Beginning of the End

Shinji leaned forward and whispered to Ichigo, "Is he still pissed about forever ago?" he asked.

Ichigo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes and it's stupid."

"I'll say. You kissed me. He should be holdin' the grudge against you."

Ichigo shrugged. "He'd be all kinds of pissed if I had dragged something out this long."

Shinji smirked. "Are ya two like… havin' a fight er somethin'?"

Ichigo sighed. "Not exactly." When Shinji looked at Ichigo expectantly, chocolate eyes flicked to see that Grimmjow was occupied with Nnoitra enough not to be paying attention to what Shinji and he were doing.

"I think we both just have a little too much on our plates at the moment." Ichigo muttered, picking Sorin up off the floor and kissing the top of his head before setting him in his lap. "I wanted a day to actually relax for once. We don't really get to do that much because of the kids and work and stuff. Plus Grimmjow's taking off next Friday for his monthly conference thing."

"Aw, poor Ichi's lonely." Shinji teased and ignored the withering glare Ichigo sent his way. "Ya want some help next weekend then?" he asked and Ichigo shrugged.

"I wasn't… I didn't tell you that because…."

"Oh come on Ichigo. I wouldn't offer 'nless I wanted ta actually help." Shinji grinned and looked down at Yayoi. "'sides, these four are basically cousins so they should be around each other often."

Ichigo smirked and nodded. "Yeah." Ichigo watched Grimmjow and Nnoitra escape out the back door and he scowled at the glass as it was slowly shut.

"I think he's hiding something from me." he blurt out and Shinji looked up at him, startled a bit.

"Like what?" Shinji blinked.

Ichigo shrugged but kept his eyes fixed on the sliding glass door. "I don't know but… when I find out I'm gonna kick his ass because it's probably something that's gonna piss me off."

Shinji giggled and didn't bother trying to hide it. "I'm sure it's nothin' big. That idiot loves you more than his cats." Ichigo smacked Shinji in the shoulder and sent him a withering glare which only caused the blond man to laugh harder.

Outside, hidden by overgrown trees and bushes, Grimmjow snagged the cigarette Nnoitra was smoking and took a greedy inhale. Nnoitra's eyebrow arched at this and he took the stick back when Grimmjow had finished.

"That ain't a good sign." Nnoitra commented and Grimmjow grunted.

"Shut up, I'm stressed the fuck out. It's not hurting anything as long as Ichigo doesn't find out."

Nnoitra snorted and shook his head. "Man I'd hate ta be you when that happens. Listenin' ta that whiney bitch drone on and on 'bout how bad it is fer ya."

Grimmjow sighed. "Shut up."

"So ya gonna stand up fer yerself so I can finally get ya those big girl panties?"

Grimmjow punched Nnoitra's arm and stole his cigarette again. "Fuck you, ass."

"So what, ya wanna little smoke to ease stress a bit? Ain't a big deal." Nnoitra shrugged, ignoring the pain in his arm.

"Oh yes it fuckin' is. I have three kids, Nnoi. I got no business smokin' anymore." Grimmjow grumbled.

"Che." Nnoitra pulled out another cigarette from his pack and lit it up. "Kitty Bitch's got yer cock whipped big time."

Grimmjow grunted, whether in agreement or negation Nnoitra couldn't tell, and bent, reaching for the coffee can he kept his butts in before he realized he didn't need to do that if he was with Nnoitra. Grimmjow grunted again and stood, looking back towards the house to see if Ichigo was looking at him.

"Fuck you and gimmie another drag."

Three days had passed since Shinji, Yayoi and Nnoitra had been over at Grimmjow and Ichigo's and Ichigo was delighted by the fact that he was getting home earlier than expected for once. He wanted to surprise Grimmjow and the kids, make an awesome dinner and then enjoy some cuddle time with Grimmjow where the both of them weren't completely exhausted. He stepped inside the house and smiled when it was completely quiet. Looked like he was going to be getting some of that alone time with Grimmjow first, he thought as he toed off his shoes and placed his jacket on the rack near the door. They had a closet for such things but at the moment it was still filled with boxes. Seeing the living room empty, Ichigo padded as quietly as he could down the hall to check Grimmjow's office and frowned when he found that empty as well. Grimmjow's car was still there so he had to be somewhere.

Back out in the living room Ichigo looked towards the kitchen and noticed that the sliding glass door that led to the backyard was slightly open. Ichigo pursed his lips and walked towards it, pulling the door back on silent rollers and looking into the overgrown recesses of his yard. He didn't see anything at first, only various shades of green and brown, and he was about to shut the door again when he saw a streak of blue. Ichigo paused, one hand dangling by his side and the other still holding on to the metal framing of the door, and waited. He heard a cough and a rustling before he saw Grimmjow emerge from behind the overgrowth and freeze. Blue eyes went wide and Grimmjow's mouth dropped open a bit when he caught sight of Ichigo standing in the doorway.

Fuck.

"What are you doing back there?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow shrugged; a quick jerk of his shoulder really.

"Nothin'." he mumbled but stayed where he was. If he walked forward Ichigo would smell it and know exactly what he had been doing.

"Weirdo. Get inside, it's fucking cold." Ichigo said, pulling the sliding door open more and stepping back into the house.

Grimmjow took a deep breath and started to walk forward when he realized he was still holding the butt of the half-crushed cigarette he had been smoking. Double fuck. Grimmjow stepped back and reached into the bushes, grabbing the old coffee can he used to dispose of things. He pulled back the plastic lid and was just tossing the butt inside when Ichigo's voice reached his ears again. Only much, much closer.

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow spun around, hiding the can behind his back.

"Uh… nothing." he answered lamely and felt stupid for it.

"Is…." Ichigo sniffed the air and his eyes went wide. "Oh my God! You're smoking again!"

"No!" Grimmjow defended, biting his cheek after the lie.

"You liar!" Ichigo reached behind Grimmjow and wrenched the coffee can from his hands, spilling some of the contents in the process. Grimmjow could definitely no longer deny what he was doing now and he sighed dramatically.

"How long have you been hiding this from me?"

"I dunno…." Grimmjow muttered and Ichigo cocked a hip, giving Grimmjow the you-had-better-stop-fucking-with-me look. "A while."

"Are you doing this around the kids?"

"No! I've been showering like fucking crazy and doing a shit ton of laundry…." Grimmjow blurt out and managed to stop himself before he confessed anything else.

"You did all that just to keep this from me?"

"Yeah. I mean no! Fuck." Grimmjow hung his head and tried to shake off the ashes that were sticking to his hand. "I didn't want the smoke around the kids so I was trying to get it off me…."

"I can't believe this." Ichigo said, shaking his head and looking into the half-filled can. "Well you have to quit. There's patches and gum and pills and therapy…." he added matter-of-factly and Grimmjow's head shot up.

"But…"

"No buts Grimmjow." Ichigo snapped and Grimmjow felt like he was five years old again and getting yelled at by his father for cutting the dog's hair with scissors.

Grimmjow huffed out a breath, his shoulders sagged a bit and he nodded in acquiescence. Ichigo stalked back to the house with the coffee can still in his hands and Grimmjow knew that he was in deep shit this time. He hadn't fucked up this bad since… well since the fight right before they decided to have the kids when Ichigo…. Grimmjow shook his head, not wanting to think about that incident, and walked back to the house and what was sure to be a very long, tense night.

"Tesla, you wouldn't be avoiding me, now would you?" Takashiro asked in a sickly sweet voice that made Tesla's blood run a tad too cold.

"N-no. Not at all, Takashiro-sama. I've been working…."

"I thought I told you to quit." Takashiro snapped and Tesla winced.

"I had to give a two week notice, I told you that." Tesla said in a pleading voice.

"I'll be back in town Friday. That is your last day whether the two weeks is up or not. Understand?"

Tesla closed his eyes as a combination of fear of love washed over him and he nodded before answering. "Yes, Takashiro-sama. I'll inform Shin-chan that that will be my last day."

Tesla hung up the phone and rested his forehead against the wall. He wanted to make everyone happy but in this case he knew someone would be upset. He loved Shinji and he loved his work at Solid Gold, loved the entertaining he did even when it involved older women that he had absolutely no interest in. But Takashiro-sama…. Tesla couldn't place exactly what he loved about the man but he knew for certain that's what it was. And he couldn't go against the man he loved, could he? Tesla sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. He had promised Takashiro that he would quit, but he had also promised Shinji that he would not.

Be strong, Tesla. Shinji is right. You can't stay with Takashiro-sama if he's going to control so much of your life.

Tesla stood up straight again, rolled his shoulders and took a deep, cleansing breath before pasting a smile on his face and heading back out to work and the client he had waiting for him.

Nnoitra couldn't work Wednesday afternoon because of an accident at the worksite that morning. He had been more than ready to get to it but Starrk had given everyone the day off for some reason. Asshole just wants ta go fuck his new girlfriend, Nnoitra thought to himself as he reached for and opened Shinji's apartment door. He hadn't bothered to call to see if the man was there or not but his full intention was to break in and raid the refrigerator if Shinji had not been home. But the blond man was there after all and currently engaged in changing a very stinky diaper. Nnoitra wrinkled his nose, thinking that he had hoped after staying with Grimmjow this last time that it would be the last time he would have to smell something that bad, and shut the door harder than he really needed to.

Shinji's head shot up and he sent Nnoitra a strange look before he closed the clean diaper over Yayoi's little bottom and stood to dispose of the dirty one.

"Oh good, watch her while I run this down to the dumpster." Shinji said in a rush as he stepped into a pair of rain boots.

"No way!" Nnoitra said indignantly as he looked down at the too tiny baby lying on a changing pad.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Come on Nnoi. I'll be gone like three minutes. Less. You want this stinky thing in the house longer than it needs ta be?" Shinji asked, waving the diaper in Nnoitra's direction.

Nnoitra's lip curled and he leaned back, causing Shinji to giggle.

"Just pick her up if she starts crying." he called over his shoulder before stepping outside into the horribly wet weather.

"Fuck you." Nnoitra muttered to himself after Shinji was gone. "I ain't pickin' that thing up."

Yayoi made a small noise and Nnoitra scowled at her, willing her to stay quiet. It didn't work of course and after a couple attempts of expressing rage for being left alone on the floor, Yayoi broke out with a small cry that quickly escalated to a full out wail. Nnoitra's shoulders hunched at the sound and he grit his teeth, looking longingly at the front door in hopes that Shinji would miraculously return at that very moment. Instead Yayoi got louder and as Nnoitra edged closer for a better look he noticed that she was going quite red in the face.

"Hey, shut it." he growled, part of him knowing that it wouldn't work and another part warning him that he could make it all far worse.

Tiny arms incased in cloth rose to shake and rail at the air above her and Nnoitra let out a noise he'd never admit sounded very similar to a whine.

"Knock it off, he'll be right back." he said, bending over the small form and frowning.

Yayoi opened her eyes and looked straight up at him, or so Nnoitra thought she was looking right at him, before letting out the loudest cry she had as of yet. Nnoitra clenched his jaw and dropped to his knees, reaching out and gently taking hold of a very small foot.

"See, y'ain't alone, so quit cryin'." he tried. It didn't work.

"Fuckin'… it's been three minutes, right?" Nnoitra asked himself out loud, looking at the digital display on the DVR before he realized he had no idea when Shinji had left.

Yayoi continued to cry and Nnoitra could only frown at her. She was so small, surely if he tried to pick her up he'd end up hurting her, and that was sure to piss more than just Shinji off. Tiny hands waved in the air and Yayoi's chin began to shake with her cries. Nnoitra's lip curled and he reached out tentatively as he tried to remember what Grimmjow had said about holding babies.

"Support the neck and butt…." he muttered again and slipped the fingers of both hands under the fragile neck.

Once he felt that he was fairly secure, Nnoitra hooked his thumbs under Yayoi's armpits and lifted her slowly from the ground, a sick sense of panic coiling in his belly the moment she left the floor and began to dangle in midair. He held Yayoi out at arms-length for a moment as he took a deep breath and tried to remember what he was supposed to do next.

"Just like a cat…." he muttered.

Slowly Nnoitra brought Yayoi closer to his chest until she was touching him, slipping one hand down to cup her diaper clad bottom and arranging the other so that it provided all the support to her neck. Nnoitra looked down at the tiny head and frowned when Yayoi didn't stop crying. Nnoitra stood and looked around the room again to see if there was anything at all to help him out and realized that even if there was he'd have no idea what to look for anyway. So instead of doing anything useful that he could figure, Nnoitra began to pace and think up ways to kill Shinji for leaving him alone with this tiny force of nature. Just when he thought Yayoi was starting to relax the front door opened and Shinji rushed inside, shutting it quickly before shaking his entire body.

"Holy fuck it's cold outside." Shinji said, slipping out of his boots and turning to see Nnoitra standing in the middle of the living room holding his daughter. Shinji grinned and giggled.

"That's a good look for you."

Nnoitra seemed less than amused. "What the fuck took ya so long?" he grit out and Shinji rolled his eyes.

"It started hailing so I waited a bit to see if it'd stop. I wasn't gone that long."

"The fuck ya weren't. She started freakin' the fuck out the minute ya left."

Shinji smiled softly at Nnoitra and bit his bottom lip. "But she's doin' fine now."

Nnoitra opened his mouth to respond that, no, Yayoi was not doing fine, when he realized that the baby was quiet and sleeping soundly against his chest.

"When…?"

"Either she wore herself out or she likes ya." Shinji giggled and trotted down the hall to turn the heater on.

"Well fuckin' take 'er then."

Shinji shook his head as he warmed himself in front of the heater and giggled at Nnoitra's frown.

"It might wake her up again if I do. Yer just gonna hafta hold her for a bit more. Ain't gonna kill ya."

Inside, Shinji's stomach was doing a rowdy round of flip-flops at the sight of Nnoitra holding his baby girl. Not to mention he was pretty sure his heart was going to explode. He had figured that Nnoitra would just ignore Yayoi until Shinji got back from doing what he had to but when he had opened that door and seen the man he loved he had almost started crying like a baby himself. Nnoitra would never agree with this but he did look rather good with a baby in his arms.

"Says you." Nnoitra grumbled and went back to pacing just to give himself something to do.

Once Shinji was warmed up enough he did take Yayoi out of Nnoitra's arms, gently laying her in the bassinette she had been using before Nana had been roped into moving in with Etta. Once she was settled Shinji turned around, reached up and pulled Nnoitra down for a searing kiss. A long arm snaked around Shinji's waist and when he pulled back the tall man was smiling again.

"Thank you." Shinji whispered and smiled.

Nnoitra snorted and looked away. "Whatever. I ain't doin' it again."

Shinji giggled and kissed Nnoitra once more before the two of them grabbed some leftover Thai food and settled in to watch a movie.

Nana was the only one home when Shinji brought Yayoi back and Shinji was glad for it. He hadn't had that much of a chance to talk to her about the move yet because his mother was always around. Nana prepared a bottle while Shinji put everything away and settled into one of Etta's big comfy chairs to feed her. Shinji sat on the couch and watched for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. The day had been a long one but the surprise visit from Nnoitra had been the most taxing on his system. In a good way though.

"So, how ya likin' it here?" Shinji started and Nana looked up at him.

"Your mother is very nice." she said thoughtfully. "She's being more than helpful with Yayoi and myself."

"She ain't tryin' ta make ya do stuff ya don't wanna is she? Okaachan can be very… overbearing at times."

Nana smiled softly and shook her head. "I like your mother. She doesn't have to be nice to me at all and she's opened her door to us. I'll admit it was strange at first but I really am grateful for everything she has done."

Shinji sighed. "Well, I guess as long as ya ain't all weird about it it's fine."

Shinji let himself relax a bit, knowing that he had to get to the office soon and get a few things done today. It wasn't that late but he really should be on his way already.

"Oh, I clipped Yo-chan's fingernails today. They were super long and she cut her face this morning with them." Shinji said, sitting up and crossing to the chair to show Nana the little cuts Yayoi had on the side of her face.

"Oh." Nana breathed and seemed for a moment to be upset. "How do you know so much about taking care of babies?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"I used to help take care'a my cousins when they were little. 'Course I was pretty little too but my aunt always let me help out and she taught me all kinds of things."

"Oh." Nana blinked. "Your mother never mentioned anything about other family."

Shinji smiled sadly and brushed the back of one finger against Yayoi's cheek. "That's 'cos we don't talk with them no more."

Nana knew she shouldn't ask but let her curiosity get the better of her, something that had been happening more and more since she moved into Etta's house.

"Why?"

"Because they disowned us when I came out of the closet about eight years ago."

Nana's eyes went wide and the bottle slipped from her hand a bit before she caught it. "That's… that's awful."

Shinji smirked. "Whatever. I know if my papa was still alive he'd still love me and that's all that matters. Fuck the rest of 'em, ne?"

Tesla was at a loss as to what to do with the situation but Shinji seemed to have everything under control. They would arrange for Takashiro to come to the club Friday evening and Tesla would confront him then in front of the staff and customers. Shinji had figured that, hopefully, the man would have the sense not to cause a scene in front of so many people but figured if he did he could quickly have the situation under control. He had spoken with Kensei, one of the other hosts, and a man named Chad, the bouncer, and alerted both of them that they may have issues that night. Everyone else was ready for it as well. All that was left was to wait until Friday to set everything into motion and hope things went as smoothly as possible.

But Tesla was scared that things would go wrong. Scared that Takashiro would cause a scene. Scared that someone would get hurt. And he knew, without a doubt, that if anything like that happened it would be all Tesla's fault. Thursday evening was already upon them and Tesla couldn't manage to sit still. Two of his clients had asked if he was okay and he had almost spilled everything to them. When it happened a third time Tesla went to Shinji and asked to go home early. Shinji took pity on him and sent him on his way.

Now, lying face first on his bed, Tesla began to fret about the coming evening. Again. Life was so much easier for him when he didn't have people standing up for him. When all he had to do was obey his lover and make him happy. Tesla buried his face in his pillow and wished tomorrow would never come.

Nnoitra met Shinji at Solid Gold Thursday and was surprised when he was greeted by a large, quiet man at the front door.

"Can I help you?" the man asked and Nnoitra sneered.

"Nope." Nnoitra answered and walked past the man. Or tried to anyway.

"I'm sorry sir. Unless you have an appointment I can't let you into the club." the man blocking Nnoitra's way said in a monotone.

"Che. I don't need a fuckin' appointment I'm fuckin' yer boss. Now move b'fore I do somethin' that'll make him bitch at me."

"Chad, is there an issue here?" a soft voice asked and both men turned to see Yumi approach them.

"Hey, you know me right?" Nnoitra asked, taking a chance and stepping more forward. "Tell this guy ta get the fuck outta my way."

"Hmm… I wonder." Yumi said with a smirk and he tapped his chin with a delicate and well-manicured finger.

"Ya little bitch…."

"Well, I thought I had remembered you but that insult seems to have scared the memory away."

"Ya stupid faggot, let me… hey, outta my way asshole!" Nnoitra shouted when Chad stepped in front of him again.

"If you don't lower your voice I'll be forced to escort you from the property."

"Yeah like that'll happen."

"What the hell is going on here?"

Shinji appeared from behind Yumi and frowned when he noticed his new bouncer and Nnoitra. As much as he liked the new guy, Shinji was certain that Nnoitra would demolish him so he sighed and stepped a bit closer.

"Chad, it's okay. This is my boyfriend, Nnoi. You can let him in from now on, okay." Shinji said and Nnoitra grinned.

"Yeah, so get the fuck outta my way." Nnoitra sneered triumphantly.

"Unless I specifically tell you not to let the idiot in." Shinji continued and Nnoitra frowned at him.

Once they were back at Shinji's office Shinji left the door open and asked Nnoitra what he was doing there. The long days of getting up early, watching Yayoi all day and then coming in to work until after midnight was starting to get to him and he was glad that after tomorrow he'd be able to take a day or two off.

"Needed ta talk to ya 'bout some things." Nnoitra answered, plopping in the chair in front of Shinji's desk before grinning at the blond. "Wanna fuck first?"

"Nnoi…." Shinji said in a warning tone and Nnoitra rolled his eye.

"Fine. Look, I gotta take off fer a couple days. Ya wanted me ta let ya know 'bout things like that right?"

Shinji frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "For Aizen?"

Nnoitra nodded.

"I thoughtcha were done doin' things fer him"

Nnoitra groaned. "Hey, this is gonna get me a shit ton 'a money so I can get my own place again so quit bitchin'. 'nless ya want me ta keep livin' with Starrk…."

"Don't yell at me asshole." Shinji shot back.

"I wasn't yellin'!"

Shinji's leg began to bounce and his eyes rolled. "Can't ya figure out another way ta get money?"

Nnoitra shrugged. "I could rob a bank."

"That's not funny."

Nnoitra snorted. "Yeah well, with the money I'll make off this job I might as well rob a bank if I quit it. Which I can't, so drop it."

"Whatever. Are ya done now?"

Nnoitra shook his head. "So yer just gonna be a bitch about this then?"

Honey eyes locked on a violet one and narrowed to slits. "Yes, I am. I toldja I hate this shi…."

"And I toldja I don't give a fuck. Ya knew who I was when we started fuckin' and gettin' pissy now ain't gonna change that."

"Oh yes, be real proud yer a yakuza grunt. What, ya off ta kill someone again?" Shinji responded in a snooty tone and Nnoitra's lip curled.

The tall man stood and bent over the desk, forcing eye contact with Shinji and exuding an air that Shinji rarely saw.

"I am proud 'a my job Blondie and no I ain't killin' nobody. This time." he added. "Now we gonna go home and fuck this anger outta ya or am I spendin' the next few nights alone?"

"Ya don't intimidate me, Nnoi." Shinji said, trying to hide a small tremor in his voice.

"Bullshit, Blondie. What's it gonna be?"

Eyes downcast, Shinji mulled things over before sighing and forcing his body to relax. He didn't like giving in so easily but he also wasn't up for a fight or a night alone tonight.

"Are ya ridin' home with me?" Nnoitra grinned and nodded once before sitting back in the chair. "I'll be done in an hour, just wait here."

Shinji left the office and Nnoitra put his feet up on the desk, ready for a relaxing evening of what was sure to be hot angry sex with Shinji. A small smile stretched his lips and he placed his hands behind his head. He could handle that.

Shinji patted Tesla's shoulder and smiled at him.

"It'll be fine." he said and Tesla nodded jerkily.

Shinji checked his watch and looked over at Kensei who was standing by the bar, ready to step in if needed. Tesla fidgeted with the wine glass on the table in front of the plush couch he was seated at and Shinji slapped his hand away before grabbing his face and forcing him to look at him.

"It will be fine. Ya tell him what ya need to and then we'll go home and get a little drunk and this'll all blow over, ne?"

Tesla nodded again, this time more steady, and Shinji smiled again. He had complete confidence in his plan and even if Takashiro got out of hand he knew he was prepared for it. Yumi approached the table and bent to whisper in Shinji's ear before walking back to his own booth. Shinji turned to Tesla and gave him a quick hug.

"You'll do brilliantly, Tes." he said before standing and walking a safe distance away.

Tesla looked up and watched Takashiro approach, closing his eyes for a moment and trying to steady himself. Shinji was right. It was fine and everything would go fine and Tesla would do fine. It was fine. Hazel eyes opened once more and Tesla stood, smiling and holding a hand out in front of him.

"Welcome, Takashiro-sama. Please, take a seat."

A/N So I've been suuuuper slacking on replying to reviews and I apologize for that. You all deserve better and I promise I will get to them soon. Now, in regards to this elusive IchiShin kiss that happened about two year prior to the current storyline... I'm writing it out right now. Hoping to post it as a special chapter very soon. I figured it deserved it's own little bit of space and I hope you all enjoy the insanity when I do finish it.

Now about this chapter. I know it seems a bit jumpy at places, but I'm trying to wrap somethings up and get tothe point where I can move forward and finally get this story finished. If you haven't noticed with the last couple of titles, SG is coming to an end soon. I think we'll all be sad to see it go but I hope you enjoy the ride to the end. Stock up on tissues now because I promise you that you will need them. Anyway, wow fast update, ne? It's beena while since I did something like this and it feel sreally good. I've been waiting to write the ending of this for what feels like forever and I'm glad to finally be on it. Not to mention the research for the upcoming chapters, while time comsuming, is really interesting.

So I'll stop rambling now, lol. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the ones to come!

Love you Duckies and thanks for much for the continued support~

~Penny