CHAPTER 3: PAIN IS PLEASURE

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach...

For Fozy. Thank you so much for loving this fic!

Onwards...

XOXOXO

The disturbing shriek of an alarm clock jerked Grimmjow awake, making him roll clear off his bed, eyes wild and hair in disarray. He glanced around his small bedroom, wondering where the ear-shattering noise was coming from, then growled menacingly when he spotted his silver-haired friend perched on the end of his bed. Kensei was wearing a wide, charming grin, a white, sleeveless tee, and black running shorts; in his left hand was a small, wooden box, clamoring noisily.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow snarled, glaring daggers at the man.

"Time to get your ass up. We got a long day ahead of us," Kensei responded calmly.

Grimmjow stared at the box in Kensei's hand and realized that it was an old-fashioned alarm clock. The metal bell affixed to the top of the contraption clanged loudly, making Grimmjow sneer and growl. "Shut that shit off already."

Kensei's grin spread as he slowly hit a button beside the bell, finally silencing the annoying ear splitter. "C'mon, we gotta get started. Go wash your face; it'll help you wake up."

Grimmjow climbed from the floor, grumbling the whole way to the bathroom, then did as he was told. He splashed cold water on his face before adjusting the temperature to warm and washing up. He brushed his teeth, went back to his bedroom and slipped on a pair of basketball shorts and a cut-off tee, then sauntered into the kitchen, where Kensei waited, leaning against the counter. Grimmjow rolled his eyes angrily (he really hated getting up early) and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. When he was done, he turned back to Kensei and arched his brows.

"What are we doing first?"

"We'll do some stretching here, then walk to the park. After that, we're going for a two mile run. Think you can handle that?"

Grimmjow took his time opening the bottle of water and taking a long sip. Finally, he locked eyes with his friend and shook his head. "No."

Kensei chuckled and slid off the counter. "Well, that's too bad. Let's go."

Grimmjow grumbled his way to the living room behind Kensei, where the silver-haired man stopped behind the couch and started a series of yoga-styled stretches. Annoyed and not looking forward to the day at all, Grimmjow set his water on the floor and followed Kensei's lead. Half-way through the stretches, he felt his hamstrings and abdomen burning. Just proof that he needed to get his ass into shape.

"Why we gotta do yoga? This shit hurts."

Kensei shook his head and straightened up from his position of downward-facing dog. "It's the best way to loosen up your body. Now, stop complaining. We haven't even gotten to the really hard stuff yet."

"I know. Shit," Grimmjow cursed, nabbing his water. "I already hate that old man."

Kensei guffawed and went to the apartment door, opened it and stood to the side, waiting for Grimmjow to follow him. Grimmjow trudged to the opening and shot Kensei a scathing glare before stepping outside. The heat hit him like a charging bull, threatening to squash him to the ground with its oppressiveness. The humidity immediately caused sweat to form along his brow and along his upper lip. Kensei really expected him to run in this?

Grimmjow abruptly turned around and tried to reenter the apartment, but Kensei had already shut the door. The silver-haired man stood blocking the entrance with his muscular body, one hand held in front of him, swinging a set of keys back and forth, causing the soft jingling to break the silence of the early morning.

"Ya wanna get in, ya gotta work for it."

Thoroughly pissed, Grimmjow flipped Kensei the bird, then turned his back and stomped down the stairs of the stoop. He really wanted to murder his friend at the moment. He knew Kensei had to feel the heat. There was no way he couldn't. It sat on Grimmjow's shoulders like an overgrown gorilla, beating at the back of his neck with heavy fists. Sucking his teeth, Grimmjow stalked towards the park. He could hear Kensei behind him, alternating between humming and whistling.

Fucking prick.

They made it to the deserted park in ten minutes, Kensei coming from behind Grimmjow and leading the way to a path that wound through the entire place. He came to a stop, turned and put his hands on his slim hips, giving Grimmjow his sternest glare.

"If we start from here and take the long way back, that'll make two miles. If you feel yourself falling behind, let me know and I'll stop."

Again, Grimmjow flipped the silver-haired man the bird. Kensei shook his head, expression disappointed, but eyes completely amused. After stretching his arms over his head a bit, Kensei kicked into a light trot. Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair and sucked his teeth again. He really didn't feel like running in this heat, but knew that if he didn't start somewhere, he would never get in shape and be able to prove that old fart wrong.

Reluctantly, Grimmjow kicked into a steady jog. So far, so good, but then again, it was just the beginning.

XxxxxX

At the half-mile mark, Grimmjow was sweating like a horse, but his breathing was still OK. At the one mile mark, however, he had a stitch in his side that was being very persistent and making it incredibly hard to breathe. Panting and gasping, he maintained his pace. He watched Kensei's back, trying his hardest to ignore the stubborn pain in his side. Kensei didn't even show any signs of weariness, or any other signs that he was running in offensive heat, for that matter. Aside from the large sweat stain spreading down the back of his tee, that is. Other than that, Kensei's stride was perfect and unwavering. Grimmjow felt a spike of envy lance through him. Here he was dying and trying to hide it, but Kensei was perfectly fine.

The one and a half mile mark rolled around and Grimmjow felt like he was about to pass out. He'd run as far as he could, his pace gradually slowing and feet beginning to drag. His entire body was crying out for him to stop the madness and sit his ass down under one of those trees he kept passing. He spotted Kensei glancing over his shoulder, sandy brown eyes amused and concerned all at the same time.

"Ya need to stop, Grimmjow?" he called.

Grimmjow growled, feeling particularly like a charity case. "No!" he snapped, pride rearing its ugly head at the worst of times.

Why couldn't he just say yes? He wanted to stop so badly. Then he thought about it. That old man's ugly mug entered his vision and spurred his tired body onwards. There was no way he was giving that old coot the satisfaction of breaking his spirit.

As they reached the last stretch towards his apartment, Grimmjow sped up, his legs and arms pumping furiously. Pain blossomed everywhere, but he refused to give in to it. He sprinted the rest of the way back, lungs burning and muscles screaming bloody murder. Grimmjow passed Kensei, who shot him a look of surprise, silver eyebrows reaching the already blazing sun. Grimmjow's body was on the verge of giving out on him, but sheer force of will kept his legs moving. Kept his feet hitting the ground. Finally, his building came into sight and he pushed himself forward even more, breath scorching his throat and lungs, the heat pinching his skin.

He skidded to a stop before his stoop and immediately collapsed on the stairs. "Exhausted" didn't even do a good job of covering how he felt. He didn't think he could move even if someone pushed him. Kensei jogged into view and took in the sight of Grimmjow's lifeless body stretched over the cement stairs. When the silver-haired man began cackling, the cackle escalating into loud laughter, Grimmjow gave a half-hearted growl in the man's direction. He was so weak, he couldn't even lift a finger and he meant that very literally.

"Ya overdid it," Kensei rumbled, hands on his hips.

Grimmjow grunted his response, head lolling to the side as he tried to avoid the sun's constant glare. Kensei merely shook his head and took a seat beside him on the stairs. There was silence. Kensei didn't seem to have much to say, but thankfully he had a little mercy for Grimmjow, allowing him to recuperate where he was. Actually, that was the only option.

"I didn't think you'd make it, ya know?" Kensei stated, eyes distant.

Grimmjow rolled his head around with much effort, but couldn't speak. His throat felt raw and his lungs were still working overtime to provide him with much needed oxygen. Kensei glanced over at him, grinned, then turned his focus back to the horizon.

"I take it you can't say much right now."

Grimmjow nodded, grimacing at the aching muscles in his neck. He had overdone things. He couldn't help it, though. The fight in him had come bursting forth with a vengeance when he'd thought of that old man's sneering face. That had been enough to get his ass to the finish line, so to speak. He was going to get himself into shape, even if he had to kill himself doing it.

"Well, you've got an hour and some change before we have to start the other good stuff. Think you can make it?" Kensei asked, running a hand through his short hair.

Grimmjow thought about it, eyes closing and head leaning back. Could he really make it through a day of tough training? Yes, his mind supplied. You made it through the two mile run; you can do anything now. Grimmjow inwardly scoffed. Now his mind thought he was Superman. However, he did want to get as far as he could with the first day. He knew he wouldn't be able to accomplish everything (the run had shown him that), but he wanted to find where his limit was. That way he could figure out how to surpass it.

After resting for a few minutes, he was able to find his voice. "Yeah. I wanna do it."

Kensei nodded and rose to his feet. He held his hand out, offering to help Grimmjow up as well, but again, that damned pride got in the way. Grimmjow shook his head and slowly, achingly climbed to his feet on his own. His entire body trembled, his legs felt like rubber, and his arms hung limply at his sides like mozzarella sticks. He was indeed wiped out, but he refused to give in.

"M'hungry," he grunted.

Kensei nodded again and produced the key to the apartment, a wide grin curving his lips. Grimmjow frowned at that. Why did the man look so evil this early in the morning? It was only 6:45, yet Kensei was behaving like it was the middle of the day. All that energy couldn't be a good sign.

XxxxxxX

Grimmjow stared down at his plate, scowl pulling his eyebrows together. He looked up at his friend across the kitchen table, then back down to the alarmingly sparse plate.

"Kensei."

"Hm?"

"What the fuck is this shit?" Kensei erupted into howling laughter, which only made Grimmjow's mood worsen. How could anyone find humor in what was lying on Grimmjow's plate? "I hope you don't call this breakfast."

"Barragan said you need a light breakfast."

"Kensei, this ain't light. This here's nonexistent."

Again with the laughter. Grimmjow curled his hands into fists, one wrapped securely around a fork. He didn't find this situation funny in the least. In fact, it was disturbing. Half a grapefruit, toast and yogurt did not constitute anything near breakfast. That was bullshit. Utter and complete bullshit.

"I ain't eatin' this," he growled.

Kensei sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Then you're gonna starve. Either eat what's in front of you, or go hungry. Which do you prefer?"

"Ya want my honest ta God answer?"

Kensei considered him, then shook his head. "I don't wanna know. No, better yet, I think I already know. Why ya gotta be such a stubborn bastard about everything?"

Grimmjow shrugged and pushed his plate away. "Just how I am. So, does this mean I can get some real breakfast? Ya know, like eggs, bacon, pancakes?"

"That's not light and it'll make you sluggish."

"Ain't that the point a'eatin'?"

"Idiot."

"I'm not eating this," Grimmjow enunciated carefully.

"Whatever. Starve."

With that, Kensei left the kitchen in a huff, back stiff. Grimmjow sighed and stared at his deserted plate. He knew he was being unreasonable and difficult. He even knew that without Kensei's help, he wouldn't be able to discipline himself enough to get in shape. Why did he have to be such a prick? Because it was in his blood. It was natural. The day he wasn't a prick would be the day of the second coming of Christ. He sighed again, reluctantly reaching for the exaggeratedly healthy breakfast. If he was going to do this thing, he couldn't do it half-assed.

He lifted the grapefruit to his mouth and bit down. Sourness and sweetness exploded across his taste buds, making the corner of his jaw ache. He grimaced and set down the fruit, then reached for the slice of toast (without butter, mind you). He wolfed that down without taking the time to taste it, and followed it up with the peach flavored yogurt. Fat free, of course. Which translated to: nasty. Grimmjow went back to the grapefruit, but after another bite, decided to give up on it. It was too much for him. He gulped down a glass of orange juice, then rose from the table, completely unsatisfied and stomach still growling angrily.

He was going to pass out by the end of the day with that kind of sustenance.

Grimmjow blew out an agitated breath and went into the living room. Kensei was seated on the couch, flipping through the channels, refusing to acknowledge him at all. Grimmjow shifted his weight to his left side and glared at the side of the silver-haired man's head.

"I know you're there. I'm not talking to you right now."

"Why the hell not? How am I s'posed to finish this menu?"

Kensei rolled his eyes at the TV, still not looking in Grimmjow's direction. Grimmjow was being dismissed. He growled under his breath and rounded the couch, muscles still screaming. He stood directly in front of his friend and put his hands on his hips, hopefully blocking the TV.

"I ain't eat that shitty breakfast fer nothin'! Get yer ass up and help me get in shape, asshole!" he snarled.

Kensei glanced up at him in shock. "You did?"

"Yeah! Now, let's go. I think calisthenics was next on that old man's list."

Kensei shook away his surprise and grinned. "I'll be damned."

Grimmjow eyed the man on his couch, that feeling of dread slowly creeping back over his shoulders. Why was Kensei grinning like that?

XxxxxxX

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't fucking breathe. Every muscle in his body seemed to creak and ache and just overall hurt. Kensei had put him through a nightmare of sit-ups, lunges, squats, more sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and more sit-ups. Tired was a severe understatement. If he thought he couldn't move earlier, he'd been sorely mistaken. Right now, he was stretched out on the couch, whimpering softly with every intake of breath. Kensei stood over him, wearing a sad expression, hands on his hips.

"Ya look like shit."

Grimmjow's whimper morphed into a low growl. Of course he looked like shit. He felt like shit, so there was no other way for him to look. He wanted to tell Kensei to fuck off, but needed all the energy he could just to draw in air, so instead he ignored the other man. He was still panting pathetically, sweat coating every part of his body. He felt absolutely disgusting.

"Oi," Grimmjow grunted weakly. "C'n I shower? I feel like a puddle of sweat."

Kensei chuckled and sat down on the couch next to Grimmjow's legs. The dipping of the couch made Grimmjow whimper again. His leg had been jarred and the muscles...oh, God, the muscles.

"Sure...if you can make it there," Kensei responded with an evil smirk.

Grimmjow closed his eyes and whined. "You cruel, cruel man."

Kensei laughed again, but this time the dip in the couch was eased as he stood. Grimmjow opened his eyes, watching as Kensei edged over to him. The silver-haired man held his hand out in offering and Grimmjow grumped. How the hell was he supposed to get up with everything on his body hurting like hemorrhoids?

"I seriously can't move right now. Please don't do this to me."

"Well, whattaya want me ta do? Carry your big ass to the bathroom? I don't think so, guy."

Grimmjow smiled. "C'mon, honey. Give the old man a lift, would ya?"

"You wish. I'll help you up, but that's about it. Think you can handle things from there?"

"Ugh. Only if I have to."

Kensei shook his head, but clasped Grimmjow's hand when he reached for it. The heft into a standing position was sheer agony. Grimmjow actually gasped and felt tears coming to his eyes from the intense amount of pain. His legs shook like tree boughs in a hurricane and his back felt like it'd been tenderized. His arms were useless, hanging at his sides like a banana peel. He stood still for a minute, his body involuntarily rocking back and forth in place, until he dug up the energy and courage to move.

One painful step after another, Grimmjow slowly made his way to the bathroom and closed the door. He rested against it for a bit before shoving away and going to the shower, lethargically turning on the water. Steam filled the small room in no time, meaning the water was entirely too hot, but Grimmjow didn't care. He stripped out of his soggy clothing and gingerly eased himself behind the shower curtain and under the stinging spray of water. It felt marvelous. All he could do was stand there, breathing deeply and letting the water work its magic. Gradually – very gradually – his muscles loosened and his back pain eased. He bent his head and let the water wash over his soaked hair. God, if he could describe how he felt at the moment, he would have to use sexual lingo, it was that damned good.

Speaking of sex, he hadn't had any in a while. A poor blow job didn't count as sex, in his opinion, so he was due for some much needed relief. He looked down at his equipment morosely. It was times like these that he wished he wasn't such an asshole. Maybe he'd have a ready stash somewhere that he could call for help. But girls didn't really like him much after he opened his mouth; they only thought he was good to look at. Then, he'd speak to them and kill any chances of getting closer to them. He didn't have a brain-to-mouth filter and it showed in everything that he did. Everything that he was. And it really didn't help matters that he only saw women as tools: made for sex and not for talking. He could do without female conversation since they hardly talked about anything other than their looks and clothes. Besides, he was pretty broke right now, so he couldn't afford women the way he used to. When he'd been a prominent street fighter, he'd had women falling out of his pockets, but now, without any funds, they disappeared.

People told him he shouldn't think of women in that way, but hell, he wasn't about to listen to that kind of advice. His mother had ruined any chances women may have had of getting next to him in more than a sexual manner. Speaking of his mother, Grimmjow's thoughts went back to the little pink-haired girl, Yachiru. His little sister. He winced and reached for the shampoo. He wouldn't tell anyone else, but whenever he thought of that little girl, he was consumed with guilt. He'd been so evil to her and all she had ever done was look up to him with stars in her wide, mahogany eyes. Grimmjow sighed as he washed his hair. He couldn't turn around and be nice to her now without looking like an idiot, so he'd just continue to keep his distance.

A strong knock on the bathroom door jerked him from his thoughts. Confused, he yanked the shower curtain aside. "What?" he shouted over the sound of the water.

"Ya want lunch?" Kensei yelled back.

Grimmjow frowned and had a mind to close the curtain and ignore his friend...until his stomach growled loudly. Fuck! Blowing out a depressed sigh, he called out, "Yeah."

There was silence after that and Grimmjow was left to ponder what kind of torture Kensei would provide this time in the form of healthy food. God, he hoped it was nothing green.

XxxxxX

Grimmjow stared down at his plate, despair creeping over his shoulder. Not again. He glared up at his friend and pursed his lips tightly before opening his mouth.

"Kensei."

"Hm?"

"Don' 'hm' me, dammit! Ya know what I'm 'bout ta say!"

Kensei broke into a fit of laughter, tears actually coming to his wheat brown eyes. Grimmjow was not amused. In fact, he was quite perturbed. There was nothing Kensei could say that would adequately justify what was sitting on Grimmjow's plate.

"I fuckin' hate you. This is abuse!"

Kensei's laughter increased as he plopped into the seat across from Grimmjow. "C'mon. It's not that bad."

"Like hell it ain't," Grimmjow growled, using a fork to push a few lettuce leaves around. "Ya gave me rabbit food! What're ya tryna do? Make me wither up and float away?"

"It's just a grilled chicken salad. At least there's meat in it."

"Yeah, but tha's kinda ruined with all this green shit around it. Ya know I hate green shit, Kensei."

"If ya keep complaining about it, you'll never get used to it."

Grimmjow sucked his teeth and let loose a loud, exaggerated groan. At least he'd had a shower, so he felt marginally better. "Fine."

Kensei sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest, obviously prepared to watch Grimmjow eat. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and dug into the tasteless salad, determined to get through the rest of the day and the hellish menu in his way.