A/N: So I finally have time to write again yay! Here's the next chapter and the next one should be up soon :)

Chapter 5:

They didn't speak as Nnoitra drove but when he pulled up outside Karakura Hospital Grimmjow turned to give him an incredulous look. "You need a doctor." Nnoitra said as he got out, moving around the car to help pull Grimmjow out. "Your nose is broken and I think you've been drugged."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your pupils are dilated and you've been acting odd since you came back out of the mines. Even if you're not drugged let's just make sure ok?" Grimmjow nodded, allowing his partner to pull him inside the hospital.

Half an hour later Grimmjow was sat with his nose cleaned up and as he had suspected, it was broken. It wasn't too serious, the doctor told him it would heal within a few weeks, that he was lucky the septum hadn't broken. At Nnoitra's insistence they ran a blood test and the two men were now sat waiting for the result, giving the taller man the perfect opportunity to question Grimmjow.

"You going to tell me what happened now?"

Grimmjow took his time to answer, turning the badge over in his hands as he thought of what to tell his partner. He didn't want the man to think he was crazy. But then again maybe he was right, maybe he had been drugged. "I found these." He finally said, pulling the radio and piece of paper out of his pocket to hand to Nnoitra. "I spoke to Ichigo."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing really, he didn't get the chance." Grimmjow sighed, nodding at the paper. "And that, a number."

"For what?"

"Let's find out when we get out of here." Nnoitra said nothing. He was busy looking at the radio but Grimmjow knew something was off. "What?"

"Don't get mad alright… But I reported this in when you were getting your nose seen to. Ulquiorra's on his way."

"You did what?!" Ulquiorra was the head of their department and it was no secret that he and Grimmjow didn't get along.

"He was going to find out anyway. Besides the sooner he gets here the sooner we can figure this all out. Just tell him what happened ok?" Grimmjow said nothing, just glaring at his partner in response as the doctor returned.

"Well you were right, you have been drugged. Some sort of hallucinogenic, not sure what though. It's unlike anything we've ever seen." He handed Grimmjow the report, frowning at him slightly. "What were the effects?"

"For one it made me see things that weren't there, as you'd expect. It screwed with my sense of time, I thought I'd been gone for at least two hours but Nnoitra said it was only just one." Grimmjow stiffened, thinking back to what he'd heard from the whispers, giving himself a quick shake. "I think it played on my fears, but I don't really know."

The doctor nodded, scribbling something down. "Well the effects seem to have worn off which is good. You'll contact me if they start up again?" Grimmjow nodded. "Good, other than that I'd say you're fine to go. Just be careful with your nose, you don't want to make it worse."

"Got it, thanks." Grimmjow jumped up, trying not to feel too relieved at leaving. "Come on Nnoitra, before that asshole gets here."

"I believe its pronounced superior." Grimmjow mentally groaned, turning reluctantly to see Ulquiorra was stood in doorway. He let the doctor pass, closing the door behind him to keep both Grimmjow and Nnoitra inside the room. "What happened?"

Sharing an exasperated look with Nnoitra he launched into the explanation, starting with finding the mines location from the pictures up to returning to Nnoitra. Grimmjow left out certain parts of the story, especially those that were down to the drugs since all it would do is cause Ulquiorra to think he was crazy. Once he was finished Ulquiorra took a moment to respond, seemingly thinking over what he'd been told.

"I'm going to have to pull you from the case."

"What? Why?!"

"Because you are emotionally involved in this case and therefore, a liability. You will not think with your head. What happens if we find Mr Heart, what will you do?" Grimmjow's immediate thought was the kill the bastard and this must have registered on his face. "Exactly, we need him alive and if you find him first, that won't happen."

"So what, you expect me to sit back and wait whilst you try to find him?" Grimmjow asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've been working on catching this guy for months, years! Both me and Nnoitra. You can't just pull me off because he's going after someone I love!"

"So it is true, you and the Kurosaki boy." Ulquiorra wrinkled his nose. "And here was me thinking you could sink no lower."

"Don't talk about Ichigo like that!" Nnoitra had to grab Grimmjow's arm to stop him punching the man. "I don't give a shit what you think about me because of who I'm in a relationship with because it aint your damn business. Take me off the case if you want, I'll find the guy myself."

Wrenching his arm free Grimmjow pushed passed Ulquiorra and left the hospital. Nnoitra soon caught up with him outside and joined him in the car. "Don't worry, I'll help you."

"And lose your job?" Grimmjow sighed, smiling at his partner. "Thanks for the offer but no, I need you to stay on this guy's heels for me. I'll do what I can on my own."

"You sure?" Grimmjow nodded. "Alright it's your call. Go home and get some rest, tomorrow's going to be a long day." Patting his shoulder Nnoitra left and after he was out of sight Grimmjow started the car and drove home.

…

Things didn't get better over the next few days. Grimmjow was finding it hard to sleep after what had happened in the mines, his dreams were plagued with faceless whispers and Ichigo screaming for help. Work wasn't much better since Ulquiorra took him off the case so Nnoitra had to work with a new partner, Tesra Lindocruz. The kid hung on Nnoitra's every word, something Grimmjow find increasingly annoying every day but Nnoitra loved since he couldn't as much get Grimmjow to hand him a pen.

Ulquiorra was keeping a close eye on him now so Grimmjow couldn't even take sneak peeks at their progress. Nnoitra had done as he had asked and wasn't trying to give him information either which was good because Grimmjow wasn't completely trusting of Tesra yet.

So as it was Grimmjow was left doing both their loads of paperwork which he had yet to reach the bottom of and from what little snatches of conversation he heard, there were no new leads on Ichigo yet. Nnoitra had said rather loudly one day the number Grimmjow had found turned up nothing and the radio was just as informative if even less so since it didn't work. They were all under the impression now that Grimmjow had imagined Ichigo's voice under the effects of the drugs but he refused to believe that, he was sure Ichigo had talked to him.

After yet another long day of paperwork and another loud comment from Nnoitra about their latest lead - one of the constitutes of the drug could only be made in one pharmaceutical warehouse in the city - had yet again turned up no leads. Apparently they hadn't realised a small batch had been missing until the police turned up asking questions.

So when Grimmjow returned home that night to find a note had been slipped under his door it sent alarm bells ringing. It had no address so it had been delivered personally, just as the photos of Ichigo had been. Glancing around, he shut the door and turned the light on to see the paper better. It was fashioned out of newspaper letters like you see in movies and the sight would have made Grimmjow laugh if he hadn't read what the note said first.

' Congratulations.

You have proved your courage and saved Ichigo.

But can you survive a second time? '

Flipping the paper over Grimmjow saw there was nothing else and frowned, what did he mean 'a second time'? Was there a clue on the paper that he'd missed?

Grimmjow spent the rest of the night examining the note but with no success. As far as he could tell it was just a note nothing else. Taking it with him to work he managed to catch Nnoitra alone and handed the peace of paper to him.

"I got this yesterday."

Raising an eyebrow his partner read the paper and let out a long sigh. "Any ideas?" Grimmjow shook his head. "Well if you're right about this guy providing tests for you. I'd say he just issued you a challenge for the second one."

"Perfect." Grimmjow muttered before busying himself making a coffee since Tesra chose to join them.

"Sir." He said rather pompously and Grimmjow choked slightly on his drink, trying to hide his laughter. The younger man sent him a disdainful look before turning back to Nnoitra. "The surveillance footage just came through from the pharmaceutical warehouse." He shot Grimmjow another glare, his mouth turning upwards slightly in a smirk. It was quite plain what he was saying to Grimmjow. Don't you wish you were on this case? I'm more important than you and far better informed.

It was true of course, the little brat had far more information than Grimmjow, but that didn't make him better equipped to find Ichigo nor more important. In fact Grimmjow still believed he had the best chance of rescuing Ichigo since Mr Heart was targeting him specifically rather than the police as a whole. This of course meant the man found him a danger of some sort and taking Ichigo had been a warning, one Grimmjow was taking very seriously.

"Good luck." He muttered to Nnoitra as he left the room.

The man grabbed his hand suddenly and slipped the note back to him with a meaningful look. Sitting down at his desk with a sigh Grimmjow took one look at the mountainous pile of paperwork still to do and groaned. Pushing it to one side Grimmjow smoothed the piece of paper out on his desk and with a surreptitious look around to find no one was paying him any attention bent over it.

All he could decipher from the paper was that the newspapers use were old, the pieces faded and yellowed with age. Why this was he couldn't tell, was it Mr Hearts preference? Or couldn't he get access to a daily paper?

Absentmindedly Grimmjow pulled Ichigo's badge out of his pocket and began turning it over in his hand. It was a habit he had recently developed since returning from the mines. Staring at the paper blankly, Grimmjow suddenly saw one of the pieces was coming unstuck which was odd since the rest were firmly stuck down. Carefully peeling it away he looked at the back to find a cut out section of an old photograph, there was a small amount of text underneath.

' -closed due to breach in ethics- '

It was a photograph of the original Karakura Hospital which had closed down over fifty years ago. Grimmjow could just make out the distinctive logo above the doors in the old photograph.

Then he understood. It was no mere chance this specific letter had peeled away. This was the next clue, the next location. Standing up abruptly Grimmjow opened a drawer and pulled out his gun, pocketing it so no one saw before leaving the office. Catching Nnoitra in the entrance he grabbed the man's arm.

"Karakura Hospital. Give me three hours."

Nnoitra hesitated for a second before nodding. Letting go Grimmjow gave the man a swift smile and left.