Good-bye

Grimmjow sighed. "Hey, Abarai," he called the big red haired college student to his desk.

"Yes, Professor Jaegerjaques?"

"Where's Kurosaki?"

"I don't know," Renji said. "He didn't call me and say he was sick or going to be late or anything."

Is he really not even going to come to class to avoid me? Grimmjow wondered. Maybe he's already gone. If he were smart, he'd be some place really far away by now. Honestly, it's a good thing he's not here.

Which is why Grimmjow was startled to see a bright head of orange hair heading down the hallway some hours later.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Grimmjow asked angrily.

Ichigo didn't turned around. Grimmjow grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him down the hallway, practically throwing him into a supply closet. He followed the boy, closing the door behind them.

"What do you think you're doing!" Ichigo yelled at him as they stood together in the dark.

"Are you insane? After what happened you come back here of all places?" Grimmjow said. "They know you're here, and they damn well know where you live and work."

"Why, because you told them?"

"Shut up. I didn't tell anyone squat," Grimmjow replied.

"I'm not going to run away," Ichigo said stubbornly.

"This isn't a courage issue," Grimmjow told him. "This is a common sense issue. Hell, leave the whole damn country if possible."

"No."

"...Ichigo..."

"What about you? Why don't you take me in right now?" Ichigo asked him.

"No one has given me any orders about you, and I don't know that I'd do anything if I got any," Grimmjow admitted.

"You expect me to believe that someone like you has a conscious?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Grimmjow growled.

"I didn't recognize you before because even I didn't have time to go through every damn personnel file, but I've definitely read all of your reports. They only call you by numbers. Don't think I don't know what the Espadas do, what kind of crap you've done," Ichigo said with venom.

"You're making me out to be a terrorist or a criminal," Grimmjow said.

"You are a state sponsored criminal," Ichigo stated. "Does that make it better?"

"No one likes to admit that organizations like us are necessary but I assure you that every government in the world has black ops," Grimmjow argued.

"How are people supposed to trust their government if their government has no problem stealing, lying and murdering people?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm not a damn assassin!"

"But there are assassins. And you've killed people you were ordered to kill."

Grimmjow didn't say anything.

"Why did you start following me? Why did you break into my place?" Ichigo said.

"I...look things are kind of tight for me. In case you haven't noticed I have a freaking monitor on my leg and have cops following me around everywhere."

"So you were going to do something highly illegal, but just do it on my computer so I go blamed? You were framing me?" Ichigo asked.

"I was planning on covering my tracks, but like you said, there are always ways of finding out stuff. So...yeah...I was setting you up," Grimmjow said. "But I didn't do it, ok?"

"Fine, so I started getting to be too annoying so you would have just done it to some other poor sap who didn't know better, right?" Ichigo asked. "Because somehow that's so morally better."

"Damn it Ichigo, things are more complicated than you think," Grimmjow told him.

"If you work for the government, then why are you being traced all the time?"

"It's not like what I do is really acknowledged by the government, Ichigo. And even if it was, the police, military, and intelligence don't all work together. There's a reason there are different departments. It just so happens that I got caught in a way that made the cops think that there was more to me, so they're following me around. Who knows, maybe they're ideological like you and think taking me down and exposing the program will be good for the country. But it won't," Grimmjow explained.

"Did they just throw you to the wolves?" Ichigo asked. "Did they not even try to get you out of jail?"

"Of course not. Any of us stupid enough to get caught would be disavowed, assuming we ever started talking, which you don't do if you want to live."

"You admit that your organization would kill you?"

"Of course," Grimmjow said. "In fact, you should be a little more appreciative of what I'm doing for you. I risked a lot helping you get your cousin, and I risked even more saving you from Szayel because he's an Espada too. Now they know for a fact that I'm off the farm. If they called me to bring you in and I didn't do it, yeah then I fully expect for them to try and kill me. Knowing what you know, they'd expect me to be in league with you. Or hell, maybe they'd just kill me for being a screw up too many times."

"Are you kidding?"

"Of course not," Grimmjow said.

"Then...thanks," Ichigo told him.

"Yeah well, thank me by going underground. If you don't know how to, I can help."

"No."

"You already said that, but you ain't thinking it through. There's nothing to stop someone from sitting on the roof and sniping you as you walk to your car after school. It would be that easy, and you'd just be dead. I'm sorry you'd have to leave your family and friends, but you have to leave," Grimmjow realized he was pleading. Damn it, when did I get so damn involved with this brat? He wondered to himself.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Ichigo said firmly.

"Well...I am."

"What?"

"I am leaving I think," Grimmjow stated. It's better if I just remove myself from this situation, he thought. I'm not being rational anymore.

"Yeah well do whatever you have to do," Ichigo wasn't looking at him.

"Hey," Grimmjow grabbed Ichigo's arms. "This might be the last time I see you. Can you at least pretend you understand where I'm coming from?"

There was a long moment of silence. Grimmjow was a little shocked as he felt Ichigo press up against him but he didn't wait to wrap his arms around Ichigo and kiss him. It was a slow kiss, and Grimmjow didn't let Ichigo go when he pulled away.

"I'm not going to have sex with you," Ichigo stated, slightly out of breath.

"Whatever, just kiss me again," Grimmjow said, pulling Ichigo's jaw towards him again.

It was a lot more than one kiss, but it wasn't the hot and heavy makeout that Ichigo had teased him with before. Instead, Grimmjow began to feel like he was floating, and he wondered how long he could convince Ichigo to stay in his arms. It was over far too soon for Grimmjow though, and Ichigo abruptly turned away and opened the door a crack, letting in a stream of light.

"Wait," Grimmjow put a hand on Ichigo shoulder. "At least say that you hope you'll see me again."

"I'm not going to lie to make you feel better," Ichigo replied with turning. He felt Grimmjow's hand tighten on his shoulder. He looked back. "Don't...go getting shot or stabbed or anything..." he said.

"See ya, kid," Grimmjow said to Ichigo's retreating back.

"Well I'm not going," Nnoitra said. "You're the one messing everything up. I'll just lie my way out of whatever."

"Any reason you're staying?" Grimmjow asked with a smile.

"No," Nnoitra replied.

"And are you still seeing Shiro?"

Nnoitra glared at him. "Yes."

"I'm surprised Ichigo didn't warn him off you."

"He did. Shiro didn't care though. I think he thinks I break kneecaps for a living or something," Nnoitra answered. "Hey, ya know his eyes? They're real. They're not contacts, just black and yellow like that naturally."

"That's kinda creepy," Grimmjow said.

"He has a stripper's poll set up in his room," Nnoitra continued.

"What?"

"Yeah, he'll dance for me sometimes," Nnoitra grinned.

"Wow," Grimmjow said. "You think Ichigo knows how?"

"Well how the hell would I know?" Nnoitra asked. "But...I'll tell you a secret..."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow.

"Shiro was Ichigo's first kiss," Nnoitra said with a laugh.

"He...what? They're cousins!"

"Well Shiro was spending the night over at Ichigo's and the two were alone drinking some sake they had gotten their hands on. Shiro gets Ichigo to admit that he had never kissed anyone yet, and Shiro says he's done plenty of kissing so he'll teach him. Ichigo laughs it off but Shiro is totally serious and goes for it. Ichigo tries to push him off but then they wind up making out for like five minutes."

Grimmjow's mind went back to the closet, to Ichigo pressed up against him, the taste of his lips.

"HEY!" Nnoitra yelled, tossing a pillow at him. "Don't get turned on thinking about my..." he stopped suddenly.

"Your what?" Grimmjow grinned at him. "Did you just almost call him your boyfriend?"

"Shut up," Nnoitra said.

"Besides, you pervert, I was thinking about Ichigo, not your crazy little incestuous albino."

Ichigo stared at the door handle. This is it, he thought to himself. When he had first moved in to his apartment he had loosened the long handle so that even though it automatically went level when closed, he could push it down to an awkward angle. Whenever he locked his door he put the handle down at a 45 degree angle. He had been able to figure out that Grimmjow had broken into his place before he even entered it, the second he saw that the handle was even again. It was even now. He vaguely supposed Grimmjow could be waiting for him, but most likely...

On Ichigo's key ring there was an automatic door lock and alarm for his car. Next to it was a very similar looking device. He activated the device and then opened the door to his apartment.

"Somehow you don't look as surprised as I was expecting," Szayel said to him.

I probably should have asked Grimmjow what Espada Szayel was, Ichigo thought as he stared at the man. He did drug me so I'm guessing...Espada number 8. If that's true then he's not very strong physically. Ichigo looked at the two other men in his apartment and tried to calculate his odds. Then he felt it and sighed. He'd felt the feeling before. He looked at his now numb hand glumly. "You put it on the door handle..." he said. "That's hardly fair."

"Oh, and I'm all about fairness," Szayel said.

"...Fuck..." Ichigo said as he slumped against the wall.

"Maybe, I'm not sure. We'll have to try later if you don't talk," Szayel said with a smile as Ichigo began to lose consciousness.

I hope I don't see you again, Grimmjow, Ichigo thought as the world got dimmer. I want to believe that you somehow are better than I think you are. I don't want to see you sit and watch me get tortured.

"Hello?" Grimmjow asked cautiously. He didn't recognize the number of who was calling.

"Mr. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques?"

"...yeah?"

"Ah, hello!"

"Do I know you?" Grimmjow asked with a frown.

"I'm Ichigo's boss."

What was Ichigo's boss's name again? Grimmjow thought back to Ichigo in the shop. Ura...Urahara? Grimmjow blinked. "Kisuke Urahara?"

"Aw, good, he's mentioned me then," Kisuke said into the phone.

He was working with Kisuke Urahara? In a freaking pet store? Yeah right.

"I don't think you should be talking to me," Grimmjow said bluntly.

"Well you see, Ichigo was supposed to come in but hasn't yet."

"He was supposed to work at midnight?" Grimmjow questioned incredulously.

"And now he's not answering his cell phone either. I hope nothing has happened to him."

Grimmjow griped the phone tightly.

"I thought that since you're such a good friend of his you could check his apartment for me," Kisuke continued.

"Yeah," Grimmjow agreed, swallowing dryly. He hung up. "Hey, Nnoitra. You still bored?" he asked, looking over at the large man sprawled on the couch.