Chapter Three

A Plan…Backfires

Ichigo woke to the unfamiliar bedroom and took a moment to access before his brain reminded him he was staying with Sherl. Sherlock, that was his real name. Strange name, considering he had dark hair. But then, who paid attention to the meaning of names these days anyway? Being Japanese born, names meant something, but here… He sighed and shuffled out of bed to find his clothes missing from the table so he grabbed the dressing gown and wrapped himself up. He wondered if what this guy said was true and he really didn't sleep much? He opened the door and heard his voice.

"Really, Mycroft? You can have your men inform you what I ate for lunch, but you can't figure out a phone?" he said flopping into his chair.

The doorbell chimed and Ichigo heard the voice of the landlady greeting someone and someone walking up the stairs. He checked the clock, it was almost five. They'd have to get ready soon…and he still had no clothes… Sherlock placed his phone down and headed into the bathroom. The shower started a second later.

"Sherlock?" came a man's voice as the door opened. Ichigo, who had gone into the kitchen popped his head out and looked. "Oh, who are you?"

Ichigo smiled and put the tea kettle on and then sat down, holding the robe closed. The man was a handsome older fellow with silvery hair. Quite the silver fox, he thought.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he said with a nod of his head.

"Oh yes, Sherlock said you were here with him. Where's he?" he asked.

"Shower, no idea, he was yelling at someone named Mycroft a minute ago."

"Detective Inspector Lestrade," the silver fox said, holding a hand out to shake Ichigo's. He complied and sat back down. "I guess I'll wait for him."

Ichigo nodded. "Cup of tea, then?" he asked.

Lestrade nodded and Ichigo made him one and one for himself. He sat both down.

"I'm sorry for my state of dress; I don't know what he did with my clothes…" Ichigo said with a frown.

Lestrade sipped his tea and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Ah, that would be a problem."

Ichigo grinned. "We kinda rushed here this morning, I didn't stop for clothes, and mine were covered in glitter and smoke. I'm assuming he took them after I de-glittered in the shower this morning."

From the bathroom, Sherlock's voice came suddenly. "Lestrade, is that you?"

"Who else, Sher…lock…" Lestrade said as Sherlock came down the hall in his outfit, hair set and makeup already on.

"Ready for you, I put a spare set of my clothes in there for you to wear to the club. Since you'll be changing into whatever you're stripping in tonight, I assume it didn't matter what it was. We'll leave as soon as you're done," Sherlock said, picking up the cuffs and choker and putting them on. He looked at Lestrade. "What?"

"Well, I have to admit, this is something no one will believe," he said and before Sherlock could respond, Lestrade had snapped a picture of him. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"It is a case, Lestrade, I'm undercover," he said. "Now, the file?"

Lestrade nodded, handing over the case file. Sherlock looked through it. "That's not a lot of information," he muttered.

"You know I can't do much with this…" he began.

"I know, not your division. I'm hoping that it doesn't become your division before this is over," Sherlock said, putting the file down as Ichigo came out wearing the silk button down that was too long and the jeans that he'd rolled up a bit.

"Okay, Sherl, shall we? Maybe my stalker will reveal himself…oh, I got an idea!" he said suddenly.

Lestrade and Sherlock both looked at him with questioning eyes. "You pretend to be my boyfriend! He's possessive, right? If he won't directly go after me, because I'm the object of his obsession, then if you act the part of my boyfriend, he'll try and go after you, but with John and the security staff on high alert, we'll catch them before they get near us!"

Sherlock started to speak and then smiled. "Yes, you're right! Why didn't I think of that already!"

"Sherlock, I don't know, that's an awful risky plan for you," he said.

Sherlock shrugged. "How else are we going to draw him out?"

Lestrade frowned. "Just be careful, I gotta get home," he said and waved to them.

Sherlock smiled at Ichigo. "Perfect, we'll start tonight. You come talk to me at the bar between sets, we'll go to our breaks together, and give glances back and forth, and maybe a kiss or two to make it seem more real. Yes, I think this might work!"

With that, they set off in a cab and picked up John on the way. John, however, didn't like the plan at all. Sherlock groaned and asked how exactly they were supposed to catch the guy if they didn't do something like this. John insisted on a long discussion with Shinji and Grimmjow once they got there. Ichigo and Sherlock reluctantly agreed, both convinced that their plan was utterly fool proof.

Shinji stared across his desk at the two men who were looking at him with a great deal of pride. "You are both fucking insane," he said calmly.

Sherlock and Ichigo sighed and glanced at each other. John, standing behind them beside Grimmjow looked very smug.

"Yes, but if we don't do something like this, who knows what will happen?" Ichigo said with his big, sad puppy brown eyes.

Shinji couldn't ever resist his puppy dog face. "All right. But I want someone with you two at all times, someone on security, got it?" Shinji said, shaking a finger at them.

Both Sherlock and Ichigo nodded. "Yes, no problem."

"Alright, get out there and shake your ass, Ichi. And you, go serve drinks, Sherly."

With that, the group exited, Ichigo and Sherlock deciding how best to play that they were together. "Rumors," Grimmjow said. They looked at him.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Tell Szayel you're dating. Everyone in the club will know in hours," he said with a shrug and headed off with John.

Ichigo nodded and grinned. "I'll get the pinky."

Ichigo headed back to the dressing area in his too big clothes and caught Szayel's attention immediately. "Oh my god, Ichi what are you wearing?"

Ichigo glanced down. "Oh, well, I kinda stayed over with someone today on the spur of the moment and I didn't take any clothes…"

Szayel's golden eyes widened. "Who? Did you fuck him?"

Ichigo crossed his arms. "I don't kiss and tell. And no, there was no 'fucking' going on. I had a pleasant morning, that's all."

"Who?" Szayel begged, dropping to his knees. "Please I have to know!"

"No, you'll tell everyone!" Ichigo said, moving to go past.

"Oh, it's that new bartender isn't it? I saw you talking yesterday…" Szayel said.

Ichigo opened his mouth and shut it. "I'm not telling," he said and turned and walked off with purpose.

Szayel grinned. "It is! I've got to find Uryu…he has to know too!"

Ichigo grinned as he watched him head out to blab to everyone in hearing distance. Perfect. He got dressed into his outfit for the night. He was dressed like a female stripper tonight, hot nurse, it seemed. He sighed. He really didn't like the cross dressing shtick. But oh well. He wasn't paid to be choosy after all. He was on second tonight and he waited until Luppi came off the stage.

"They're hot tonight, Ichi-baby," he said with a grin.

Ichigo went out and did his routine and as usual, he felt exhilarated by the experience. He really did enjoy it. It was freeing and empowering and so much more. Now and then he wondered why he did this. He was smarter than most the people he went to school with but he was really good at hiding it from everyone around him. He was also more agile and stronger than most people he knew. But he also hid that well. It served him very well in dancing though. He had two shows tonight, one early and one of the late ones, so he headed back and put on something skimpy and headed over to the bar to talk to Sherl.

He was grinning because for one, he liked talking to Sherlock. And for two, he was excited to catch whoever was stalking him. Sherlock seemed to be one of the few people that could keep up with him intellectually. And he was a damn good actor, because no one would have guessed he wasn't a gay bartender. Except for Ichigo of course. He tugged the belly shirt a bit and straightened the extremely short shorts he'd put on and hopped up onto the barstool closest to him.

"Sherl!" he called loudly to get his attention. By the look, he knew he'd already seen him.

He moved over and slid a sprite down to him. "I've got break in ten," Sherlock said with a nod and headed back to serve a few more drinks. Ichigo grinned. He looked down the bar and saw John sitting there drinking his soda. A quick glance around showed that Renji and Nel were hovering nearby. It was safe enough. He hoped.

Finally, Sherlock put down the bar rag and slipped out, reaching out and taking Ichigo by the hand and leading him away from the bar. John stayed put, but Nel moved parallel to them as they headed into the back. Once there they both dropped side by side into the sofa.

"This is an exhausting case," Sherlock said thoughtfully. "I am afraid I may actually sleep at some point if this takes much longer."

Ichigo looked at him. "You don't sleep when you're on cases?"

Sherlock shook his head. "No, not usually. I don't normally eat either, it slows down my thinking," he said, running a hand through his hair wincing as his fingers caught on the gel in it. "Ugh, I hate this part, I feel like my hair is plastic."

Ichigo grinned. "Yeah, but you look good with it like that. You've got such nice hair," he said and reached up to touch the stiffened curls. "I don't know many people with curls. I hope we catch this guy soon, stupid teme."

Sherlock glanced at him. "I'm afraid Japanese is one of the languages I do not know. The eastern languages are one of the few language groups I haven't studied."

"Teme means basically bastard, I guess is the best way to put it. Just you wait, I'll have you speaking Japanese in no time," Ichigo said with a wink. "Shall we continue the show and you plant a sweet little parting kiss on my cheek when you head back behind the bar and I'll hover on the stool and you can steal touches now and then?"

Sherlock nodded. "An acceptable approach for our first night 'dating'."

They headed out, both Renji and Nel nearby and John still at the bar. Sherlock leaned over and kissed his cheek quickly and went back behind the bar to have Rose start chatting immediately. Ichigo went and slid back onto the barstool and watched Sherlock's every move. Part of it was his genuine interest in him. When he was playing "Sherl" he was a different person. It was amazing the way he could act the part so well. He watched for the subtle things that would tell him what really interested the man, but Ichigo found it impossible to tell. He was too good at playing the part. Everything about him said "gay bartender that dances on the side".

John kept glancing down at him and back around to see if anyone was watching them or trying to figure anything out but the place was packed. Soon, Ichigo waved to Sherlock and blew him a kiss and ran backstage to change clothes.

Sherlock was impressed by Ichigo's acting ability as well. He was good at the scene. He sighed and tapped Rose.

"I gotta hit to loo," he said and Rose nodded.

John got up and followed behind but didn't go into the bathroom just yet, Sherlock knew he'd go in fifteen seconds after Sherlock entered it. However, fifteen seconds wasn't fast enough for what happened in the next ten.

As soon as he pushed the door open his alarms went off and he should have listened, but with John less than a minute behind him he didn't think anything of it. What could happen in that short amount of time? The second the door closed behind him his face and temple exploded in pain and his vision blacked out. The next thing he knew, he was blinking and trying to shove a light out of his face.

"Goway," he muttered.

"Sherlock?" he heard John's voice coming from far away. "Sherlock, I need you to wake up."

He blinked and groaned in pain that was flaring in his head. "What…what happened…?"

He heard the door open and close and heard a familiar sounding gasp. "Oh good gods, Sherlock!" came Ichigo's voice and he felt hands on his shoulder. Sherlock realized he was laying on a sofa, probably the one in Shinji's office, and the reason his head was blazing in pain was because someone had struck him the minute he entered the bathroom. He blinked again and sighed.

"Stupid!" he said sharply. "I should have known…"

"I got a text," Ichigo said and Sherlock couldn't see but he guessed he was handing John his phone.

"Next time I won't be so kind to your boyfriend. Stay off the stage, and stay away from him," John said with a sigh. Sherlock heard the door open and close again.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Shinji said, voice irritated.

Sherlock kept his eyes closed and waved a hand in the air. "Nothing major, I expected something like this, however, I didn't expect it this soon. This means the plan is progressing better than I expected."

"Better than you expected?" John said with a sigh. "Getting your head nearly bashed in by someone is better than expected?"

Sherlock sat up slowly and opened his eyes in the dim light to the concerned faces around him. "For godssakes, it isn't that bad. I suspected to be attacked at some point. No, we continue with the plan. It is working. Someone attacked me. That means we drew someone out."

Grimmjow had been quiet up until then. "Yes, but we didn't catch them, Sherlock."

"But they did a hit and run to prove a point to Ichigo, that they could get to him, and thus me. If they'd taken any longer, John would have been in there with me. Besides, this gives you a reason to step up security and keep someone on me and Ichigo without looking suspicious. That was the only reason we were pausing between me entering and John entering. Now that isn't necessary," Sherlock said with a nod of his head.

"Alright, alright, but that's it for tonight. Both of you, go home. John, Grimmjow, escort them back to Sherlock's house. Grimmjow, stay with them there, please," Shinji said, rubbing his face. "Last thing we need is for them to break in while you're asleep."

Grimmjow nodded. "No problem, Shin."

"I don't need…" Sherlock started.

"No, don't start. If I didn't have a pregnant wife at home, I'd stay, but Mary's going to kill me and you both if I am gone too much on the case," John said, glaring at Sherlock who rolled his eyes in response.

"Fine, he can stay in your old room, then, John. Not like I'll sleep today anyway," Sherlock muttered and stood up, wobbling a bit. Ichigo put an arm around him.

"Come on, boyfriend," Ichigo said with a smirk. "I'll help you out, come on boys," he said waving at John and Grimmjow who followed a few paces behind as Ichigo helped Sherlock stay upright.

They got into Grimmjow's car and headed off, dropping John at his home first, then heading to Baker Street. Grimmjow was quiet and thoughtful as they went, glancing into the mirror in the back seat. He smiled to himself though because he realized that Ichigo hadn't moved his hand off Sherlock's shoulder since they left the club even though there was no reason to keep it there.

They headed into the flat and almost ran into Mrs. Hudson. She looked up at Grimmjow. "Goodness, you're a big one," she said.

"Oh, Mrs. Hudson, this is Grimmjow, he'll be staying tonight," Sherlock said with a wan smile.

"Dear, what happened to you?" she asked, noticing that his nose was swollen and the side of his head was bandaged.

"Bad run in on the case, I'm fine," he said. "I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Oh dear," she said. "I wish you'd be more careful!"

Sherlock smiled and walked up the stairs, steadying himself on the bannister as he did and went into the flat and flopped onto the sofa.

Grimmjow looked around and nodded. "Interesting…" he said with a smile.

"Ichigo, show him around, and up to John's old room. I'm going to my mind palace for a while," he said, steepling his fingers under his chin and closing his eyes.

Ichigo nodded and showed Grimmjow up the stairs and then back down to the bathroom and the kitchen. Grimmjow opened the fridge and then closed it.

"Ichigo, is that a human foot?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "It is. And whatever you do, do not open those containers in the freezer," he said with a shiver. "Ugh."

Grimmjow nodded. "Okay…what…" he said finding containers full of strange moldy substances in the cabinets where the dishes should have been.

Ichigo shook his head and pointed to the paper plates and cups. "Yeah, don't go digging around. He leaves experiments everywhere."

Then the silence was broken by a jaunty violin behind them. They turned to see Sherlock playing furiously and Ichigo realized that it was one of the popular songs that plaid at the club between shows. There was no way that he had ever seen sheet music for it, it was a recent song, and no doubt at the club was the only time he'd heard it, yet he was playing it perfectly on the violin. Grimmjow was still as well watching as his hands flew over the instrument. Finally, he finished and sighed, putting away the violin carefully and sitting down in the chair by the window.

"Sherlock, you should go sleep some. You didn't sleep yesterday," Ichigo said, coming over with a cup of tea.

Sherlock sighed. "I'm still coming up with nothing. I don't have enough information to formulate a stratagem that will work and ensure the safety of those around us." Sherlock took the cup without thinking and sipped at it. He frowned and looked down. "What is this?"

Ichigo grinned. "Green tea with chamomile. A special mix I like to drink at night."

Sherlock frowned but sipped it slowly as he stared out at the night. It was just past eleven now and he was exhausted. It didn't take long before his eyes were drooping. He stared at the cup blearily. "What…" he muttered and looked up at the doubling Ichigo.

"Okay, I confess, I added a little of my sleeping pills to it for you. You need the rest. Don't worry, I checked with John, he said it was okay," Ichigo said and Sherlock felt consciousness slipping away as he fell into the man beside him.

Ichigo patted him on the back and looked up at the amused looking Grimmjow. "You help me get him to his bedroom?"

Grimmjow nodded and lifted him up and stumbled backward. "Damn, he's light…" he commented as Ichigo led him to the bedroom. He started rummaging for some pajamas and found some pants easy enough.

"Here, help me change him. Those pants can't be comfortable to sleep in," he said, unbuttoning and unzipping the leather pants he was wearing, flushing a bit since he realized he wasn't wearing any pants underneath the leather. He quickly slipped them off with Grimmjow's help and pulled the pajama pants on him. He then took a minute to remove the jewelry and took a warm rag and wiped off the pan and kohl. He then covered him up and searched up another set of pajama pants and went and showered. He came back and slid into bed next to Sherlock and faded off to sleep.

Grimmjow looked in a couple hours later and snorted. Ichigo had obviously tried to sleep opposite Sherlock on the large bed, but Sherlock had rolled and draped one are and one leg over him in his sleep. It seemed to Grimmjow that Sherlock was lonely, even if he didn't want to admit it to anyone. He went back and sat down in the living room and turned on the telly when he heard a noise and looked up to see a man standing in the doorway. He was on his feet in a second.

"And who might you be?" the figure asked, tapping an umbrella on the floor in front of him.

"I should ask you that, mate," Grimmjow said, looking around.

"Well, I am Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's elder brother. And I came by to find out who else was in his flat," he said, stepping into the light to reveal a man in an expensive tailored suit and a look that seemed very similar to one that Sherlock wore all the time.

"Grimmjow, I'm head security at Las Noches, and I came by to keep an eye out for any trouble for him or Ichigo while they're working Ichigo's case," he said, reaching out and shaking hands with the man.

Mycroft nodded. "Well, it would seem you're lacking, considering he was accosted tonight. Why does he always get himself in these situations?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "His plan to play Ichigo's boyfriend to draw the stalker out. He seemed pleased that he got attacked, said it meant the guy was paying attention. We tried to argue with him, but he seemed adamant that this was the way to catch the stalker since nothing else is working."

"So that's his plan," Mycroft said with a sigh. "I'll double his detail in that case. I'll be in contact if I can find anything more out. Please let Sherlock know that the phone is being kicked through a satellite link and then back through cell towers, so tracing it isn't easy. We need to be on the line when a call is open, the signal sent by a text isn't long enough to get a fix."

And he was gone. Grimmjow sat down and sighed. It was definitely going to be a long next few days.