Chapter for all stories might be a little slow for a while. My "muse" has thrown itself out the window and went somewhere cooler during summer time. I'm surprised I was even able to pull this out.

Chapter 20

Luppi couldn't stop his heavy breathing as he sat in the back of the police car. All he could think about was the betrayal of his mother. His mother had promised to protect him no matter what. She had said that she would keep him safe from any and everything that would jeopardize his future. But there he was, handcuffed and riding in the back of some public service vehicle. The coming and going of illumination from the lamps shined across his face as they made their way to police lock-up. He wouldn't tell them a thing. Nothing he did had been wrong. He had done what any lover would do.

Grimmjow was his and he failed to see how anyone else didn't notice that. Of course he was angry. He had said things that he didn't mean, like how Grimmjow wasn't good enough for him or how he could do better, but when it came down to it. Grimmjow was everything he could ever ask for. The man was strong and valiant, not giving a damn about what people thought about him. He was charming and godly and Luppi knew he would never find another man like him.

All he wanted was to have Grimmjow stay by his side, love him, but he guessed he had been asking for too much. The smell of saline was strong as the tears rolled down his face. Maybe it was a good thing for him to get away. He could figure out his life and what he wanted to do with it after he got out of prison. He knew he was going, regardless of how much he denied trying to kill the orange haired freak. He had told his mother the whole truth and he was sure she hadn't kept that information to herself. She had always been a blabbermouth. And her loose tongue was going to be what consummated his time in jail.


The brightness seared into his eyes like white heat, water pouring from his orbs. He wasn't sure if he was seeing or unseeing. Everything around was as blinding as beaming light and Ichigo wondered if he was in the afterlife. His body felt as light as a feather, a heavy life taken from him. Brain working perfectly, his muscles moved and his arm rose to the line of his sight. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had actually seen his own hand. Fingers flexed and wiggled, forearm turning so that he could see his knuckles that seemed to be missing from his memories.

Did he really have his eyesight back? Or was someone playing a cruel joke on him? Unknown colored eyes looked around, wondering where he had come from and where he was suppose to go. The place was void of anything and everything, not even feeling the soft waft of a breeze or the warm rays of the sun. He looked down, taking in his clothing of all white, his feet bare. A smile curled at his lips as he wiggled his toes, actually kind of glad to see them.

A soft melody oozed from the nothingness and Ichigo found himself looking around, his legs moving instantly, pulling him towards it. Legs went, right and left, one after another, but the world around him didn't seem to be moving. Maybe he was dead. Maybe it was his time to leave behind what he once knew. He couldn't remember what had resulted in such a happening, but he didn't think he should fight the feeling. The atmosphere wasn't threatening, keeping him calm as he followed the soft aria. It made him feel somewhat familiar and his legs quickened in pace.

They stopped dead when he noticed the large alabaster grand piano standing in front of him. It almost looked invisible in the sea of whiteness, but sitting on top of the lid was a large spray of blue floras hanging. Ichigo instantly smiled at the color and slowly made his way closer to the bench on the opposite side. He had a feeling that Grimmjow wasn't there, but the flowers gave him the sensation of the man's presence. Long fingertips ghosted across the white instrument, loving the smoothness under the touch. He missed listening to Grimmjow play the piano. It had been so long since he heard the man play and he wondered when he would be able to listen to the compelling compositions again.

Making his way closer, he froze when he noticed the man sitting on the white bench. Black nailed fingers slid across the obsidian and white keys, mimicking how Grimmjow would usually play. The hands were almost as white as the place and Ichigo's eyes slowly rose to take in the man's appearance. Long, strong white arms almost blended with the short sleeved white top and Ichigo wondered just who this man was.

"You wouldn't recognize me no matta' how much you tried ta'," the man spoke, his tone powerful, sending shivers down Ichigo's spine. "Though ya' once knew me."

"…Who are you?" The grin plastered on the man's face was frighteningly wide, but Ichigo wasn't worried too much about it. He cared about why the man hadn't looked his way yet, not even stopping his fingers from producing the lovely melody.

"I'm you…well kinda." The man craned his neck and Ichigo's orbs enlarged when he noticed the whiteness that enveloped the man's eyes. "I don't have a name, so I'm not sure what cha should call me."

Ichigo didn't know what he should say. The man looked identical to him, the opposite shade of course. He gazed into the depths of white and wondered if this was the way everyone saw him. They were passionately deep, looking almost endless. He couldn't see the difference from the pupil, the iris or the sclera, everything looking completely void of color. Had Grimmjow been staring into this for the past six and a half months? Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat and watched the man look away, back towards the piano. He hesitated for a moment before sitting on the bench next to him. "W-Where are we?"

"Yer mind."

"My mind? But…it's so deserted in here." The man just hummed before he slowly pulled his fingers away from the piano. "Where is everything?"

"It disappeared. It used ta' be filled with a calm world, but things just slowly started to disappear…including my sight. I hope yer going to bring it all back."

Ichigo frowned and looked over towards the man. "How am I supposed to do that? I don't even know how it disappeared, let alone this place even existed before."

"It's yer fault it's gone in the first place. Yer mind changes with how you feel. Like this piano and the flowers sitting on top. You have Grimmjow to thank for that."

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo turned his attention back to the ivory piano and wondered if that was really true. The blue floras and instrument were what his mind created out of the memory of the blunet. "But what about everything else? Shouldn't that be around too?"

"It slowly started to disappear the moment you became blind. Yer mind couldn't see anything so it became blank. Grimmjow's been the only thing keepin' you happy and on yer feet that his presence is the only thing that is permanent in here. You should really fix that." Ichigo frowned, watching the white skinned man slide off of the bench. It sounded like he was depending on nothing but Grimmjow for everything.

"Ya are. You should start depending on yaself again, maybe this place won't be so deserted anymore and maybe I'll get my sight back."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that! It's damn hard living life without being able to see anything." The white haired man just chuckled and shook his head.

"Try living in a place where you are always lonely, no one or nothin' around, but whiteness. Not hearin' sounds or seein' a livin' creature yer entire life, then tell me if it's really that hard living without just yer sight."

Ichigo gazed at the white being, watching him disappear into thin air. He could never understand the feeling of complete loneliness, the feeling of having to live on your own without seeing a single soul. The feeling of his family and friends always surrounded him, but this person had to deal with the emptiness of his mind. This person had to deal with the changes he had to go through and Ichigo didn't know how to react to that. He had never known there was someone inside of him, feeling more depressed than he was.

The frown on his lips deepened and he wondered just how he could make it up to this guy.

"Hey!" Ichigo rose from the bench and started making his way towards where the man had disappeared. "Hey! Where did you go?"

"I'm right here." Ichigo squeaked, whipping around to see the man sitting on the ground and leaning against what appeared to be a wall. "Yer very jumpy. Ya never used to be that way."

"Sorry…kind of a habit after I became blind." He made his way over and sat next to the man, the confusion prominent on his face. "Tell me…why can I see and you're the one that's blind?"

"…I guess because you want to see so badly that yer mind created this illusion for you? I'm not sure. I just live here. And I'm blind because technically you still are sightless. Doesn't bother me, really. There's nothing to see in here, anyway."

It sounded kind of sad that this man was in here without someone to talk to. There was nothing much to do in there but play the piano. "How did I get in here in the first place?"

"Yer in a coma. It's the only place to go." Ichigo sighed in relief that he wasn't dead, at least not yet. He wasn't ready to die.

Time passed and Ichigo found himself asking question after question. Answers were received among other things and Ichigo didn't feel like he was ready to leave anytime soon. He wasn't sure how long he would be there, but the relaxed feeling was nice and being able to talk to someone who had been so close to him the whole time was nice. The man had told him about how beautiful it had used to be inside his mind. There had been a bright blue almost cloudless sky everyday, other than the times it would rain. The man had said it only rained when Ichigo felt upset or sad, but it didn't really happen as much as the man thought it would. Ichigo knew he had been moody for a while, but he was glad to know that there had been clear skies inside his mind.

Ichigo listened to the pale man talk about the green-grassed large hills. He had said they were a sign of how strong Ichigo used to be, how unfazed he usually was. It made Ichigo feel bad that the place was so flat now, not showing the strength he had used to have. There had been tall buildings that were a sign of his confidence and all over personality, varying in lengths and widths, but now all that was left was one lone white building that wasn't even visible. The man knew where it was, but he had said that it wasn't very large, showing just how much Ichigo had changed.

The oranget couldn't believe his lifestyle had changed his state of mind. He guessed it was really time for him to get back to what he used to be. Maybe he should take Grimmjow's advice and take the eye surgery. It was one-step towards his independence and one-step closer to getting this place back into shape.

"…Can I ever come back here?"

"It's yer mind, so ya can do whateva ya want."

"Will I see you again?"

The man glanced his way and Ichigo could see the utter shock on the man's face "…Pr-probably, just gotta look for me."

He smiled, glad that he had made a new friend, even if it was inside his mind. Something still bothered him though. "…Shiro…"

"...Wha?"

"You said you didn't have a name, right? How about Shiro?" The white skinned man snorted, leaning his head back against the wall. He never thought the day would come.

"What a convenient name. …But I guess it works." Ichigo chuckled and leaned his head down on his raised knees.

"Yeah, I like it too, Shiro…" They sat there gazing out into nothingness, not seeing the small pleat of green grass breaking through the whiteness.


Grimmjow and Renji had rushed to the hospital only to find Ichigo still in his vegetated state. The call from Orihime was nothing but a scare when she saw Ichigo's hand move and grip the bed sheets. Grimmjow knew it would be too good to be true that Ichigo would awake so soon. He was happy that there had been movement, but it wasn't enough to keep his fears at bay. A small twitch of movement did nothing to make him feel like there was hope. The only thing keeping him in a hopeful state was the thought of Ichigo wanting to be stronger. It only meant that the oranget would fight this tooth and nail, coming out the winner. It was a waiting game and Grimmjow didn't know how long he would have to wait until seeing Ichigo's smiling face again.

He sat in the corner of the hospital room, his eyes trained on the bed on the opposite side. Orihime had left, saying she couldn't be around the atmosphere and Renji was glued to Ichigo's side, where he should be. Grimmjow didn't really mind. His time with Ichigo would take place later. He was giving Renji his moment to shine, his moment to be the friend he had been struggling to be since he had walked into Ichigo's life. It wasn't that he was so calm that he didn't need to be by his side, but he felt if he huddled himself in a corner, he could hide his real emotions. The chain link around his heart was wrapped tight, pressing against the sides of the organ, putting a strain on him. He couldn't stand the tightness, but it was the only thing keeping him from spewing hot tears down his face.

His emotional state was something he was worrying about, never remembering himself being so intuitive with his feelings before he met Ichigo. A lot of things hadn't happened before he met Ichigo and he could see just how much he had changed in the past six months. His state of mind was different, his opinions and thought process. He took life so much serious now than he used to and he knew it was all influenced by Ichigo.

He looked up, gazing at the strained look on Renji's face. The man's heart was in pain, not just from the accident, but from the long time unrequited love. Renji had sacrificed his love just so he could continue to be the friend had always been. That took a lot of courage and Grimmjow felt bad about calling the man a coward. Renji had chosen the path he thought was right and put his own selfishness on the back-burner. He didn't think he would be able to do such a thing. Life didn't always give you second chances and he would rather be selfish than pass up such a opportunity like such. He sighed, realizing that he was just going to be even more selfish later on.

"…I'm taking Ichigo with me…to America." It was straight to the point, but Grimmjow knew he couldn't speak to Renji any other way. Though the man was quiet about some things, he was pretty straight forward most of the time.

Renji didn't react to the statement at first, but he had heard it. He knew Ichigo would be pulled from him eventually, but he guessed Grimmjow was better than anyone else was. "You think Ichigo is going to agree with that?"

"…He wanted me to take him with me...before this happened. I should have just said yes, without the hesitation. I regret that now, but I might feel more comfortable with him there with me."

"What about his sisters?" Grimmjow sighed, leaning his chin onto his palm and gazing out of the window into the night sky.

"He can visit them anytime he wants. I'm not going to keep him prisoner. I'm hoping he will get eye surgery before that though."

Renji frowned and looked over his shoulder. "Eye surgery?" The blunet glanced over before nodding. "You mean…to get his sight back?" Grimmjow nodded again and watched Renji turn his attention back to Ichigo. "…That would be good for him, I guess. It will certainly help him gain his confidence again." Grimmjow just grunted, not really wanting to say anymore. His body was aching something fierce with fatigue and he just wanted to pass out and bury his face in orange locks.

"Grimmjow, whatever you do, just take care of Ichigo. I know probably once he gets his sight back he will be himself again, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't need love." Renji glanced over, taking in the dazed look on Grimmjow's face. "…And you do love him, right?"

If that wasn't the question of the year. Grimmjow knew nothing about love, so he wasn't able to respond that with a certain answer. He guessed he did, but he wasn't ready to admit that out loud. "I won't let you leave here with him, unless you are able to give me a straight answer. I know what my feelings are, but are you that confident about your own? I've told you before, if you are playing with Ichigo's feelings, I'll never forgive you."

"…I'm far from playing," Grimmjow mumbled. "But I can't give you a straight answer right now. I'm not even sure of my feelings, let alone Ichigo's-"

Renji snorted, his eyes still trained on the oranget. "Ichigo is in love with you. If that ain't obvious then I don't know what else is. Ichigo would never stress over impressing you so much if he didn't hold you high in his heart. I don't know since when, but Ichigo is, in fact, in love with you."

That seemed to make the chain around Grimmjow's heart shatter and he could feel the lump in his throat rising. He looked away from Renji and cleared his throat. Pushing himself up from his chair, he made his way over to Ichigo's bed and stared down at the unconscious man.

"R-Renji, ya think you can leave for the night. I want to spend the rest of it with Ichigo…alone." Grimmjow was surprised he was able to speak that sentence without a crack in his voice. He could see the man gazing at him in the corner of his eyes, but he didn't want to hear Renji giving him shit. He could already feel the tears wanting to spew from his eyes, so the best thing to do was to keep them lowered. He heard the man speak, but he wasn't listening.

Renji could tell something was different and it would be right for him to give Grimmjow and Ichigo their time. He had been hogging it enough and he knew when it was time to get. He pushed himself up from the chair and calmly made his way towards the door, keeping his eyes trained in front of him. He could hear the subtle creak of pressure being put on Ichigo's bed, the shuffling on crisp white sheets.

Pushing his hand against the door, he took one last look behind him, only to see Grimmjow cuddled up next to Ichigo, his body lazed, though it was shaking. Blue hair contrasted next to the white bandages with orange hair peeking through and Renji realized that he had received the answer to his previous question.

Grimmjow was, in fact, in love with Ichigo.


So Ichigo is still in a coma. I think it would be a little too quick, but coma is a unpredictable thing. Anywho, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Please review and see you next chapter.