Understanding and Benevolence

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Ichigo stepped inside and pressed the button to the fourth floor, where the executive office was located.

A serious expression found its way to his face as the elevator doors closed and he started traveling up. "I don't want anymore regrets. I don't want to break anymore promises. I can't continue lying to and hurting the people I love the most. And Ginjo… you're…"

The elevator stopped with a ding. Once the doors opened, Ichigo stepped out of it and started walking down the hall.

Through the large windows, he could see the sun setting off in the west. And with a smile, he knew he was ready to face Ginjo.

…

Ichigo stopped in front of Ginjo's office doors and inhaled as much oxygen as he could. After exhaling heavily, he knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in, it's unlocked." He heard Ginjo say.

Taking hold of one of the handles, he turned it and pushed the door open.

As he stepped into the man's office, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He fidgeted with something in his pocket before looking up at Ginjo.

"Ichigo! Come to see me have you?" Ginjo said, getting up from his chair. "Wanna come and stay over at my place tonight?"

"No, stay sitting, Ginjo. I need to talk to you." The boy responded, and then walked over to the man's desk. "There won't be anymore nights like that. In fact, there won't be anymore nights between us at all."

With a questioning look on his face, Ginjo sat back down in his chair. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ginjo. I've decided to be with Grimmjow again. There is nothing between you and me anymore. Actually, there was never anything between us in the first place."

There was a brief silence between them, and then Ginjo started laughing hysterically, filling the room with noise.

Ichigo stood still, his conviction unwavering as the other's bellowing laughter echoed through the office.

"Ichigo! Just what kind of joke are you playing?"

"It's not a joke. I'm serious about this. More serious than I've been about anything in a long time." The boy responded, remembering the ordeal with Aizen.

"You couldn't possibly be. What about the promise you made to me? On your mother's name no less! Are you going to go back on that?"

At that, Ichigo smiled. It caused Ginjo to look at him confusedly.

"What the hell has gotten into you? Tarnishing promises on the deceased's name doesn't warrant a smile!"

"You don't know anything. That's why I'm smiling. I've already broken my promises to Grimmjow… Too many of them when I think about it."

"What promises? They couldn't possibly compare to the one you made to me." Ginjo said spitefully.

"I promised him I'd never abandon him the way you've forced me to. I said I would be his friend. I promised him I'd always be his." Ichigo responded, looking out the window behind the man in front of him to Karakura Town.

Now visibly annoyed, Ginjo slammed his fist on his desk, drawing Ichigo's eyes again. "That doesn't mean a damned thing!" he shouted.

"Not to you." The orange-haired boy said calmly. "But I know this will…" taking a deep breath, Ichigo continued. "I made a promise to my mother when I was little. That promise was… happiness."

"Happiness? What does that have to do with us?"

"Let me finish. I promised her that I would be happy in all that I do. I said it in front of my father and my little sisters. And I meant it. After all, I never lied to my mother."

"So what?"

"You may not have realized it, but I haven't been happy for a long time. Ever since you forced me into a relationship under your misguided attempt to repay my mother's kindness to you. And you know what? I'm not happy unless I'm with Grimmjow. You do not satisfy me the way he can."

"Ichigo-"

"We're over, Ginjo. Don't you understand? By breaking this cursed promise with you, who forced me to bend to your will, I can continue fulfilling the sincere promises I made to two of the people I love the most in this world."

"No! I-I won't let you go!" Ginjo shouted. "Just one phone call… just one! I can make that gutter rat disappear with just one phone call to someone who would bend the rules of the world for my sake!"

"Heh, is that all you can do? Threaten him? I thought you were better than that." Ichigo said disappointedly.

"You know I can wipe him out. That's why you let me have my way with you when we were on vacation together."

"… You won't do it. And I'll make sure you don't. Because I have this." The boy responded, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Ginjo watched as Ichigo typed away on his phone, and then held it up in front of him. When the boy pressed the touch screen, a recording started playing.

"No! I-I won't let you go! Just one phone call… just one! I can make that gutter rat disappear with just one phone call to someone who would bend the rules of the world for my sake!"

"I have all the proof I need now. I knew I'd get you to say it again. And now, if anything happens to Grimmjow, you'll be locked away forever. I'm using your methods against you, now. After all, this is kind of similar to how you made me break up with him."

Ginjo got up and snatched the phone out of Ichigo's hand, then crushed it in his grasp. "Was that all you could think of?" he asked.

"I don't need that. Before I replayed it to you, I sent our whole conversation to my e-mail address. I also sent it to my dad's old phone just in case. Since he doesn't use it anymore, I took it from his room and hid it at Rukia's house. Like I told you before, we're over, Ginjo."

Ginjo sat down in his chair and leaned forward, resting his head in his hand.

"So no matter what… Masaki… you'll deny me to the end?"

First she went and died, then she beat him to Ichigo, locking him out of her life forever?

"Ichigo, why are you doing this? I can make you happy. I can give you financial security. I can give you the world in a golden box, yet you want to be with that street rat?"

Said boy shook his head. "You don't get it. Grimmjow might not have as much money as you do. He may not be able to take me around the world on fancy vacations at the drop of a dime. But… He's already given me the world. He gave me his world. It's one full of happiness, frustration, stupidity, childishness, pleasure, and so much more. This world we live in is no one's to claim, nor give. And I don't want it, either. Grimjow… he willingly gave me all he was, which is his world. Ginjo… I understand. I know your intentions were pure, if somewhat misguided, but you need to let go of them. My mother wouldn't want you trying to repay her by hurting her child… or children, should you try something like this with Yuzu or Karin. You said you wanted to give my happiness, but I had it long before you came into my life. There was no need for you to try to give me something I already had."

"Ichigo-"

"I love Grimmjow. That's never, ever going to change. And he stuck by me this whole time, even when it hurt him to do so. I know it did. But he stayed by my side… because he loves me, too…"

"…No…"

"Ginjo, I want you to find your own happiness. You've been losing your mind trying to repay my mother, but you never once thought about yourself, did you? You tried doing something benevolent for someone who did not return your feelings, and it turned into a whirlpool of chaos and hurt. You know what would make me even happier? If you found love. Find someone in this world who will love you for who you are, and not just what you can give them."

"Don't… don't leave me, Ichigo." Ginjo said, his calm and collected composure now broken.

"No, I was never really with you. Now it's time for me to go. Come find me someday when you've found your special someone, okay?" said boy responded with a smile.

Turning, Ichigo made to leave. He was going home now. And hopefully, Grimmjow would come over so they could begin putting their relationship back together. Even though… after all this time of being broken up, being together was what they had actually been.

Jackie continued reading through her magazine when the doors of XCUTION opened. She figured it was just Ichigo, coming back to talk with Riruka or Ginjo as he usually did. Though it had been about forty minutes since he'd left...

"Wonder what made him come back after all that time…" she thought. "Oooh. That's a nice summer top. I might have to splurge and get it." She said, after turning the page in her magazine.

The winter was coming to an end; the weather proved that with how warm it had been lately. No more storms, no more snow, no more cold, no more getting sick.

It would be spring soon, a time of rebirth and growth. And that meant summer was just around the corner. Her wardrobe could have used a rebirth when she thought about it.

When a pair of hands landed on her desk, she looked up.

Before her was a man she did not recognize. He had blue hair and blue eyes that shined bright, not to mention he was desirably handsome.

"Can I help you?" she asked, putting her magazine down in front of her computer and leaning forward.

"I'm here to challenge that bastard boss of yours to a fight. A fight for Kurosaki!"