes I have. I've dealt with assholes trying to beat my ass to a bloody fucking pulp just about every day of my life growing up. I know how to protect myself and I never once had to use any kind of weapon except my fists. I'm not going to be changing that anytime soon."

"Ichigo…."

"No listen to me. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but stop it. I'm not some breakable thing that you have to coddle. I can take care of myself." When Grimmjow opened his mouth he again cut him off. "And if you have Nnoitra follow me again I'm going to be pissed. I don't need a fucking bodyguard."

It was a stand off in the living room, Grimmjow glaring at Ichigo for being, in his mind, an insufferable brat, and Ichigo glaring at Grimmjow in turn for being an overbearing ass. They were still staring when Nnoitra walked in several minutes later. He glanced between the two and frowned, not sure if he wanted to be there at the moment. He didn't mind pushing peoples buttons or watching a good fight, but this one looked more "drama" related than anything and he liked to avoid those kinds.

"Yo." He said, trying to break the tension.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he dropped his arms. "I'm going to take a shower." He said, before promptly leaving the room.

Nnoitra grinned at Grimmjow. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Fuck you and pick out a damn gun."

"He wants to give ya a bodyguard?" Shinji asked incredulously as Ichigo sucked down his third beer.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, like I can't take care of myself."

"Ichi, he's just tryin'…."

"Don't you fuckin' say it either, Shin. I swear I won't talk to you for a week."

Shinji sighed. He could see where Grimmjow was coming from, even if it did piss him off a little to know that he agreed with the man. Not that he wanted Ichigo to carry a gun around. He hated guns with a passion.

"He's only doin' it 'cos he cares about ya, Ichigo."

"I don't care." Ichigo said like a petulant child, even going so far as to cross his arms defiantly.

Shinji sighed, tossing him another beer as he cracked his second open. Ichigo had stopped by his apartment after school to bitch about what had happened the night before and as much as it amused Shinji that Grimmjow and Ichigo were fighting, he had been looking forward to a nap before work that night. He hadn't been sleeping well lately and it was mostly his own fault. One for answering his door at night, and two for letting that tall bastard in his house after he told himself that he wouldn't do it anymore.

"So how did things go with yer family this weekend?" Shinji had been meaning to ask about what had gone on the night Ichigo and his sisters had called him but hadn't had the time to do anything about it.

"You are so not going to like what I have to say." Ichigo sighed, downing the rest of his beer and setting the can on the coffee table. "So your mom told my dad I've been stripping." At Shinji's gasp Ichigo held up his hand. "Oh, it gets better. My dad asked me if I was gay so now he knows about me and Grimmjow. And the topping to the cake… he and yer mom are fucking."

Shinji's mouth dropped open and he shook his head. "That's not funny."

Ichigo shook his head. "I'm not joking."

Running his hand through his hair didn't quell his nerves in the least and he suddenly wanted to run straight over to his mothers and ask her just what was going on. If only they had started talking again….

"That's… that's so…."

"Weird and wrong?" Ichigo provided and Shinji agreed. Sure he wanted his mother to be happy, but the thought of her and Ichigo's dad… made him shiver. It was too weird.

"So damn, ya had quite a shitty past couple 's days, ne?"

"Che." Ichigo almost reached for another beer but stopped himself. He didn't want to show up to work drunk and not be able to perform properly.

"So are you and Grimmjow still not talkin'?"

Ichigo shrugged. "He said good morning to me…."

Shinji smiled and tried to stop his laugh, not one bit successful. "I'm sorry. But isn't this like kinda yer first fight as a couple?"

"Shut up."

"It's cute."

Ichigo punched Shinji in the arm. "Shut up."

Shinji giggled while rubbing the sore spot. "Still cute."

Grimmjow was at work still so Ichigo had the place to himself. He was glad for it too. After two days of not talking to the man it was becoming harder and harder to keep it up. But every time he thought about saying something about it he remembered that Grimmjow was trying to protect him and he felt like a child. And it pissed him off. He could take care of himself, damn it!

He sifted through his notes for Anatomy class and decided that he had had enough studying for that one for now, reaching for his sociology book and notebook. As he dug through his bag in search of a pencil he came up short. With a frown he looked over at Grimmjow's desk, wondering if he should look for one there. With a sigh he stood and walked over to it, scanning the top to find nothing even close to what he was looking for.

"In the drawers maybe?" He said to himself out loud as he reached for one of the drawers and pulled it open.

Nothing in that one but paperwork and he didn't feel like snooping. He closed it and opened the next one down, finding nothing in that drawer either. After one more below that the only one left was the thin one in the middle of the desk. He reached for it, pulling it open slowly, and looked down. The first thing he noticed was that there were about a dozen freshly sharpened pencils in a little grooved out section. He smiled and reached for one before his eyes caught something else. A small stack of photographs were stuck under a sheaf of papers and against his better judgment he pulled them free to see what they were. The first one was one he had seen before, a young Grimmjow laughing at a young Nnoitra with a young Szayel on his back. The second was of Szayel and Grimmjow, sitting next to each other and seemingly playing a hand held game. Starrk, the man he had met a few days before, was sitting next to Grimmjow, looking for all the world relaxed as could be. The third, and the one that gave him great pause, showed Szayel's arm around Grimmjow, his head resting against his shoulder as they continued to play the same game, Starrk still looking lazy on the bench next to them. Ichigo had known for a while now that they had spent a great deal of their youth together and were friends, but it still didn't help the burning cold jealousy from rising in him.

The last one was something he hadn't been prepared for. Grimmjow was kissing another man, arms wrapped around each other, tongues obviously in each other's mouths. He felt his breath hitch as he took it all in, every detail of the picture. Grimmjow's hair had been longer back then and so had the young man's that he was kissing. He dropped the other photos in the drawer and shut it, walking blindly to the door and slipping his shoes on before pocketing the picture and leaving the condo.

Shinji opened the door and frowned at Nnoitra. He was still tired from work the night before and wanted to continue sleeping, but had been interrupted, again, by the man.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Nnoitra grinned and pushed his way inside. "Geez. Can't I come say hi?"

Shinji shut the door and sighed. "No."

Nnoitra smirked and grabbed Shinji about the waist, pulling him down to the couch and making him sit in his lap. No words were needed as he began to nibble on Shinji's neck, still being rebuffed anytime he tried to kiss his lips. After the few tastes here and there of what that tongue could do while in his mouth it left him frustrated that Shinji was being such a bitch about it. Unless they were already well into the sex or he was drunk. Shinji sighed and slid his arms up Nnoitra's chest, his eyes falling closed as his arousal grew. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly Nnoitra could turn him on, even if he was tired or irritated or angry, as soon as Nnoitra touched him like this he'd melt like an ice cube and turn into a complete submissive.

Nnoitra's grip around Shinji's waist tightened and he pulled him forward, pressing the groins together for a bit of friction. Even if he was a bit tired himself he was always up for fooling around with the blond. He reached up with one hand to tug lightly at the metal bar in one of Shinji's nipples, loving the strangled almost pained moan that tore from the smaller man's throat. Shinji's hands glided down Nnoitra's arms and began to wrap around his hips when his fingers touched something hard. He frowned and pulled back, looking down at Nnoitra.

"The fuck is that?" He said.

Nnoitra blinked at him before shrugging. "My gun."

Shinji's eyes went wide and his entire body stiffened, panic setting in. He tried to scramble off Nnoitra's lap but, not knowing why he was trying to get away, he held on tight.

"The fuck you goin'?"

"G-get… let go of me!" Shinji said, his voice now showing his panic as he pushed harder at Nnoitra's chest, finally extricating himself.

"The fuck's yer problem?" Nnoitra asked, frowning up at the blond.

"Get that thing out of my house. Now!"

"What the…."

"Get it out!" Shinji practically screamed, backing himself into the wall.

Nnoitra stood and tried to approach him but Shinji's hands flew out in front of him, his body beginning to shake.

"GET IT OUT OF HERE!"

Nnoitra didn't understand what the hell was going on, but he didn't want to stick around to watch Shinji's break down. He sneered at him, something that wasn't concern at all burning in his eye, and left the apartment. As soon as the door was shut Shinji slid down the wall and tried to catch his breath. It had been years and he was still terrified of guns. He rested his forehead on his knees as he tried to catch his breath and not feel like a fool for his reaction.

Nnoitra was just lighting a cigarette when Ichigo walked up to the top the stairs. They eyed each other before Nnoitra walked away without saying a word. Ichigo frowned and knocked on Shinji's door, opening it without waiting for an answer. When he saw his friend huddled against the wall his eyes went wide.

"What the hell did he do to you?" He asked, rushing to Shinji's side to make sure he was okay.

"N-nothin'. I freaked out on him." Shinji took a deep breath and looked up at Ichigo glad that he at least hadn't started crying. "He had a gun."

"Oh." Ichigo said simply, taking a seat on the floor next to his friend. "Yeah, everyone that works for Grimmjow has one now."

Shinji nodded. He had completely forgotten about the conversation they had had earlier that week. They sat in silence for a moment before Ichigo reached in his pocket and withdrew a photograph, trying not to look at it and failing miserably.

"Before you say anything, I wasn't snooping. I was looking for a pencil."

Shinji frowned. "What the…."

Ichigo handed him the picture and sighed. "I found that hidden in his desk drawer." He said, his voice quiet.

Shinji's eyes were wide as he looked at the kissing men, one with shaggy blue hair, the other with longish pink hair.

"That's…."

"Yeah. Grimmjow and Szayel kissing."

A/N SO kinda a lot happened here, ne? Sorry about the wait again. Stupid real world and her interruptions *shakes fist at imaginary representation of the real world* *sigh* So I had something to say and totally forgot what it was, lol. I suppose it wasn't that important I guess. So yeah, what didja think? Kinda left ya with another little cliffhanger again. I love doing that :D And isn't Ichigo kinda bein' a bitch? Poor everyone. They all need a nice vacation. Maybe Hawaii or Jamaica? ;p Hope you all liked it and it wasn't lame. More soon :D

~Penny