We are almost at the end. Sorry for the rough ride till this point. Here is the second to last chapter and the longest chapter I have posted so far.

Chapter 29

Ichigo didn't know how to approach the situation. He never had to play the spiritual medium before mostly because he never needed to. He never really wondered what it would be like to see ghosts or how to relay a loved one's final messages. Was this a normal thing people wonder about? Since he was a kid he never really wondered what it would be like to have powers since he never had them, but now that he had them he didn't fully know what to make of it. The only thing he could really think to do was try to explain the situation and then improv.

"Umm Grimmjow, you probably don't believe me, but I can see your dad." Ichigo said. "I guess I can see ghosts because I'm a shinigami."

Grimmjow's expression changed from skeptical to hopeful in a matter of seconds. He was incredibly irritable for the past few days, but something drew him in to believing Ichigo. He was Ichigo, his boyfriend; he wouldn't lie about something like this, right? It would make logical sense for shinigami to see spirits anyway since they are the ones guiding them to the afterlife and if Ichigo could see his father then that would be a good thing right?

Stark nodded to Ichigo reassuringly before he started to speak. "Listen, can you tell Grimmjow that I believe in him and I know that he is able to lead this clan to great things?"

Ichigo relayed the message awkwardly looking between Stark and Grimmjow to check if he was doing this right. He didn't know what these sessions usually looked like, but he thought he was doing a good job or at least average. Neither of them protested so far.

"He can do a lot better than I can as a leader. He was always the one that wanted to expand the clan's size and gain power even though I only desired a family. I think he learned from you that family and friendship should come before power. If he focuses purely on power then he may end up like Aizen." Stark said.

As Ichigo communicated between the two as they talked back and forth. Ichigo learned that Stark was aware that he was going to die the moment he stepped into that room and he has long excepted his fate since he trusted Grimmjow to take his place. Grimmjow hung his head and stared at his feet as he talked like he was trying to hide his sadness from his proud father. It was a heartwarming event and the most Ichigo was ever able to speak to Grimmjow's dad since he never had a proper conversation with him.

Their conversation was interrupted by a strong power that felt like it echoed throughout the manor. The power was strong and eerie and it made Ichigo's skin crawl like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell that the power belonged to a shinigami and whoever it was, he was irritated.

The shinigami was clearly a strong one and Ichigo remembered that he was told him that a vampire soul was harder to carry to the afterlife so a stronger shinigami probably came to collect Stark. Either that or they didn't give up and started to search for him and the other shinigami escapees again and they tracked him down in Germany somehow. They must know about Urahara's powers since they were the ones that benefited from them while he was still there and he didn't know what method's they used to track them down.

They heard the door slam open and Stark cursed in annoyance. "Dammit, he found me."

Ichigo wanted to question him, but he heard pounding coming up the door and he swallowed the lump in his throat that he didn't know was there when he recognized familiar spiked hair and the large figure it was attached to.

Zaraki didn't look amused as he looked at the lazy vampire ghost that seemed to have given him a hard time, how else would he be here a week after his death? Then he looked over at Ichigo and Grimmjow and just snorted.

"Fuck, it really is a small world. I wish I brought subordinates because it looks like I am bringing in more than just my assignment." Zaraki said through a devilish grin that made Ichigo's skin crawl. "Not that taking in you will be any more difficult."

Grimmjow stood protectively in front of him. He looked over to where he assumed his father was. It looked like he had to follow his orders again. He needed to protect Ichigo instead of his father even after death.

"That vampire really gave me a hard time. He sure is a slippery one, but that's what I would expect from the former leader of the Jaegerjaquez clan." Zaraki said.

Ichigo's eyes grew. Shinigami knew about the different clans in the vampire world? That must mean that they have some knowledge of what was going on in the living world in regards to whatever was going on. He didn't know if he was able to reason with them, but he had to try.

Ichigo pushed Grimmjow aside and walked over to the giant shinigami for some reason unshaken. Grimmjow protested, but Ichigo brushed him off. He could take care of himself. He kept his head up, making eye contact with the shinigami that nearly brought him into the other world a little over a week ago as he approached him before stopping in front of him leaving himself completely in the open and off guard.

"If you knew what was going on then you should know that the Aizen threat is gone." Ichigo said knowingly. He couldn't tell where the new found confidence came from, but he was glad it was there just for the fact that it kept him from stuttering. Maybe it came from the fact that he was a vampire and he felt a hundred times more powerful than he was before or maybe it was because he has awakened his shinigami powers.

He may not have been awake for long and he didn't really have a lot of time to learn the facts which is never a good thing, but for some reason he could tell by the calm atmosphere of the manor that there weren't really any problems and no one felt threatened. "The vampire death rate will drop so there is no need to continue hunting down shinigami in the mortal world."

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at the oddly confident Ichigo. "That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that shinigami escaped Central 46 and we need to bring them in for punishment and we need to put you to work."

Ichigo shook his head and Grimmjow was about ready to shove Ichigo aside again and fight the shinigami again even though he knew that winning was futile against an opponent like that. He was ready to throw himself in head first again if it meant protecting Ichigo. He was ready to do anything to change his mind about taking Ichigo to the other side long before he was ready. He finally turned him into a vampire and was excited to start his life with him and everything. Now that he had a final conversation with his dad he felt no regrets.

Ichigo looked unconcerned. He looked a lot more adult than Grimmjow has ever seen him. He didn't show the fear on his face even though he knew that it he was truly shaken to the core. He really was brave and it made Grimmjow happy that he was the one he chose. Ichigo would be a good leader if Grimmjow didn't know what to do. He knew how to deal with problems and put on a brave face. He worked more with logic than just pure emotion like Grimmjow and if Ichigo gets hotheaded he can real him in.

"What can I say that'll make you leave us alone?" Ichigo asked.

Zaraki scratched his head. He was buying into his confidence and Grimmjow saw that this guy may have been more reasonable then he let on. It seemed like shinigami were more humanlike than he originally believed. It was unfair of him to label them as demons who wanted to take Ichigo away from him. Now he can properly label them as people who want to take Ichigo away.

"The higher-ups will probably unravel their panties if the Aizen threat was properly taken care of. He may be imprisoned, but that doesn't mean he is dead." Zaraki explained. "That and if I can just do my fucking job and get this asshole to the afterlife."

Stark shrugged with a bored expression on his face. "Fine, I did what I wanted to do. All I wanted was to properly meet the man my son wanted to marry."

Ichigo blushed madly as he realized that it was true that Stark never really had the chance to judge him as worthy of his son. He hoped he did a good job in proving himself, but he never properly met Grimmjow's father nor knew what he was thinking. Zaraki barked in laughter at the flush on the man that was just negotiating with him in pure confidence.

"Well, I never heard that before." He snickered.

Ichigo coughed and tried to bring back his serious expression. "We are having a meeting to decide what to do with Aizen. If it will help your higher ups decide whether or not to keep searching for us then they could come."

Ichigo didn't know if it was in his jurisdiction to suggest that kind of thing, but he knew Grimmjow definitely had the power to do that and he could get him to go along with that…probably. Also he should have the power to make requests since according to Ulquiorra the vampires' only lead on how to kill Aizen is to have him kill him. He didn't look very happy with the suggestion, but no one would be happy if a bunch of shinigami went to a meeting where all of the shinigami that escaped would most likely attend. If the higher-ups from the institution didn't agree with their terms they could attack and try to take them all at once. Ichigo didn't know how that fight would look, but it would probably be more deadly than the fight with Aizen, but it was a risk that he needed to take.

Zaraki grunted in approval and grabbed a hold of Stark's shoulder. "Okay, I'll take it. I shouldn't be a fucking messenger, but if there is a way I can stop chasing around weaklings like you then I'll do what I can."

A door opened up behind him that they recognized as the Heaven's door, the door that lead to the afterlife where Ichigo was nearly taken against his will. Grimmjow gripped onto Ichigo's shoulder protectively as if he was afraid that the power coming from the door would somehow suck Ichigo in. Ichigo just watched Zaraki's back turn toward him as he lead Grimmjow's father through the door and disappear.

When Zaraki was gone he gave Ichigo a dirty look that read that he was angry with what he requested. "Do you really think it would be okay to invite shinigami to a meeting between vampires and hunters?"

Ichigo shrugged. "If shinigami are attending in the first place than I don't see the harm in a few more. If they can award me and the others our freedom then I'm taking that chance."

The hunters' meeting hall was a lot larger than Stark's conference room. It looked like a lecture hall and every seat was filled with hunters and vampires that chatted making the room sound like chaos. Ichigo couldn't recognize anyone in a glance and it seemed that Zaraki, though reluctant agreed to get the message across to Central 46. There were people standing in the very back that Ichigo recognized where shinigami. Even though they looked very human he could tell who they were and that they were powerful, about as powerful as Zaraki and having so many people there around his level made Ichigo shiver. Everything relied on the outcome of this meeting.

There were VIP seats in the front. Ichigo was tempted to hide somewhere off to the side, away from both the front and the shinigami inspecting the meeting, but Grimmjow pulled him over to the front where one of the VIP tags had Ichigo's name written on it.

Grimmjow sat next to him disregarding the tag that had his name on it. Soon all the seats alongside him were filled as well. Next to him were people who were also involved in the final fight like Shinji, Nnoitra, and Rukia. Then there were people that he didn't expect to see, his father, Uryu, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, and that fox like vampire, Gin.

He heard the details about what happened during the fight from Ulquiorra and he couldn't believe it himself. There was no way he could have guessed that Gin was a double agent working for Urahara. He led the others to him and they were the ones that restrained Aizen and delivered him to the hunting agency. What was more amazing was the fact that Ulquiorra had a personality…sorta. Ichigo didn't fully understand what happened after Aizen was taken into custody. There was more investigating and Aizen was found guilty. Then they tried to kill Aizen, but whatever they did to try to kill him didn't work.

One seat remained unfilled and Ichigo wasn't surprised to see who it belonged to. It had Urahara written on the tag and a small cartoon drawing of him. Ichigo imagined what was going to happen next and it seemed that Urahara was once again going through the dramatic entrance approach.

He didn't have a lot of time to wonder where he was when a guy walked through the front of the meeting hall with white hair and thin framed glasses. Ichigo's first instincts were to think that that guy looked like Uryu and the way Uryu looked away and closed his fists they must have been related in some way and their relationship might not have been friendly. He looked too young to be his father, but as if his own father read his mind he whispered who he was into Ichigo's ear. Yes, apparently that guy was Uryu's father and he was also the charge of most of the branches in the hunting agency.

The guy introduced himself as Ryuken Ishida and it seemed that his father wasn't just pulling his leg. Uryu had the same last name as him, but now that he thought about it 'Ishida' was a strange name that he heard before. Yeah, he heard it during the program, but he knew he heard it someplace else.

He heard Shinji talk about some guy named Soken Ishida who formed an alliance between hunters and vampires. No, that wasn't it, well yeah, that was part of it, but not all of it. Ichigo thought back. He heard that name in the past too, way in the past. He thought he heard his mom talk on the phone with a man named Ishida late in the night. He's seen her do it multiple times and it concerned Ichigo since he was still a kid, but his father was in the room too sometimes which only seemed to confuse him further.

Ryuken explained what Aizen was being held accounted for and how the investigations were going with the rest of the clan and the branches. They were figuring out which branches were behind the homicides and which branches were clueless. Very few were found guilty while some were found as being used to gain land and others were meant to be killed later. If the Jaegerjaquez clan were to have formed an alliance with Aizen then his clan would probably be in the latter category.

Ryuken questioned the people who were there in the fight and both Toshiro and Gin had written reports prepared for the meetings of their findings and what they know. Ichigo never felt so out of place when the man turned to him and started to interview him. He even asked questions about what has happened to him starting from his experience even before he left to go to the program in America. Aizen's plan to take out the Jaegerjaquez clan started before he even knew Grimmjow after all.

When Ichigo was about finished explaining everything from what he experienced. Urahara poofed into his seat and he pretended that he was there the entire time. Ryuken didn't seem all that amused by Urahara's nonchalance, but it seemed Urahara found it hysterical. Ryuken and Urahara must have had some kind of familiarity to each other which would only make sense with Urahara having his hands in everything.

"I ran some tests on Szayelaporro's remains and it seemed that my hypothesis was right." Urahara explained. "It seems that this meeting could be wrapped up very easily."

Urahara stood up and presented himself as if he were taking over the meeting. Ryuken, who was running the meeting was not exactly ecstatic that Urahara made it his right to take over, but he let the powerful shinigami man take the stage despite his wishes.

"If Szayelaporro ran the same tests on Aizen and made him unable to kill by simple methods than there is only one way we know how to kill Aizen." Urahara walked up to Ichigo and Ichigo's blood stilled in his veins. "Ichigo, your power is the only one we know of that can kill Aizen and with that there is one more problem. After Szayelaporro died we could not find his spirit. It seemed that his experiments had destroyed any chances of him becoming one therefore unable to enter the afterlife. " Urahara said gently. He knew that Ichigo wouldn't want to hear that. He knew that a huge responsibility was being thrown at Ichigo and he knew that Ichigo was never a big fan of killing to begin with. He always wanted to be a doctor, to heal, but now they are asking for a huge request to be filled.

There was muttering from all over the meeting hall and someone shouted at Ichigo to demonstrate his power, but Ichigo ignored the shouts and lowered his head. Grimmjow had enough and shouted an order for everyone to shut up not that it was working with his voice being drowned out by the chattering audience. He held onto Ichigo's hand as the large decision was thrown at him.

"Is there any other way to solve this problem?" Ichigo asked softly. "I don't want to kill him. He's restrained, he can't hurt anyone now. Is there a way we can solve this problem without death?"

There was more muttering and Ichigo heard the word "traitor" a few more times than he would have liked to have the audience interrupted again by Grimmjow. Ichigo could feel the energy from the back of the room that he knew belonged to the shinigami. They were getting agitated and it was very obvious what they want the results to look like.

The muttering continued to echo through the halls even with Grimmjow's attempts to shut everyone up. The only thing that distracted everyone was a beautiful dark skinned woman making her way up to the front of the room with a sway in her walk that caught everyone's eye as she strutted towards Urahara.

Urahara had a large grin on his face, larger than any grin Ichigo has ever seen on him as the woman grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Ichigo instantly recognized her as a shinigami and he realized that Urahara must have known her for him to act that giddy.

"We can't expect to force a child to go against his morals and kill the criminal." She demanded with a powerful voice to the entire crowd. Ryuken didn't seem to know who this woman was and he looked plenty annoyed, but it looked like the meeting was out of his hands for quite some time. He's given up. Anyone can do what they want and it seemed that this woman was taking advantage of that. She and Urahara seemed very similar, but at least she looked like her head was in the right place.

"This child only just recently learned the existence of the supernatural and has been unfairly thrusted into this lifestyle." She said. Ichigo doesn't know how she knew so much about him, but he was kind of grateful to her. He made a note to thank her later no matter how intimidating she was. "There are other methods of getting rid of Aizen."

The hall started muttering again and the energy level that came from the shinigami didn't decrease in the least. This woman was risking her neck for him, but she didn't seem swayed in the least. Her confidence was inspirational.

"I remember a long time ago you used to bury vampires that were too much trouble. They were trapped without food and it was essentially torture. I believe that this punishment is way more fitting than death at the hands of a child.

A hunter that Ichigo didn't recognize stood up and protested not minding how some eyes were now on him. "What if a follower of Aizen comes and tries to free Aizen?"

Urahara was next to talk, flipping open his fan and walked closer to the front. "The burial ground will be heavily guarded just like in the past and there will be heavy consequences to anyone who attempts to free him."

The dark skinned woman nodded in agreement, "and if anyone manages to free Aizen then that is when we resort to forcing the child to kill him."

There were more questions rising up here and there, but one stood out and grabbed the attention of the rest of the hall. "What if the child dies and Aizen escapes?" Everyone was muttering the same question and it was starting to feel like Ichigo was an ant under a magnifying glass. All eyes were on him and he was the center of attention.

"The boy will be well protected." The dark woman said looking at Grimmjow. "This boy is mated with the head of the Jaegerjaquez clan. He has already turned into a vampire and is very powerful in his own regards. He isn't under much risk and if he does die he will still be a shinigami that is able to kill him."

Ichigo felt Grimmjow's hand tighten on his own and energy level that came from the shinigami started to lighten. The muttering seemed positive as the hunters and other vampires in the room came to a conclusion. Even if they too aren't completely understanding of the existence of shinigami they trusted the words of this unknown woman. The plan was turning more positive and more arguments erupted to change the minds of people who still wanted Aizen to die.

"Have we come to a consensus?" Ryuken exclaimed, grabbing a hold of everyone's attention as he reclaimed the meeting. "If that is the case then Aizen will be buried in a location that very few will know about. This concludes the meeting and I will speak with Urahara about the details.

The meeting hall emptied out except for a few stragglers that stayed behind to talk with others. Those stragglers also included the shinigami who were discussing the judgment that sealed Aizen's fate. The dark skinned woman that never introduced herself rejoined them and discussed what they were planning to do next.

Ryuken and Urahara left so they could discuss where Aizen was going to be buried. Shuuhei found Uryu and waved to Ichigo. Ichigo stared in awe at him. He had no idea that he was there since he just only became a hunter even if he was supposedly Uryu's student. Rukia left momentarily to speak with her brother before returning to Ichigo so they could finally have that talk that has been postponed by Ichigo's coma.

"Hey, cousin," Rukia joked. It still felt so weird to think about and even weirder to hear out loud. The two of them were related by blood and they've been best friends for years. He kept thinking back to one of the best summers in his life where she visited every day to play video games, read his comics, or just talk. Then there was the time she consoled him during the anniversary of his mother's death. He was shocked to learn that she was a vampire for all the years that he has known her and now there was this. How did he not learn this until now? "I think you want to hear my story."

Ichigo knew plenty about what Rukia's life was like before she was adopted into a noble family. He knew that her mother was sickly and died during child birth. He knew that she and Renji had a history before Ichigo met her and he knew all of her embarrassing obsessions. The past few months he learned more about Rukia then he ever imagined. He now knew that the noble family that adopted her was actually a very famous vampire clan, she was engaged to Renji, and now she was his cousin and had shinigami powers just like him. Apparently that part was pretty new to her as well even though she was able to get a grasp on her powers faster than he could.

Around the time Ichigo landed back in Japan Shinji paid her a visit. He told her everything he knew about her father Kaien and in turn, Ichigo's father Isshin. It was ground breaking and the next night she started to hear a silent, gentle voice in her head that came from her own inner soul. That night she dreamed that she was on an arctic mountain and she met her inner soul, Sode no Shirayuki.

It was pretty frustrating that she got had a lot easier time getting to know her own inner soul than Ichigo. Rukia told him apparently the stronger the shinigami's power the more stubborn the soul. Her inner soul was a little cold and only talked with her if she initiated the conversation, but the fact that she made herself known after years of lying dormant meant that something was coming.

From Ichigo's experience it seemed that he was put into the shinigami life on hard mode since his inner soul was a rebellious dick that refused to tell him what his powers were and made Ichigo figure them out himself. His powers were incredible and he never thought that body manipulation could be a power. It sounded dark and scary like it was a power that belonged to a villain. That unrelenting force power involved the ability to push a body back. His power wasn't wind like he originally thought even though apparently he inherited some of his father's power which focused on controlling wind. The time slowing down and his change of fighting style was a form of self enhancement. Time didn't actually slow down and his body wasn't actually lighter, he just preserved it that way. He was just manipulating his own body to make it stronger. His healing power was kind of obvious; it increases cell reproduction and allows wounds to heal faster and it was apparently an entirely different power than his body stitching power that involved reattaching nerves. Zangetsu told him that he was able to pull apart nerves just as easily, but he never wanted to be in a position where he needed to do that. Then there was his final power that he uncovered. That weird blood bending ability, his sword ate away hungrily at his opponent and was able to manipulate the blood that it took and made his sword stronger. He was even able to manipulate the blood like Kaien with water. He must have inherited that somehow from his uncle just like how he inherited some power from his father.

Rukia demonstrated her power to Renji and Renji knew from that moment that he wasn't the one that was supposed to help Ichigo in the fight against Aizen, but her. Rukia trained while she was with Renji and was able to get some kind of hold on her power since it was pretty easy to understand. She never mastered her power, but it was enough to help fight.

Her power focused on ice and she couldn't help but draw parallels to her father who had the power to manipulate water. Maybe if he was still alive he would be able to help her master her own powers. There was no point in thinking like that, but she couldn't stop herself.

Ichigo and Rukia's conversation was interrupted by the beautiful dark skinned shinigami. She greeted him with a smile and Ichigo immediately felt his skin go hot. Grimmjow looked over at him a little jealous even though he knew the reason why Ichigo was embarrassed wasn't because he liked her, but more for the fact that he didn't know how to speak to her since she knew so much about him, but he knew nothing about her.

The woman took Ichigo by the wrist and led him away from Rukia. Rukia didn't protest since it seemed that she was put under the same spell as Ichigo. How could someone not be affected by her confidence and power? She examined him before giving him a big hug. "Isshin said a long time ago that if he had a son he would name him Ichigo. It looks like his dream came true." Ichigo didn't know what to do in this situation. Does he hug back? He doesn't know her. All he could do was remain stiff as his mind went blank with his face red as he felt her large chest against his.

"My name is Yoruichi." She said realizing that it was probably weird for a grown adult to hug a stranger on their first meeting. "You may have heard of me…probably not now that I think about the idiots who have been looking after you. Seriously, you only just learned about your shinigami powers there is no way you have heard any stories about me."

She wasn't far off. Shinji mentioned her name once, but it wasn't so memorable that Ichigo remembered it right away. The shinigami runaways really did do a good job of leaving him in the dark. She was the woman that destroyed Urahara's invention that let shinigami go in and out of the afterlife undetected. Wasn't he also Urahara's girlfriend, or ex? He didn't know where they would stand after nearly 200 years of being separated.

"I'm the person that feeds Urahara insider information on what is going on in Central 46." Yoruichi explained. "Yes, he and I still have contact. It's very strange how recent your world created cellphones. Urahara invented those 300 years ago and they work between the living world and the afterlife." She said waving around something that looked like a black box.

Ichigo was still lost of what to say so his father ended up saving him. He saw Yoruichi and his son talking off to the side so he went over and greeted her. She welcomed Isshin with a hug equally large as the one she crushed Ichigo with and started chatting about how impressed she was from feeling Ichigo's power.

"I just came over here to tell you that you guys no longer need to worry about Central 46 coming after you." She said. She turned on the black box that she was holding and a hologram came out that was full of text. "Urahara does good work. He reports about the hunter and vampire movement and keeps peace between them. Central 46 is grateful for his work since you know how they love sticking their nose in business it doesn't belong. Then there is the fact that your son is the only one able to kill Aizen so that makes him untouchable."

Yoruichi patted both of their backs. "You two are officially free... for now. Be sure to give all your gratitude to Urahara later for saving your butts." She said running off to find the said butt saver. It seemed that things are starting to turn out nicely. The energy that came from the shinigami in the room has been decreasing steadily with them leaving.

Ichigo thought that he would finally be able to leave with Grimmjow, but his path was soon interrupted by the hunter that was leading the meeting. Ichigo thought this guy was just going to tell him where the decided upon burial ground was going to be, but he was wrong.

The man gave him a semi disgusted face and Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow for backup, but all Grimmjow did was shrug. He didn't know what to make of the dirty look, but he couldn't afford to make him upset. The man was known for not liking vampires despite being the branch leader for the hunter association that focused on the alliance between vampires and hunters. Was he looking at Ichigo that way because he was a vampire? No, he has been talking with other vampires, but he did not give them a face that looked like that.

His father came into the rescue by half stepping in front of him to greet Ryuken. "Hey old friend, long time no see." Isshin said with a big goofy grin on his face. "You seem upset for some reason."

Ryuken huffed. "I'm just amazed that the son of Masaki decided to become a vampire even though he would have made a much better hunter."

Isshin laughed and rubbed his head while Ichigo's mouth hung semi open. Should he be surprised by anything anymore? Did his mom have some big secret too? Was nothing in his life sacred? "You knew my mom?"

Ryuken raised his eyebrow. "You really don't know anything do you? Your mother was a hunter she was actually my arranged fiancée, but I fell in love with Uryu's mother and Masaki fell in love with your father. She had strong magic running in her bloodline which is why you would have made an excellent hunter. It upset my father, Soken a bit since he was very fond of her, but he was on the same team as love so he allowed it."

Magic in his bloodline? He thought about that time Harribel tried to kill Izuru and he asked Uryu if he can be a hunter. Grimmjow protested saying that he didn't want Ichigo to fight, but if he did let him become a hunter would that have been for the better? He didn't know what it meant to have strong magic in his bloodline, but apparently it was a good thing that was desired by hunters. He didn't know what to say so he asked for more information.

"Your father didn't tell you that either?" Ryuken asked sending another glare Isshin's way who was doing his best job to look innocent. He looked a lot like Shinji when he was acting like that. The hunter sighed and decided to explain it for him. "You could have used magic weapons like this." He said showing off his bracelet with a cross on it. Ichigo remembered seeing Uryu wear something like that. That could turn into a weapon? That would have been so cool. "You would have also been able to naturally resist vampire spells and incredible longevity even though it wouldn't have meant a lot to you since you were also a shinigami."

Wait, the magic in his blood was the thing that made Ichigo resist Grimmjow's and any other vampire spells that he's come across? He was curious why Nnoitra was able to put spells on Shinji yet Grimmjow couldn't place any on him. Was this why? Him being a shinigami had no relation to him resisting spells? Did Zangetsu lie to him? Heck did he ever say that Ichigo could resist the spells in the first place because he was a shinigami? Was his life full of lies built on top of even more lies? No. We do not have time to go into this. This is going to be a question in Ichigo's life that is going to remain unanswered. He was done. He was tired of this. He can reopen this can of worms in a hundred years or something, but for now he wanted to remain in the bliss that came from being unaware of anything. It was nice having that until this year. It was nice living thinking that he was just a normal human that was learning how to become a doctor. Let's try and relive that, but this time he was a vampire-shinigami hybrid. He was going to pretend that he didn't hear anything about how his mother was a hunter…okay that was disrespectful. Fine, she was a hunter, but he did not inherit any of the magic that she apparently had. Let's hope that if Yuzu and Karin start showing any signs of that they keep it far away from him.

He didn't even say goodbye he just walked over to Grimmjow who was trying to ignore Nnoitra flirting with Shinji. Seriously, Shinji actually looked like he was talking about something important for once and he seemed to be getting more and more frustrated by Nnoitra's advances. Did nothing change during the week Ichigo has been out of commission? What was their relationship?

He grabbed Grimmjow by the hand and started to lead him to the exit. Grimmjow looked at him puzzled, but he almost laughed at the definition of unamusment on Ichigo's face even though he had no idea where it came from. "What's wrong, Ichi?" He asked not bothering to force his grin back.

"I'm tired. Can we just go home?" Ichigo asked.

Grimmjow tilted his head to the side then looked around. He didn't really have any purpose to be here anymore. He finished what he needed to and talked to everyone about what was going to happen next. He had a long day too that was full of mourning. He felt a million times better after exchanging his final words with his dad and actually having the chance to introduce him and Ichigo even though he didn't expect it to look the way it did. He was still happy with it and he felt so much more at peace. After this meeting he also realized that he was capable of taking care of his clan by himself. He may have needed the support from Ichigo, but he was confident. Everything felt fine and nothing would make him happier at this moment then to spend some one on one time with Ichigo.

"Sure. What do you wanna do?" Grimmjow asked. His mind immediately went to a dirty place. He didn't have the chance to do any of that with Ichigo since he woke up and now that he was a vampire he could go all out without any fear of hurting him. He wanted to make his love clear and demonstrate just how happy he was that Ichigo was there for him, sticking to him when he was going through a rough time and helping him stay sane every step of the way. He didn't know if Ichigo was thinking the same thing that he was, but he wanted to do something with him even if he was just able to hold him.

As if Ichigo was reading his mind he turned away bright red before he laughed. This was what he got himself into when he decided that he wasn't going to leave Grimmjow. Even though they went through thick and thin to get to this point he knew that he made the right decision in the end no matter how much he embarrassed him with his teasing or over protectiveness. He meant well…most of the time. He made the right choice going with him without any fear of what was going to come next. Bad things might have happened, but that was life. They worked hard to reach a happily ever after. "I'll tell you what. You can do whatever you want to me when we get home." Ichigo said before he turned even brighter as he quickly corrected himself, "within reason."

A/N: This is the second to last chance to share some love on this story by leaving a review. Next week is the finale so share some of your opinions so that I can move on to it in peace.