"Damn." Grimmjow shut the door after a brief discussion with Keiran. It was just before noon, both Ichigo and Grimmjow had slept late and now he was still wrapped in a towel after his shower. He came back from answering the door scowling.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

"Haido invited you to sit next to him at the fight and he wants to meet you to discuss the way the arenas are run in the South."

"Well you told me everything so I can do that."

"You were supposed to stay in here and keep you fucking head down."

"Well, I'll just have to keep my head down out there then."

"Shit." Grimmjow grabbed his clothes. "Well then you might as well come with me. We're going shopping."

"Shopping?"

It was exactly what Grimmjow meant. He took them out of the hotel and down a few streets until they came to a mall. The entrance was guarded but the men recognized Grimmjow and let them pass. The once glass ceiling was shattered and now the floor was over taken with debris and puddles of stagnant water but off the main corridor many old shops were still clear. They were of course in complete disarray, but still full of clothing and other goods.

"Why isn't this place picked clean?"

"Because Haido moved in fast. He blocked off the mall and got some goons to guard it. Now you have to be on his good side to get access. And this way people don't make off with it to sell somewhere else. Haido ain't dumb."

"So he let you in?"

"Our clothes stink, kid, and he wants you to sit beside him and me to socialize before the fight so yeah, he's cool with us restocking."

It was an opportunity Ichigo hadn't had—to take his time and pick clothes that fit, not just grab whatever was wearable and then run as far as he could get from civilization.

He chose new clothes to change into now and another set that he could fit in his bag. A black sports jacket fit him much better than the tattered one he had been wearing. He also took a hoodie and two pairs of cargo pants. Last he got boots—this was probably the best find in the whole store. He was careful to get ones that fit just perfectly. He strapped his other ones onto his bag just in case. He tucked his pants into his boots and looking at himself in the mirror he decided his outfit had a somewhat military look to it. That might not be a bad thing—anything that made him look strong and more intimidating would help.

Grimmjow had also found a clean set of clothing. Black jeans, new belt, white undershirt tucked in while a flannel shirt hung lose under a light jacket. But on top of it all, he put on his old coat.

"Why are you keeping that, you could get a new one?"

"I like it," he said shortly.

Ichigo eyed it. "You sewed your money in the lining didn't you?"

Grimmjow's eyes widened, then he grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder. "Tell a soul and you're dead."

"I won't. I need your money too for the time being."

"Too fucking right. Come on." He grabbed his bag and in one hand he had a pack of undershirts. Ichigo guessed it was for the fight—anything he wore would get ruined and it would be best not to go in shirtless and showing off the prominent bruise between his shoulder blades. His ribs were nowhere near ready to endure any sort of abuse but Grimmjow assured Ichigo the other man wouldn't land a punch.

They killed an afternoon very quickly with food and drinks and crowd surfing. Though Ichigo had spent every minute of the past week with Grimmjow, he still had never really "hung out" with him, until today. Now they mingled, they drank, they laughed—well, Grimmjow did, Ichigo didn't have the heart to laugh even when he was faking it.

Evening rolled around all too quickly. Grimmjow showed no signs of worry but Ichigo had certainly been thinking about the fight all day. He went into the back room with Grimmjow when he got ready.

"Do you have a plan or something?" He turned his back while Grimmjow changed.

"Win." Came the short reply.

"Great." He turned back when Grimmjow started doing up his knuckles with boxer's tape. He wore his old jeans and one of the white undershirts from the mall. He ran his fingers through his hair and let it fall into its natural wild state. His chest was broad and muscular, the thin cotton showed off firm abs. He was nothing short of intimidating.

His movements were so calm for someone facing a death match. He did everything with such practiced ease and Ichigo imagined him performing this ritual a hundred times—probably more—to the point he'd killed so many men he'd become famous for it. And this was the man guiding him across the country to his friends. It should repulse him, but all he could feel was worry when Grimmjow turned for the door.

"What if things start to go bad?"

"They won't."

"But if they do."

"Then I'm dead." He made to pass it off but then stopped and turned back to Ichigo. "Don't you fucking interfere, you hear? No matter what, or we're both dead."

Ichigo nodded.

"Good, then you can hold my bag." He shoved his stuffed bag into Ichigo's arms. In it was his clothes but most notably his coat with all the money in it.

"Yeah, okay."

When they moved into the room it was already packed. Ichigo saw that a camera had been set up, hardwires fed into screens and gave them access to the pit but he also followed the lines out to the lobby. A quick glance that way told him it was packed as well. No one was going to miss this fight.

Kaito was already in the pit waiting for him. Grimmjow walked down the slope of the pool. People had been cheering but now they fell silent no matter how inebriated or wild. Ichigo had taken his spot next to Haido. Above them the announcer began the count down to the fight. Three. Grimmjow cracked his neck. Two. Kaito clenched his fists. One. Everyone held their breath.

Zero.

Kaito roared as he struck. He was the bigger man, his reach should have gotten Grimmjow first but the espada seemed determined to break the laws of physics despite them being the only laws still at place in this universe. He pulled in his chin and missed the strike by a millimetre but his own struck true. His fist smashed directly into Kaito's nose. The other didn't flinch. He grabbed Grimmjow by the shoulders and drove his knee up. Again, he should have crushed the wind from Grimmjow's lungs but instead Grimmjow used one hand to soften the impact and used the other hand to hook under the knee that came his way. He jerk up and turned sharply and Kaito's back hit the floor. He managed to get his leg back from Grimmjow but the other sprang on him before he could right himself. Grimmjow straddled him and smashed his fist repeatedly into that square jaw. Kaito was stunned, but he'd taken enough blows in his time that he was still able to recover enough to counter attack. He arched his back and threw Grimmjow off balance, caught a wrist and suddenly he was the one straddling the espada.

Ichigo's knuckles went white where they clenched his knees. He watched Kaito's fist connect with the side of Grimmjow's skull. The crowd went wild at the reversal of positions. With Kaito as the bigger on top, it looked like this fight was surely over.

But then the big man suddenly hunched in on himslef. Grimmjow had struck him with flexed fingers right under his rib cage, then his knuckles came square into Kaito's solar plexus. He slumped off of Grimmjow, gasping. The espada rolled back on his hands and kipped up, on his feet before the enemy and he used that to his advantage. A sweeping kick caught Kaito in the jaw. Teeth flew over the floor. The crowd roared. Grimmjow nailed him in the head with his knee, then his knuckles. Kaito sagged against the wall. He was slowing down, but he wasn't dead yet. He caught Grimmjow's next punch and used his momentum against him. Grimmjow hit the wall, bouncing back into Kaito's waiting arms. Kaito caught him by the back of the hair and made to drive his skull into pool tile. But Grimmjow ran with the motion and then threw his weight back as his feet ran up the wall. He rolled out of the hold, leaving behind a few strands of hair but landing directly behind his enemy. He kicked out the back of one knee and then it was him who had a fistful of hair and he drove Kaito's head into the wall just the same way the other had meant to kill him.

He dropped his victim back onto the pit floor. He was still moving slightly. Grimmjow stepped over his broken skull.

Ichigo shut his eyes a second before Grimmjow's heal drove down on and caved in Kaito's skull completely.

Everyone screamed. Some were ecstatic, others looked upset, many were yelling about their wins and other were just enthralled by the blood lust. Grimmjow panted over the body of the man he'd killed, blood ran from his temple and he hadn't come out without a strike like he'd told Ichigo he would but he was fine. He turned his gaze up to the crowds above, accepting their cheers and their curses with a smile that was nothing short of feral and then he raised his middle finger to the body on the floor and walked up the ramp.

He was a fucking god among men.

No one else in this forsaken city could have walked out of that pit with the calm coldness of Grimmjow Jaggerjaques, unwinding the bloody cloth from his knuckles as he made his way up. No one else could have silenced a crowd of unruly, blood hungry men just by passing through them. Ichigo rose to follow him out. Haido caught his wrist.

"He'll join us after, come, I want to show you how we party in Junction City."

Ichigo had been led to the infamous tower of flashing lights and stacked dance floors in which alcohol and drugs flowed endlessly, people danced to a never ending beat with barely a string of clothing covering them and many back rooms were filled with unseemly acts.

Haido had brought him here to talk trade. They had done that, now they were three shots of vodka in when the dance floor turned into a buzz of fresh energy, women screamed in high pitched voices and flocked to the newcomer.

Grimmjow grabbed ass and drank deep. He didn't refuse a drop of alcohol or cigarettes. Around him the dance floor was alive with almost naked women shaking to the beat.

Ichigo looked away, feeling obscene, but mesmerized at the same time by the sinful place. Haido eventually got Grimmjow away from the bar long enough to give him his winnings and talk business. Grimmjow had been reluctant to let on they were moving on so quickly but the conversation actually turned in their favour.

"It would be best for business if you let me build up another pool of fighters before you kill them all," Haido explained. "You are a big draw but people start to get bored when they know the outcome of the fight before it's over and the betting become skewed. If you come back when I've got a new headliner and give a good show, I promise you a good pot and a place to sleep."

Grimmjow pretended to consider the offer but in reality it was ideal.

"Deal. I'll leave in the morning." They shook. Haido left. Grimmjow sat next to Ichigo and handed him a smoke.

"I don't—"

"Look around you kid—tonight, you do."

He held up the lighter to the end of the smoke. Ichigo sucked back and the end turned orange. He coughed on the tar and chemicals. Grimmjow grinned and slapped him on the shoulder.

"We're in the fucking clear, kid, so relax and enjoy some good old debauchery. I intend to."

With that he left him for a crowd of women who'd been eyeing him from where they danced. It only took a moment before one of them took his hand and pulled him toward a back room. Ichigo knew he wouldn't see Grimmjow for a while. He finished his cigarette. He declined the offer of a beautiful woman but he did watched her dance in see-through cashmere and took another long swig of beer.

He couldn't help but feel the headiness of the atmosphere—the freedom of Grimmjow's world. They were in Junction City, one of the most dangerous places in Japan, they were living like kings and their plan had gone flawlessly.

Ichigo thought he just might understand now why Grimmjow had chosen this life for the past four years.

Little bit of bonding for our boys-hope you enjoyed. Back to the road next chapter!

Thanks for the reviews,

Riza