A/N: Ichigo's POV for this chapter only

Chapter Thirteen: The Heartbreaker

Grimmjow Jaggerjack, my stepbrother, was a very talented athlete. On a personal level, I could say more. For one thing, he was extremely good-looking, and yet his was the sort of appeal which didn't attract people. Instead, the vicious expression he always wore tended to repel people. On the whole, his features were fearsome, and his conduct no less. But when he had first kissed me, in a surfeit of confusion and anger, I had known then he had still in him the very same innocence which could excuse delinquent teenagers for their bad propensities. That aspect of his was perhaps responsible for the attraction that had drawn me in.

Of all things, I was most likely falling headlong in love.

I was sleeping in his bed—again. Earlier, he had burst into my room with hardly any preamble, and had demanded with a straight face, "Sex. Now. Upstairs." I was sure he must have been demented for sputtering those three short words aloud, completely within earshot of one door down the hall—Karin's room. But he was now insisting he needed it. His reason was, he was so nervous for the game tomorrow and so he required a potent distraction to dispel his nervousness. In bed, he wasn't exactly all about action and was sometimes sensible enough to do some serious talking. Several times he had told me to quit gallivanting with Ginjo Kugo. I explained to him that the athletes in my school were often in good terms with each other.

"Let me get this straight; you are mine. I'm pretty certain this fact meets no contest. If however Kugo, or anyone else for that matter, thinks it fit to circle around you like some kind of a rogue scavenger, I promise to personally dispatch him to the great hereafter."

But then our getting-to-know-each-other talk would often be interrupted every time either of us felt the slightest urge to keep the thrill going. Whenever silence threatened to stretch on longer than necessary, I would find his tongue forcing its way inside my mouth, as deep as it could go, otherwise he'd be spreading my legs as if asking for permission were all but necessary, as if he had more right to my body than me. Moments later, gasps and rapid breathing would fill his room, with the accompaniment of the creaking sound of his bed and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. My name or the term 'brother' coming out of his mouth and uttered in hoarse intonations were regularly the sole distinguishable words to be heard. 'Grimmjow', I would every so often moan, but the only good it ever did was to fire him up and make his movements more fervent—if you could call that good in the first place. Needless to even say, he wasn't gentle, nor was he overly violent, and yet it had to be admitted that he was a little domineering. Of late, however, the sex had been getting more frequent and more intense. Morning after morning, a new set of dark red, circular marks could be discerned on the surface of my lower neck, just beneath the hem of my collars. Other times, bite marks would be there too, their shape looming so hard to mistake for something else other than the curvatures of his perfectly even teeth. The skin on my chest and on my thighs were even more on a sorry state. I rarely even undress in front of my teammates in the locker room anymore, for fear of exposing to them the nature of my activities nearly every night. Most of the time, sitting down in class for prolonged periods of time brought about pain. But none of it mattered; we were, after all, young and invincible.

It was always up to him to restrain me if ever I would decide to go back to my room after having a go with him. I had always made it a point to be careful, discreet, and to avoid drawing attention to what we were doing. Hence tucking myself in my own room to sleep, after sex, was one of the many ways to achieve that end. Our parents would kill us if they knew. But Grimmjow would so often pull me back as soon as I got one foot off his bed, his manner sometimes exercised with force, and before long I would be enclosed in his arms to be lulled finally into sleep. His warmth in this state right before total slumber, alongside the feel of his skin against mine, was maybe the closest to peace I had ever got.

Maybe, just maybe, I would follow this man everywhere.

Karin had been avoiding my eyes ever since she had caught me and Grimmjow in each other's arms. The sight, most likely, had not offered any outrageous implications, but it also was not something that could be so easily forgotten; I had been kissing his neck, for crying out loud. Whatever the case, my sister and I hadn't exchanged more than four words since.

In the meantime, I was off to watch my stepbrother's match. I had always preferred soccer over football but, this time, with Grimmjow on the field, American football seemed to me a whole new discovery. From where I sat, Nagano's Coach Muruguma could be heard,

"You lot are probably thinking eight points ain't that much, what with a lot of time still remaining. But this is Kyoushin we're talking about! Shuhei, how long do you plan on allowing those bastards to overtake you? Grimmjow, what do you have to say for yourself with all those lousy short passes? Are you really trying to make us advance?"

The Running Back and Grimmjow endured many harsh words that night, but out of all the Panthers, stepbro was the one who was constantly under tremendous pressure. Being captain and quarterback, his responsibilities were overwhelming. But keeping control in this occasion wasn't easy, because Kyoushin High School's Ayasegawa Yumichika and Madarame Ikkaku were monsters.

"I must say, Ayasegawa's raw skills exceed Hisagi's by a small margin." Kugo-sempai, who was sitting beside me, observed. Having only adequate knowledge of the sport, I merely nodded.

My soccer teammate Uryuu Ishida, who was sitting on my left and who had always loved watching sports which required immense thinking, replied, "True, but if you look closely, Ayasegawa-san looks like he's gonna collapse in no time. Coach Zaraki ought to bench him now."

Kugo-sempai scoffed before proceeding, "No can't do, Ishida-kun. He has to play on defense too because, in this entire tournament, he's the only one who can really stop Hisagi Shuhei."

"Looks like this game is a battle between the two aces. This all means this scheme is a time bomb. If only Kyoushin's current QB, Rikuu Togakushu, came near the talents of their former quarterback they wouldn't be in this dilemma." Chad concluded.

Kugo-sempai smiled widely, saying, "You know, no one really comes near the talents of Asuka Katakura. Sadly, he's now in college."

"Well, if this goes on, the tables will soon turn. That's because Nagano has Grimmjow-san besides Hisagi. From what I can remember, the Jaguar King is one of those dangerous quarterbacks who can run. He can go for touchdowns himself and use Hisagi as a decoy." Ishida commented.

"There's no table-turning going on in here. As I see it, there's not enough reason for the Panthers to lose this game. Also, if you ask me, Coach Zaraki ought to start prioritizing ways to subdue Grimmjow instead of focusing on Hisagi. Grimmjow's decisions and choices of plays have been slaughtering the Dragons for a whole quarter now." The three of us, mildly perplexed, stared at Kugo-sempai when he said this.

From what I could tell, my stepbrother was, in all manner of consideration, a superb athlete. On the field down below, tens of hardworking aspiring professionals formed the spectacle. All the same, out of all the players that impressed me, not the least was Grimmjow. Looming ten times more formidable with a helmet and all those protective gears, he appeared mystical, god-like even.

Sure enough, Grimmjow, on their bid to gain points in this particular possession, scored a touchdown by faking a short pass, tucking the ball in his armpit, and running the remaining yards by himself. Needless to say it was already too late for Ayasegawa or Madarame to catch up, everyone wasn't so sure as to what was happening until the whistle was blown. Appearing entirely conceited, he must have been smirking like a demon beneath the shadows of his headgear as he knelt on the ground beyond the goal line. The girls behind me were screaming, captivated by the dude down below.

And here I was, amazed by the man who was ever so prone to pronounce my name at the height of carnal pleasure. Every night.

"Although their Running Back has been basking under the spotlight all season long, Grimmjow Jaggerjack Azuma indisputably remains the chief engine of this team. Without him, his teammates would collapse under pressure and trials. To add on that, their coach isn't used to a second-rate dispatcher, and that's why the Panthers will never survive without him. While Hisagi maybe is the trump card, ace, and savior, Grimmjow remains the Panthers' strongest card. I can't wait to play against him." And so Kugo-sempai reflected.

"He's quite fast, isn't he? Not quite on Hisagi and Ayasegawa's level but pretty near." Uryuu asked no one in particular.

"Indeed. In the NFL, quarterbacks seldom run with the ball, but it doesn't mean it isn't necessary to also specialize in running. Take this play for instance."

My gaze shifted once again on the field, whereby Chad looked over my back to ask Ginjo Kugo a question I would be reluctant to ask on any given occasion,

"If you were to rate Grimmjow-san's abilities, captain, as a quarterback more than anything else, how would they fare?"

"Well, Sado-kun, since you leave me no choice but to measure him on my own terms, I'll have to humor you with due frankness…"

"Fire away."

"I think Grimmjow's talents are outstanding. I think, well…"

"Please go on, captain."

"According to the records, I surpass him in every statistical category. So I'll cut the story short by saying the Association must have either overestimated me or underestimated him."

"You're saying he's about as strong as you are?" Uryuu interjected, compelling me to rally my attention to whatever answer he might receive.

"Yes, that is my opinion."

The Panthers won by a hair's breadth. When it came down to it, the lack of a skilled quarterback was solely responsible for Kyoushin's loss. Nearing the end of the second half, Ayasegawa had been made to sit down due to fatigue, and, with that, the Dragons' fate had been sealed. The moment he had quit the field meant the end of touchdowns for his team. More than that, it had equated to leaving linebackers Ylfordt and Shawlong free to mercilessly massacre the Dragons' offense.

I didn't bother waiting for Grimmjow to emerge from the stadium. My presence in front of his teammates and schoolmates, in their celebratory mood, most likely would look like an intrusion. Shukuro Tsukishima, Karakura Gakuen's Wide Receiver, joined the four of us on our way out. Tsukishima-sempai was, in all likelihood, the premier high school Receiver of Tohoku region, and he was called 'Werewolf' because despite his frail appearance he was a monster on the field. Even other Wide Receivers who came second in terms of skills could hardly hold a candle to him. He started, turning to Kugo-sempai,

"I didn't know the Panthers have a genius Kicker. Just who was that Number 11 dude?"

"Starrk is his name—played against him two years ago. Anyway, he's an all-around player, which means he absolutely is worth watching out for."

Tsukishima smirked at that, but when he spoke next I wished I'd never listened, for his words would drive a stake through me,

"I can't wait to play against these dudes. Aside from Hisagi, the Panthers' linebackers Ylfordt and Shawlong are the real deal, man. But, all in all, the Jaguar King sure ran the entire show. Perhaps that's the level of vigor one gets from banging a hot teacher."

My heart stopped beating for a moment, while my other companions looked away in obvious dismay.

"Excuse me?" I managed to spit out, arrested.

Tsukishima opened his mouth but Kugo-sempai, with evasiveness of behavior, as though anxious to keep something from me, pulled me by the elbow and started to walk faster ahead. Not long after this distracting display of conduct, he said to me,

"Ignore him. I'll drop you off as usual. See ya later, guys."

I pulled myself away, shifting my gaze from him to Tsukishima. With defiance, I demanded,

"What did you mean by that, Tsukishima-sempai?"

"Why, you're really an innocent one, Kurosaki-kun. No wonder Ginjo-chan only has eyes for you." He teased with a smile, which would have been tantalizing had it not been for the malice his mouth was implying.

"Shukuro, shut the hell up."

"Eh? Ginjo-chan, I'm not poking fun at your nemesis—"

"For the last time, quit talking garbage. I'd have thought you had enough sense to unsubscribe to this baloney—"

"—Sempai, I just asked you two a question." I heard myself intervene. It was the first time I spoke to my seniors with reproach, on equal grounds so to speak, and yet inside me everything was frenzied. Was Grimmjow involving himself with some sort of…?

"Well, Kurosaki-kun, allow me to tell you—" Tsukishima-sempai was interrupted by Uryuu,

"—Grimmjow-san is Ichigo's stepbrother, Tsukishima-san. He'd have preferred not to hear unpleasant and altogether ungrounded rumors about the Panthers' captain."

That invariably shut him up. Staring at me with a somewhat apologetic expression, doubtless he was rummaging his mind for words that might erase his earlier misdeed. To his credit, his regret and astonishment seemed sincere, but it hardly quelled my apprehension. All I knew was, I was about to discover something I terribly must not.

"I'll drive you home, Kurosaki-kun." Kugo-sempai placed a hand on my shoulder. He then turned to the others, "In the meantime, you two should better be in the team's headquarters by the time I get there. I reckon Hirako-sensei is waiting for us. Catch ya later, Ishida-kun."

Leaving them behind, he led me to an alley where his car was parked. I was very nervous and growing more so every moment. Surely, what had been implied earlier spelled real danger to me, to my feelings, unless by some assertion Grimmjow could be cleared of what I had been suspecting ever since Tsukishima had blurted that shit aloud.

"I want answers. Now." I said firmly, and it was apparent how unlikely it was for me to leave empty-handed. Indeed I didn't even wait for myself to be stowed on the passenger seat before I unleashed my annoyance. Although Kugo-sempai was apparently unwilling to face this specific question, there was no other way for him to pacify me but to answer. And so he did,

"A close friend of mine and of Shukuro's, who goes to Nagano Gakuen, has confided in us a rather sensitive story pertaining to your stepbrother. He claims to have more than once witnessed Grimmjow-san entering and leaving the apartment of their math professor. The professor, he says, is a beautiful married woman, and is infamous among the male students for engaging in dalliances with a number of them. Frankly, I don't really think a man of Grimmjow's athletic reputation would fraternize with rubbish, let alone do it indiscreetly. Besides, he's an adult, so it isn't anyone's business if he so chooses to engage in dalliances…"

I didn't bother hearing the rest of his long speech, nor would I have processed it had it been otherwise. Whatever else was streaming over my vision aided but little to my present gloom. Indeed, there was no registering how intense my distress was at the moment, and how clamorous the pain in my chest was becoming.

For the first time in what must have been my whole life, my heart felt like breaking.

TBC

A/N: I'm sorry, but please forgive the nauseating angst in this. Thanks for reading and the wonderful reviews, guys; very much appreciated!