Sorry it took so long to post the new chapter...But for those who care, there's a bit more angst in this one. XD Well please enjoy and let me know what you think!

4

Ichigo had to literally drag himself to bed. Again. The training he had to go through, day by day, was by no means easy. Hell, Ichigo didn't even see it as difficult. It was hellish! Way worse than all the other intensive trainings he had to go through before, and he went through them on a somewhat regular basis.

Why was it that every time he got stronger someone even stronger just had to come and decide to mess with his town or friends of all the places in the world? In a way it was funny. Hence the slight smirk stretched on his lips as his feet trailed behind him.

But the reason this training was more difficult, was not due to the nature of abuse from Hiyori's slipper or the constant injuries that came with any desire to get stronger. Those things he could bare, because he had to. But there was one thing that made this particular training different from all the others.

Unlike the other times, he was not only trying to get stronger physically. It wasn't the usual brutal training where his body became more resistant and he developed new sword techniques. In this case he had to strengthen not only his physique, but his soul. He had to struggle mentally with himself and that was more challenging than any other type of struggle.

Finally he was at the door that led to his temporary room, until his Vizard training was done. It wasn't like he could just make the trip from his house to the secret warehouse every day. So for the duration, Ichigo was sleeping in one of the many rooms at Shinji's disposal. Where he got the money and resources, Ichigo could only guess. And his guessing was centred around something to do with hat-and-clogs. Everything did.

With some difficulty he closed the door and changed clothes. Then he fell on the bed and let his body sink into the softness of the mattress. At that moment anything softer than the rocky ground would have felt like a cloud to his aching body. He let out a content sigh and his breathing steadied. He was asleep before he closed his eyes.

White, towering skyscrapers. Drifting clouds. And the sound of soft footsteps.

Ichigo didn't have to wonder where he was. He knew his own spirit world by now and he also identified the person walking calmly towards him. Ichigo was still in the same sleeping position reminiscent of the real world. He pointedly closed his eyes and decided to ignore his inner hollow.

'Oh come on Ichigo. Please don't ignore me.' Ichigo nearly opened his eyes. The other sounded like he was genuinely hurt…..Yet due to his absolutely stubborn nature he squinted his eyelids shut even tighter. If he didn't see him he wasn't there. Out of sight, out of mind.

'Fine then. I'll just say what I have to say and 'imagine' what your response will be. Sounds good?' Ichigo knew the speaker was sitting beside him. His voice was washing over him in a low, calming wave. Still Ichigo kept quiet.

Then he felt a soft touch against his cheek. The skin was cold but not scary. Ichigo had to recall how cruel that same touch could be just so he wouldn't lean into the trailing fingertips. He held his breath and didn't move a muscle. Unfortunately he became more and more accustomed with the dark caress every day.

This was why he made such slow progress on drawing out his inner darkness. Every time he pulled the mask and drew on the hollow's power, he felt that same caress envelop his whole body. It was almost like he could feel Hollow Ichigo's hands running across his skin and his surprisingly soft lips on his cheek. And the more he kept his mask on, the more intimate the sensations became.

It felt like the hollow was holding him and whispering in his ear, only the whispers were vibrating inside his whole being. That's about when Ichigo usually broke the mask. Slowly, he managed to push the boundaries and ignore those sensations. But his progress was slow. Too slow.

Ichigo wondered if the other Vizards had to go through the same thing or if his situation was unique. However asking the others was NOT an option. The situation was too disturbingly confusing. And besides, Ichigo knew full well why he couldn't hold his mask. It was the fear of losing control. That crippling helplessness that took over whenever Hollow Ichigo possessed him in the past.

He knew he was the one in control now. He knew he was the king, but he just couldn't forget that crazed murderous instinct that swallowed him whenever the hollow used him. He couldn't let that happen again. He refused to remember the feel of his desire to kill his friends simply because they were there. That's why this particular training was hellish to Ichigo. And that's why he couldn't make faster progress despite Hiyori's growing impatience.

'Ichigo. You can't pretend I'm not here forever.' Ichigo snapped out of his trail of thoughts and in his confusion forgot he was supposed to keep his eyes closed. Hollow Ichigo was looking at him, his face inches from Ichigo's ear and his fingers tracing Ichigo's jawline.

'I'm here to help you. You're my king and you can't die. I won't allow it!' Hollow Ichigo's voice became soft again. 'But you have to accept me. For you to use my strength, you have to embrace it. Body and soul.' He smiled a wicked grin and for some reason Ichigo caught himself holding his breath again.

'What do you mean?' Ichigo decide to ignore the twisting feeling forming in his gut and he sat up, pulling away from Hollow Ichigo's touch. The hollow didn't react visibly, but he mirrored Ichigo and also stood up.

'What I mean is, that you don't have to be scared of me. I can't take over you anymore. Not until you show weakness. Until the day when you'll become weaker than me, you have nothing to fear Ichigo. Trust me.' The teen was mesmerized by the soft voice. It was hard for him to think that this hollow and the one who nearly raped him were one and the same. He listened mutely, as if the hollow's tone put a mesmerizing spell on him.

'Trust me….' Hollow Ichigo repeated, before leaning and capturing Ichigo's parted lips in a deep kiss.

With trembling lips Ichigo accepted the other's advances and didn't offer a struggle. He couldn't. Not only was the hollow an amazingly good kisser, fact from before, but his persuasive words turned Ichigo's brain to jelly. As the blue tongue slid against his, he felt his knees give way and he leaned ever so slightly into the hollow's embrace.

Like a sudden flash of light, a mental image of Grimmjow's icy azure eyes entered Ichigo's mind and he woke from his trance. He pushed Hollow Ichigo away roughly and wiped his lips on the back of his sleeve. He looked at the silent hollow with contempt.

'Trust you? How can I trust you when you do this? What the hell do you want from me?' Ichigo's rage was a perfect contrast to Hollow Ichigo's now frozen stare.

'If you accepted me you would know the answer by now. Whether you like it or not you will have to trust me Ichigo. Or you will die.' Ichigo clenched his teeth, holding back the curses he was ready to throw at the hollow.

'I will never trust you. Even if my life depends on it.' Ichigo calmed and seethed, the anger rolling in torrents with every venomous word.'

'But you forget, my king. It's not only your life that's at stake.' Hollow Ichigo grinned knowingly as he watched Ichigo's calm crumble again. 'What about the people you protect? What will happen to them if you die? Hmmm?' The hollow knew exactly how to push Ichigo's buttons, even if he himself couldn't care less for the lives of those ants.

Ichigo's gaze fell as the words sunk in. He hated to admit it but the hollow was right. He didn't have the strength to protect anyone on his own. He remembered the trashing he got from his last encounter with Grimmjow. No doubt he was stronger now but he knew he still wasn't even close to standing as an equal to the Sexta.

'That's right Ichigo. You need me.' Before Ichigo could lift up his eyes again Hollow Ichigo's lips were already on his. But this kiss was different. It was soft and short. Less passion and more promise.

'Trust me.'

Ichigo woke up with a gasp. The sunshine rays filtering through the curtains told him it was morning. He fell back on the bed with a groan. He wished he could say the whole encounter was a simple figment of his imagination but unfortunately he knew that wasn't the case.

Unconsciously he trailed the tips of his fingers across his lips remembering the other soft cool ones. The twist in his stomach was still there and he exhaled a loud breath. Hard to imagine they had the same body. Then he remembered the hollow's final words.

'Trust me'

He didn't know if he could do that. There was no way he could surrender control to his darker side again. At times like these he desperately wished he could read Hollow Ichigo as easily as the hollow read him. At least then he would know why the hollow was acting so strangely. Why was he so gentle and kind all of a sudden? It made no sense to Ichigo.

'Hay, idiot! Wake up! Breakfast's ready! If you don't want to have your ass kicked on an empty stomach get your ass out of bed, you lazy idiot!' Hiyori's shout rand from behind the door. At least she learned not to barge in, after catching Ichigo dressing. That was a very embarrassing day for both of them.

'And good morning to you too.' Ichigo retorted.

'Idiot.' Was the closing word before he heard her stomping off in her usual huff.

Ichigo got up from the bed and scratched his head. There was no point in wondering about all that stuff. He had bigger fish to fry and whatever the hollow had in mind, Ichigo resolved to deal with it another day.

Grimmjow made his way to the meeting place with an angry stride. He was in a foul mood. He had been in a bad temperament ever since Tosen 'punished' him. That son of a bitch. Like a low life Shinigami could tell him what he could and couldn't do.

If it wasn't for Lord Aizen, he knew he would have attacked the ex-captain even with a missing arm. It only took one to beat a piece of trash like Tosen. Grimmjow scoffed at the thought. And to top it all, he lost his ranking. Aizen deemed him too weak for the Espada, now that he only had one arm, and gave his rank to that prissy brat, Luppi.

That humiliation was what got to him most. The thought of someone as pathetic and weak as that pretty boy wearing his number was the worst form of punishment Aizen could have conceived. And Grimmjow suspected the Shinigami knew it and enjoyed it. He clenched his jaw and quickened his steps even further. In the short distance he had to travel he mentally promised that when he had the chance he'd kill that whore Luppi.

'Welcome Grimmjow.' Aizen's melodious voice greeted him as he entered the large room.

Most of the Espada were already there. It looked like the only ones missing were Ulquiorra and Yammy. Grimmjow suppressed a scowl, which was pretty polite for him, and made his way to one of the rising pillars scattered across. Now all he had to do was wait for the other two and Aizen would begin his meeting. Then he could go and kill something. He wanted a good fight. He wanted a good kill, but he was aware that the crappy hollows he was allowed to fight were trash. He had to settle for simple killings.

From the corner of his eye he saw Luppi smirking at him. He nearly attacked him then and there but he held his anger back. He ground his teeth and promised to drench his hands in Luppi's blood soon. The brat talked a good game but the ex-Sexta knew he was afraid of him.

There was a reason why the brunet wasn't an Espada before. Because he was weak. He knew Grimmjow was superior, even injured as he was. And that's why he chose to sit on the opposite, furthest part of the room, away from Grimmjow's position.

'Welcome Ulquiorra and Yammy. It won't be long now.' The last two were finally there and the meeting could start.

'What's the status of the Hogyoku?' Ulquiorra inquired.

'It's at 50%. It will awaken…' Grimmjow stopped listening. It wasn't like he ever did, especially since Aizen was talking about the Hogyoku again. Frankly he didn't care at all for any of Aizen's plans. All he wanted was power and good fights, and the Shinigami could give him that.

His thoughts drifted and there wasn't much of a surprise when the human boy came to mind. The boy called Ichigo had been a constant mental presence. He even bothered to remember his name which was something, coming from him. He never bothered with most of his enemies since they never survived the first encounter. The boy was lucky and Grimmjow was itching to remind him of that.

He hardly stopped a grin from spreading. That fiery attitude and those intense, passionate eyes made his whole body twist with cravings. He wanted to feel the human's skin again as he punched it and hear his groans of protest. He wanted to hear him scream and watch him cry. He wanted to poses Ichigo in all his entirety, body and mind. That was the beauty of being the hunter; hunting and breaking the pray.

'…..Wonderweiss Margera.' Aizen's voice boomed and Grimmjow focused on his surroundings again.

Just in time to see the new Arrancar Aizen created. Well he wasn't much to see. The youngster looked like an idiot, with a vacant expression and empty eyes. His hair was shoulder length, straight and blonde. A lighter blonde than Hallibel's. He had a constellation of freckles across his cheeks and a lanky body. All in all another weakling Grimmjow will have to hold back from killing.

'Do you remember the order I gave you a month ago, Ulquiorra?' Grimmjow listened to the conversation between Aizen and the Espada.

'Yes'

'Carry it out. The choice is yours. Take whomever you like.' The Shinigami gave Ulquiorra his usual charming smile.

'Yes Sir.' That seemed the end of the word exchange. Aizen took a step towards the door, dismissing the gathering. But then he stopped and fixed Grimmjow with his coffee eyes.

'Oh, and…..Would you like to go too Grimmjow?' The Arrancar met his eye for a second before he looked away with disdain.

He hated the man who was his Lord. Grimmjow knew damn well this had nothing to do with Aizen's 'kind' heart. It was a clever way for him to say, 'see? I tell you when you can and can't go. And there's nothing you can do about it.' The thing that made Grimmjow angriest was that he knew Aizen was right.

'What? You can't come here and attack us and then just leave! You gotta be kidding! Come back here! We're not finished yet!'

It was time to pay a certain Shinigami a visit.

Thank you for the read! Hope it wasn't a waste of your time...Well anyway, please tell me what you thought and I'll continue! X3

Also, I have exams coming up and they'll take over a month, so i won't have an update for some time. Again, I'm very sorry.

And, once more, A BIG THANKS to all those who posted replies thus far! It's thanks to you people that I write with a smile on my face! XD (though i look kind of goofy...)