Notes:

I couldn't think of a fucking title, it seemed fitting. I hope you likes my first actual offshoot story o~o I wanna write some fun no pressure shenanigans. Bit of exposition and banter in the beginning, but I have an arc in mind, not just meandering nothings lol

Thanks to my beta reader, Ink and Blade!

F is for Friends

- xxx -

Kurosaki Ichigo

"You did what?!" Grimmjow stared at him in genuine disbelief.

"Ya think he'd be used to this by now."

Ichigo couldn't even argue that, Zangetsu was right. He shrugged. "I may have accidentally undone a seal, or seals, on hell."

"You unsealed Hell," Grimmjow repeated. He let out a heavy breath and asked, "What the fuck does that even mean?"

"You know," Ichigo admitted. "I don't know."

"Incredible," Grimmjow mocked. "You don't even know what genre of fucked we are."

"Look," Ichigo said, gesturing wider the more frustrated he became. "I killed the shades, and the gates of hell showed up and this thing that felt like a host shows up,"

"Wait, wait, another host?" Grimmjow was watching him with wide eyes, understandably stressed.

Ichigo said slowly, "Yeeeesss." Grimmjow didn't say anything to that, so Ichigo kept talking. "It says it knows me, thanks me, and tells me he can't fucking wait to work with me. Then all the seals disintegrated, and it all disappears into another fucking dimension."

"Ya left out all the laughin'."

'The story doesn't need it.'

'Ya tell stories like koneko."

'Thanks,' Ichigo answered wryly.

"That's…" Grimmjow settled on a word, "ominous. So now what?"

"I don't know, so we're going to go find Hell." His fraccion squinted at him, confused, and Ichigo explained, "I've already got a job escorting shinigami back to Soul Society, all I have to do is tail them for a bit and eventually they'll run into someone rotten enough to involve Hell."

"What're you gonna do," Grimmjow mocked. "Ask it?"

"Something to that effect." If asking involved violence, then yes, he was going to ask away.

"Guess we'd better go pick up the runt," Grimmjow said.

Unsurprisingly, the two didn't get along. Ichigo was looking forward to working with Rukia again, but not her and Grimmjow together. Ichigo stressed. "No one else can know about this, not yet."

"Ya don't gotta ask me to cover your ass anymore Kurosaki, I get it."

- xxx -

Grimmjow

Sitting smack in the center of a crowd of shinigami was not how he wanted to spend his day. He didn't like being gawked at, not when he had to keep his hands to himself and just take it. Kurosaki was only a couple of feet away, disgustingly used to the staring.

The hybrid was leaning forward on his knees, rolling a bit of grass between his fingers, that look in his eyes like he was focused on something distant. Kurosaki's voice was flat. "Relax, they're harmless."

Grimmjow started bouncing his knee, scowling at the closest shinigami. "Aren't you some kind of demigod, why do we have to fucking wait?"

"Because I don't want to be an asshole?" Kurosaki shot him a confused and chiding look. "Yes, if I wanted to, I could just kidnap her and we could be on our way, but I'm not going to do that."

"Why the fuck not?" Grimmjow growled.

"You know why, stop pretending you don't."

Fucker was right, he did know, but he didn't like it. He cast another look around, his eyes suspiciously higher than normal person height. "Where's that spiky asshole?"

Kurosaki shot him a look. "Kenpachi? No. No, and no again, we didn't come here for fun." He frowned at him and asked, "Getting tired of fighting me?"

Grimmjow snorted. "Don't get yer panties in a bunch, if you fight me for keeps I'll be fucking dead."

The hybrid sighed wistfully and muttered, "Don't remind me."

"Don't be sucha girl," Grimmjow said.

Kurosaki said, "Hi, Renji." Grimmjow was confused until he turned around and saw the redhead a few feet behind him.

Renji smirked and said, "Ladies. Waiting for Rukia?"

"The fuck do you think?" Grimmjow snapped, standing to face the fukutaicho, itching for a fight. Kurosaki stood with him, his hand on his shoulder a silent reminder to chill out. The shinigami here knew well enough he wouldn't do shit if Kurosaki was there, and in his opinion they took advantage of it.

Renji frowned at Grimmjow and his eyes slid back to Kurosaki. "She's going to be another couple of hours at least. Kyoraku just talked to me, said maybe you'd want to keep busy while you wait, and he figures you can kill two birds with one stone."

Kurosaki raised a brow. "Okay, I'm listening."

Gesturing around them, Renji said, "I don't need to tell you people are scared of you, and you're about as sociable and approachable as a hornet."

Frowning, Kurosaki said, "Keep the compliments coming."

"So what if-hear me out-what if you help train some of the unseated officers?" Renji shrugged. "Might get them to be less afraid of you now that you're less...y'know."

Grimmjow was pretty sure he was going to say crazy.

Kurosaki supplied dryly, "Violent."

"Yeah…" Renji agreed. "Violent."

Grimmjow growled, "Well then what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"Same, if you feel like doing it." Renji said, "And if you promise not to break anyone." His eyes slid to Kurosaki again, as if he was unsure if it was a good idea or not.

Kurosaki said, "I'll be there, it's fine."

"I don't need a babysitter," Grimmjow growled.

Kurosaki looked at him, his expression easier to discern now that he'd spent nearly all of his time around him. The hybrid looked nearly sympathetic. "You do. The first time we were here you nearly broke someone's arm."

"He bumped into me," Grimmjow argued.

"Still not a good reason," Kurosaki said. He looked at Renji and asked, "Did Kyoraku say which squad?"

"Well, ya don't have a problem with eleventh, they love you. Fifth is off the table."

"Why?" Grimmjow interrupted.

Kurosaki looked at him and answered tonelessly. "That was Aizen's squad."

Oh. Probably in bad taste, especially since there were still rumors kicking around that Kurosaki actually liked Aizen. Kurosaki's expression was carefully blank, but he felt his unease, and a cocktail of emotions he couldn't name.

Renji kept talking, likely sensing it too. "The best squads after that would probably be the thirteenth, third, seventh, or sixth."

Kurosaki looked up in thought, than asked, "Which one likes me the least?"

Renji scratched his head, thoughtful. "Maybe...third?"

"Really?" Kurosaki seemed surprised, and Grimmjow just felt left out.

"Gin has a surprising amount of loyalty from his squad, and when he got punished because of you, twice, I think they took it personally. If we weren't pathetically short on captains, he might have been demoted or worse"

Kurosaki said wistfully, "You made a good captain in my time." Renji floundered for words, a blush on his face. Sometimes Grimmjow forgot Kurosaki lived years with these people that none of them could remember. The feelings it dredged up were always bittersweet, with emphasis on the bitter; Grimmjow didn't like it much.

When Renji wasn't sure how to recover, Kurosaki had pity on him and pulled the conversation back. "I kept wondering what happened to Gin. If they blame me I suppose I can't make it any worse."

"Third then?" Renji asked.

"Sure," Kurosaki answered. He must have sensed Grimmjow's confused scowl, because while they walked, Kurosaki fell back from Renji and explained, "Gin gave me Aizen's Hogyoku a while back, and he never did oppose me as much as he should have. I guess Yama-jii noticed."

Grimmjow frowned. "He was on your side?"

"I don't think so, but he didn't get in my way either, not until they tried to seal me. He read me better than most, he knew exactly how to get under my skin."

That was strange, but Grimmjow didn't question it, and he couldn't without knowing more about this captain. Instead, he did his best to ignore the fearful and angry glares thrown their way. Ungrateful little shits.

They got to a section that didn't seem any different from the rest of the camp, but apparently it counted as the third division. Gin was just as privy to Kurosaki's soul as the rest of them, he stood there waiting, that stupid grin on his face. He smiled at Grimmjow first. "Maa, it's been awhile, arrancar."

"I've got a name," Grimmjow growled.

Gin ignored that and looked to Kurosaki, his hands folded in his sleeves. "What brings you to a humble division of the Gotei 13?" Grimmjow wasn't sure, but it sounded a bit like he was deriding his own squad.

Renji explained what Kyoraku had in mind and Gin's smile never faded. "I only have one condition." Kurosaki waited, and Gin said, "I want to spar with you first."

Kurosaki had little issue with that, shrugging. "Whatever you want, Gin."

It was a few boring minutes of his fukutaicho gathering what members weren't out and about to go off outside of their little encampment to spar. Gin insisted on everyone staying very, very far back, and Kurosaki seemed to understand why. The members hanging around looked like they couldn't stand him, or Kurosaki, and that was fine, but their demeanor was very different from the squads they'd dropped in on before. They were quiet, disciplined, and after being around other squads, it was a noticeable difference.

Gin and Kurosaki stood just about a hundred feet apart from each other, which seemed kind of far to spar. Without any perceptible warning, Gin spoke and released his sword, drawing it with a sharp glow of reiatsu. Grimmjow had no idea what it could do, but from the look on Kurosaki's face, he had a feeling the hybrid did.

In a flash of light Grimmjow could barely track, Gin's sword had covered a huge distance, and Kurosaki hadn't moved except to block with one raised arm.

Gin withdrew his sword with a sigh, and it was fast enough that Grimmjow couldn't track it at all. The taicho called over to Kurosaki, his tone full of reproach. "At least pretend to try, Kurosaki-san."

"I wanted to gage your speed," Kurosaki lowered his arm and answered, a small smile noticeable on his face, even at that distance. "You're still fast."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Kurosaki-san."

Gin disappeared into shunpo that was blindingly fast, Grimmjow couldn't help but grind his teeth at that. Watching the pair clash, the taicho's speed was enough to rival his resurreccion. Still not enough to challenge Kurosaki, but they all knew that walking into this.

Kurosaki didn't need his zanpakuto for this, not against a captain, and especially not one in shikai, but that didn't seem to be why Gin had asked. Gin's sword was fast, as was he, but he couldn't cut Kurosaki, the latter only blocked out of respect. Gin too seemed to not be taking this seriously yet, not if he wouldn't use bankai, and that only left Grimmjow and his entire squad confused as to why.

- xxx -

Kurosaki Ichigo

Gin was just as fast as he remembered, even in shikai, and the feeling he got from his sword when his blade touched his wrist was...confusing. The longer they fought, the more it became clear to him that Gin had no idea he could read his heart in his sword, because despite how hard it was to read him on the outside, his heart was in turmoil. Ichigo wasn't so sure it was any of his business.

Ichigo grabbed his sword before he could reach his throat and said, "Why won't you show me your bankai?" It wasn't even a contest outside of bankai, and they both knew that.

He felt regret and anger; so much anger. Gin retracted his sword and said, "It was meant for him." Given the nature of his bankai, and the depth of his hatred for the man, Ichigo could only assume what Gin meant. Ichigo thought he might refuse by the virtue of it, but he went into bankai anyway. "Bankai. Korose, Kamishini no Yari." His sword brightened with an influx of reishi, and this time when he attacked, it was fast, very fast.

The distance his sword could stretch didn't matter, they both knew that, and he couldn't attack at a distance without killing a bystander, so Gin's attacks were direct and efficient, hardly bothering with a swing at all. It was almost nostalgic to be fighting him again. The last time he'd lost miserably.

Now that he was in bankai, Gin's entire demeanor changed. Gin couldn't hurt him, he just wasn't strong enough, but to feel his intent to kill burn so strongly in his attacks only raised questions. He knew the taicho's squad noticed, but no one was going to stop them.

Ichigo moved in close, giving Gin more of an advantage and started to actually fight back. He knocked Gin's sword out of the way with his hand and was surprised to sense both doubt and fear. He twitched out of the way of his sword, punching and kicking at a speed he hoped Gin could dodge, and thankfully, it wasn't too fast for the taicho.

Ichigo was starting to get tired of being out of the loop, uncertain what it was that was triggering this reaction, but he wanted to know. Ichigo caught Gin's sword mid jab, twisting his arm around behind his back with his sword angled towards the ground.

Gin didn't fight his hold, calmly aware he wasn't going anywhere until Ichigo let him. Ichigo asked, "Why are you so angry?" They were far enough away that their conversation would stay private, so Ichigo could only hope Gin would talk.

The taicho glanced back over his shoulder at him, his outward appearance no different than usual. "Creepy, Kurosaki-san. Not even Aizen could read me like that."

Ichigo let go of his sword and took a step back. "I'm cheating. Your Zanpakuto is a part of your soul, I can sense that when I touch your sword."

Gin chuckled. "Now that doesn't seem fair."

Ichigo raised a brow. "You can sense my soul whenever you like, seems fair enough." Ichigo dropped his head in thought, and he noticed Gin tense, and he realized the taicho really was afraid of him. "Are you going to answer, or keep trying to kill me?"

Gin smirked, but there was no humor in it. He held up his hands in defeat, but he still held his sword tight enough that his guard wasn't down. "You've caught me, Kurosaki-san. I can't manage it, but I suppose I thought I might try."

Ichigo spent a lot of his time with people trying to kill him, he wasn't offended, but he wanted to know the reason. "Why?"

"Wonderin' if I haven't made a mistake. Don't get me wrong, kid, you seem alright, but you are just a kid, and I see a lot of him in you."

Aizen. Ichigo realized he should have expected that, especially after what the taicho said to him when Soul Society attempted to seal him. It didn't hit him as hard as it likely should have, especially with the Kugeki within arms reach mellowing him out. "I see."

"It took Aizen years and years to get to where you were when you were a teen, I don't think he anticipated just how strong you would become."

Ichigo couldn't say he disagreed about power, but it didn't feel entirely accurate. He argued, "I don't use people."

"Just because ya aren't as good at it as he was, don't mean ya aren't doin' it, kid."

Ichigo frowned, and he wasn't sure how to argue that.

Gin said, "Ya know, I was there." Ichigo's brows fell, unsure what he meant. "I knew what Aizen was going to do with that hollow, White."

Ichigo felt his blood run cold, his reaction strong enough that Gin shifted, defensive. Renji must have felt it too, because he heard him shout his name, but since he didn't interfere, he could only assume Grimmjow held him back. Ichigo swallowed and closed his eyes for a long moment, flattening his knee-jerk propensity towards violence.

"Easy, King. The past is past."

His hollow was right, but he couldn't stop the searing path of 'what ifs' from razing a trail through his memories. Ichigo was glad that no one could really see or feel the Kugeki. Drawing on it for help went by unnoticed by even the sharpest instincts. Calm wrapped around his emotions, dampening them like a drug. That wasn't good to rely on, he knew he needed to feel, but could he make exceptions?

"Slippery slope, King."

Ichigo knew that, but it was so easy to take shortcuts. He opened his eyes, emotions steady, and said, "Doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't it?"

Ichigo asked, "So what is it? Regret that you didn't interfere and stop me from existing at all?"

Gin chuckled. "Maybe, kid. Maybe."

Ichigo couldn't blame him, his regrets had rewritten just about everything, he couldn't judge the taicho without making himself a massive hypocrite.

"Y'know..." Gin said. He looked from his sword, to Ichigo. "I was really tryin' ta kill ya, and it barely ruffled your feathers. Not sure if that's scary, or sad."

Ichigo scoffed. "What's wrong with both? I'm used to people trying to kill me. If I took it personally there'd be no one left." He gave Gin a once over, wishing he knew what he was feeling, but he knew what Gin meant by unfair. Nearly godlike power coupled with the knowledge of his heart. Dangerous.

Careful not to move too quickly, Ichigo reached for Zangetsu, drawing it to stab it into the ground. Drawing the trench knife, he did the same, tossing it into the ground. "I'm trying, I am. I can't help how much power I have...but I'm trying, Gin."

Gin watched him warily, but didn't move, answering, "Doesn't seem fair."

It sounded like the taicho was talking generally. "I don't think I'm over it," Ichigo admitted. He glanced over at Grimmjow, pointedly and said, "Look, you probably know how it is, I'm used to fighting arrancar. They put their pride and their dignity into damn near every fight, there's no such thing as sparring. If they can still stand by the end of it, you haven't won. So what do you want from me? You can't kill me, I'm not going to let you, and your squad hates me. What do we do about that?"

Gin laughed again, and this time it sounded more genuine. "You're a strange kid, Kurosaki-san, but I can't say I don't like you." He widened his stance, shifting to be on the offensive. Ichigo wasn't sure if he'd ever actually heard the taicho be serious in his life, Gin's tone was both serious and teasing. "Let's see if I can't at least nick your shihakusho.

- xxx -

Grimmjow

When it became clear the redhead wasn't going to interfere, Grimmjow loosened his grip in his shoulder and returned his hands to his pockets. Renji asked, "How did you know Ichigo wouldn't hurt him?"

"I didn't," Grimmjow answered.

"What?!"

Grimmjow scowled at the redhead. "Aren't ya supposed to be friends? Have some faith in him."

Shooting him a sidelong glance, Renji said, "That felt a hell of a lot like he wanted to kill something. Mainly, Gin."

The fukutaicho was wondering if he'd overreacted, and that was fine. Grimmjow leaned back against the tree and tried not to growl. He sensed a few of the officers around him staring, listening, and it was irritating, but he didn't censor his answer because of it. "He's backed down from worse. Kurosaki is violent, he likes to fight, but he doesn't like to indulge his impulses."

A shinigami Grimmjow couldn't see said, "What's the difference?"

Real irritation surged in Grimmjow's veins, leaning forward to face them, but Renji stepped between them with a warning, pleading look. Goddammit. "What's the difference…" Grimmjow mocked. He ran his hand through his hair and gestured at the pair. "If he was acting on his impulses, your captain would be dead."

Grimmjow was met with more than skepticism, he was met with hatred and denial. Grimmjow ground his teeth and snarled, "You think he disarmed himself as an insult, don't you? Fucking look, can't you see it?"

Their eyes flickered back to the fight, and Grimmjow dared them to deny reality. Kurosaki was fighting as close to keeps as he could manage, he had more respect for the Gotei 13 than Grimmjow thought he should have. Kurosaki was worried he'd slip, his own paranoia over saving these people was only making things worse. That sparked a thought. Grimmjow said, "Stick around and watch him fight me."

"Aren't you his fukutaicho?" A blonde shinigami asked.

Grimmjow noted the armband, realizing this was Gin's fukutaicho. Quiet fucker, he made a note to watch out for him. He answered, "Somethin' like that. He looks like an arrancar, you think he's some kinda monster, I get it, but he ain't what you think. He treats you like shinigami."

The blonde said, "We're not fragile."

"I'm sayin' yer different," Grimmjow snapped. Some of these shinigami were strong, and some were downright insane, but they weren't arrancar. Shinigami could be brutal, but they lacked the savage instincts they considered to be beneath them.

Grimmjow watched Kurosaki's hands flex with the desire to rend, but he didn't indulge that desire. Idiots, all of them, they couldn't see what was right in front of their faces.

Renji ventured, "Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow gave up on the rest and dropped his voice so only Renji was privy to what he said. "You see it, don't you?"

Renji asked, "See what?"

Grimmjow stifled a sigh of frustration. "How careful he is. You of all people should understand. You can feel how strong he is, now look, dumbass." He felt Renji's eyes move away, focusing on Kurosaki.

Gin was fast, but Kurosaki moved like lightning, casually deflecting his blows to hit him with what might have been a love tap. "Can you imagine holding back that much?"

Raising his voice, Grimmjow continued, "You should all be fucking flattered he gives enough of a shit to hold back and still show you some respect. He beat the shit out of your best captains when he was sixteen." Grimmjow snarled,

Renji shot him a look, "You could try not to be so confrontational."

Grimmjow watched Kurosaki fight and growled, "I hate this place." Once, the gap between him and Kurosaki had enraged him, but he'd accepted it. There were other, more realistic goals. He could try, but beating himself up over not being able to match a God was stupid. He saw how much of a cost it brought down on Kurosaki, he didn't want that.

Gin's fight only lasted as long as Kurosaki managed to let him keep his sword. Ichigo disarmed him, wincing. He hadn't meant to do that, that was clear, but he hadn't broken Gin's Zanpakuto. The captain smirked, retrieving his sword and called over to the hybrid. "Maaa, I wish I'd seen you before your prime, Kurosaki-san."

"You beat me once. Badly," Kurosaki admitted.

"Did I?"

Kurosaki nodded, adding redundantly. "I got better." No shit.

The hybrid retrieved his swords, and the two walked back over, most of the tension between them dissolved, which was actually rather impressive.

The squad eyed Kurosaki, and Gin's fukutaicho spoke up before anyone else could talk. "I'd like to see Kurosaki-san fight the arrancar."

Kurosaki corrected absently. "Grimmjow." His brows furrowed when he registered the request. "Why?"

The fukutaicho's brows drew together and he looked at Gin for permission. Gin shrugged and said, "It's up to Kurosaki-san, I won't stop 'im."

A few more shinigami stepped forward, voicing their interest, and Kurosaki looked to Grimmjow in confusion, asking, "The fuck did you tell them?"

Grimmjow owned up to it, baring his teeth. "That they don't know the first thing about you."

Kurosaki looked surprised, then concerned, his eyes flicking over to Renji. "I'm not sure if-"

"Trust me," Grimmjow growled. Those words caught Kurosaki off guard, watching Grimmjow with those burning white irises. His expression betrayed very little, but Grimmjow knew him better than he should, and even without that connection to his soul, he could see that he'd won.

Kurosaki finally blinked, grimacing and said, "Fine...okay." He gestured at the field, just about untouched after his short spar with Gin. A tree was leveled, but it was about the same. "Go. Far, far out."

They walked out, further than he had with Gin. The wind was gentle, tugging the grass in rippling waves. It was real fuckin' peaceful, Grimmjow couldn't wait to ruin it.

Grimmjow faced Kurosaki like he had just about every day for years. It was still a relatively short amount of time, but long enough for it to be routine and feel familiar. These fights never ended well for him, not from an objective standpoint, but fuck if it didn't feel good to push his limits.

The only thing new about this scenario was that they had an audience, and he'd have to actually hold back for once.

Kurosaki eyed their audience warily, and Grimmjow snapped, "What're you lookin' at them for, you're fighting me."

Kurosaki's eyes flicked back to Grimmjow, narrowed thoughtfully. The hybrid knew Grimmjow was doing this for a reason, but he wasn't sure what it was. Fine, let him wonder.

Kurosaki reached for the knife at his waist and laid down some rules. "No cero's, no desgarron. Understand?"

Grimmjow curled his lips back from his teeth and hissed, "Fine, whatever." He could work with that.

He drew Pantera, angling his sword before him and rested his fingers on the blade. He slashed along the edge and snarled, "Grind, Pantera!" He skipped directly into his segunda etapa, reiatsu surging around him in a vicious wave only to sink back into his skin like armor. He crouched, dark claws digging into loamy earth.

There was no sand, no moon, and it was strange to be facing Kurosaki in the light of day, but not so strange that he didn't feel a savage smile pull at his lips.

Kurosaki idly twirled his sword in his hand, and did him the courtesy of just about forgetting everything around him. He saw the shift in Kurosaki's shoulders, the loosening of his spine, and the savage widening of his eyes. Kurosaki might not understand his request, but he trusted him. Once he would have called him a fool for that, but now Grimmjow understood the benefits of trust.

Kurosaki wasn't going to censor this fight, and that was all Grimmjow could have asked for.

Grimmjow moved first, claws out, and crossed the distance in a heartbeat, slashing at Kurosaki's throat. His claws passed through Kurosaki's after image, but that wasn't a shock. Grimmjow spun middair, kicking where he hoped Kurosaki would be. His shin connected with Kurosaki's arm, the force behind it splitting the ground beneath him. Grimmjow let out a bark of triumphant laughter, his tail lashing around the hybrid's throat.

Kurosaki let him, getting a grip on his tail and flinging him into the ground hard enough for it to crater. Grimmjow was ready for it, he tensed his muscles before he hit the ground so he didn't get the air knocked out of him like Kurosaki hoped. Grimmjow was up on his feet before Kurosaki could impale him with his claws, swiping at his face.

To Grimmjow's surprise, Kurosaki didn't duck, he twisted his head and used his horns as a defense, stopping Grimmjow's hand short on the edge. It looked like he was finally getting used to having them, and it made it far more interesting.

Kurosaki disappeared, and Grimmjow flung his arm out where he hoped he would be, hoping to hit him with a garra. He turned in time to see that he had, and Kurosaki rewarded that by not stabbing him in the shoulder.

The hybrid's Zanpakuto cut along his ribs, but that wasn't the attack Grimmjow was worried about. Kurosaki jerked his head to the side, the sharp edge of a horn cutting into Grimmjow's chest before he could get completely out of the way. Well that fucking hurt.

Kurosaki spun and threw his sword at him, the bastard. Grimmjow twisted out of the way, but his blade still cut deep into his shoulder. The hybrid raised a hand and called his sword back to his palm, the blade spiraling back to him fast enough to cut Grimmjow's lower leg on the way.

Grimmjow snarled and flung his arm out, throwing four garras in his direction. Kurosaki threw his arm out, a wave of reiatsu destroying them before they could make contact. Kurosaki tilted his head and chided, "You know those will fuck up the whole mountain if they hit."

Grimmjow argued, "Didn't say I couldn't use em'."

The hybrid shrugged a shoulder. "To be honest, I forgot about them."

To be fair, there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of hitting the hybrid with them so Grimmjow had stopped trying, but that didn't mean that wasn't annoying. "Fuck you too," Grimmjow snarled, kicking off the ground into as fast of an assault as he could manage. He knew how Kurosaki fought, it wasn't too difficult to predict him, and his instincts unwittingly used his soul as a benchmark; the hybrid couldn't hide or surprise him anymore.

Each attack Kurosaki struck or blocked sent a wave of power to disturb the ground at their feet. It was a bit different to fight on solid ground, hell, it was easier, and Grimmjow found he was faster.

He surprised Kurosaki with a bite to his forearm, and Kurosaki showed just how much he liked that by hammering him into the ground with the same arm. That winded him, but Kurosaki didn't let him catch his breath. Grimmjow snarled when he felt Kurosaki's claws around his throat. No, fuck that.

Grimmjow reached around to his side, drawing it away with his own blood. Grimmjow gathered power in his palm, charging a gran rey cero.

Kurosaki looked both annoyed and amused. "Going to hurt you more than it hurts me."

Grimmjow just laughed, and fired it directly into Kurosaki's face.

- xxx -

Renji

He'd fought hollows for years, he thought he knew what to expect from a spar between Ichigo and an arrancar, but he was wrong. It was blindingly fast, and violent enough that he wasn't sure he could tell if it was sparring or not, the two looked like they couldn't wait to kill each other.

Watching Ichigo fight Gin was like a demonstration in skill, but watching Ichigo fight Grimmjow wasn't anything like he expected. He would have thought they were actually trying to kill either other if not for the laughter and the flash of a smile.

Ichigo had an overwhelming advantage of speed and power over Grimmjow, but the arrancar didn't seem to care. Ichigo's sword dug into Grimmjow's chest, splattering his blood on the ground. They didn't stop, Grimmjow kept going, ignoring his injuries as if this weren't just sparring.

The blue cero Grimmjow gathered in his palm surprised Renji, it was massively powerful, the reishi in the air was displaced from its mere existence. He took a sharp step back, but it seemed Ichigo was prepared for it. Before Grimmjow could use it, a sphere of dark encompassed them both, and when it faded away, Ichigo looked ruffled but untouched, and Grimmjow was a bloody mess.

Ichigo straightened, still holding him by the throat, and when he dropped the arrancar he staggered, then fell to a crouch. Ichigo said, "What did I say about cero?"

"Since when do I fucking do what you say?" Grimmjow countered. He spat out a mouthful of blood and complained, "Ya didn't have to guard me from it."

Ichigo scoffed, "Some of it. If I thought you could take all of it and keep going, well."

Renji thought they were done until Ichigo asked, "You good?"

Grimmjow coughed up blood, smearing it over his forearm, then chuckled. "What do you think?"

The arrancar moved, faster than Renji thought he had any business moving, especially with injuries like that. His attacks on Ichigo were opportunistic and brutal, if he was attacking anyone but the hybrid, they would be mincemeat. Renji knew the arrancar was strong, but maybe seeing him next to the hybrid so often had skewed his perspective. Grimmjow was very strong.

He understood now what Grimmjow said when he told them Ichigo was holding back. There was less care in the way Ichigo moved now, he wasn't afraid he was going to kill Grimmjow when they fought. Renji realized both of them were reacting out of habit, then attempting to work around those habits. They fought each other often enough that this was an old, familiar dance, and from the smiles on their faces, an enjoyable one. Grimmjow was powerful, and if they did this all the time, he was only going to get stronger.

Despite the attacks Grimmjow landed, none of them hurt Ichigo, and Renji noticed the hybrid was rewarding clever or skillful moves, and punishing bad ones. His eyes widened when he realized they weren't sparring or fighting, this was playing. Seven hells, this was just a painful and bloody game of tag.

Gin stepped up beside him, hands in his sleeves and sighed. "I knew he was going easy on me, but it's a bit embarrassing, ain't it? Now I see why Blue wanted us to see this." Renji tore his eyes away to look at him when Gin chuckled. "He might be a scary bastard, but it's hard to hate someone having so much fun. Don't think I've ever seen him smile before."

Renji looked back and realized Gin was right. Grimmjow might have been on the brink of spitting out some teeth, but they were both having fun, and he didn't think anyone here had ever seen that. Renji finally understood the point of it.

Grimmjow didn't want them to see some godlike all powerful monster, he wanted them to see the person behind all that. Ironic that the thing about Ichigo that scared people the most was also the thing that was undoing all that fear.

If he didn't think too hard about how sad that was, it was an impressive fight. He'd seen the ugly side of Ichigo's power, and the skillful side when he fought Kenpachi or anyone else, but he'd never seen him open up enough to enjoy himself. If this is what he was normally like, Renji could see why Grimmjow was so angry at them all.

Renji couldn't blame the hybrid for being so distant, he would be too if he had to face the people that shared parts of his soul. As it was, Renji could feel Ichigo's elation, this feeling dominated all the rest of his usual anxieties, and now that he knew the cause, it explained what the fuck Ichigo was up to when Renji had felt this in the past.

What was someone like Ichigo supposed to do for fun anyways? Watching the hybrid smother a cero with nothing but his bare hand and an ecstatic laugh, Renji realized it fit. It was a game, one that Grimmjow benefited from. The arrancar tried his damndest to kill him, and Ichigo foiled his attempts with as little wasted energy as possible. His eyes widened. "Oh, I get it. Restraint."

Gin laughed. "Took you long enough to notice."

Renji was startled by Rukia's voice behind him. "What's this about restraint?" He looked back and realized the crowd of onlookers had grown to extend to more than one division. With all the damage the pair was causing, Renji half expected Kyoraku to show up and break it up. Then again, Kyoraku was privy to everything Ichigo felt, and 'joy' was a pretty good indicator that nothing was wrong.

Renji folded his arms and turned back to watch. "I didn't notice Ichigo was playing this game with rules."

Rukia watched for a moment, then questioned, "Rules?"

Gin said, "He was holdin' back a lot more with me. He's testing his strength against Blue here. First time he grabbed Grimmjow's arm, his armor cracked. Second time it didn't." For someone with as much strength as Ichigo, a difference that minute and subtle would be incredibly difficult to manage.

If this is how Ichigo treated his closest friend, then they really should feel special.

Gin called out to his squad. "I hope yer taking notes."

They really should be. Grimmjow was above captain class and Ichigo was...Ichigo was something else.

Grimmjow was starting to get tired, and Ichigo hadn't even broken a sweat, a wide grin on his face when he dodged a slash only to appear directly behind the arrancar. Ichigo gave Grimmjow a shove instead of drawing blood, having a bit of mercy on him now that he was tiring out.

Grimmjow didn't appreciate it, whirling with a swear. Ichigo took a step to the side and then was seemingly in three places at once. Grimmjow growled loudly, aggravated. "Asshole!"

Ichigo laughed and he was suddenly in five places, hair whipping around his face at the speed. His after image was eerily mid motion, the force of reiatsu no one could even sense displacing dust and reishi in his wake.

Grimmjow turned a sharp circle, debating what to do. Rukia whined, "He's not even in bankai, how is he so fast?"

The hybrid was suddenly in seven places, and Grimmjow snarled, "Stop going easy on me!"

The duplicates all shrugged helplessly. "You're taking an awful long time to decide." He split into nine. "I thought I'd make it easier. "

Kira questioned, "He's slowing down? Why?"

Gin said, "All part of the game."

It seemed to be, Grimmjow reacted as if this was par the course.

Ichigo's smile turned a bit mischievous, his laughter echoing around Grimmjow, playful, but not mocking. Grimmjow threw his arms out, claws glowing with blue reiatsu, and slashed outwards at all of his afterimages at once.

Ichigo's image blurred and those blue swaths of solidified reiatsu were shattered. He chided, "What did I say about desgarron?"

"Worth a try," Grimmjow snarled. In a motion Renji didn't quite follow, Grimmjow moved, and both disappeared in the buzz of sonido. They reappeared some distance away, then disappeared again. Renji flinched, startled when Ichigo threw Grimmjow bodily down into the ground. It split underneath the sheer force, dust and reishi settling around the pair in a cloud.

The hybrid stood over him, hair wild from the sheer speed he'd been moving at, and smiled. "I win."

Grimmjow coughed, struggling for air, and didn't get up, but that didn't stop him from talking shit. "I lost?" His tone was thinly veiled sarcasm. "That's so weird. I thought I had a shot." His transformation fell away, power once again condensed into a sword.

Ichigo sheathed his own sword and held out a hand down to him. Grimmjow clasped his forearm, and Ichigo practically lifted Grimmjow's weight on his own.

Grimmjow complained, "OW!" Ichigo set him on his feet, and the arrancar started to laugh, the sound strained. "You still hit like a fucking mountain, Kurosaki, I think ya got a couple ribs that time."

Rukia, fearless, strode up to the pair now that they seemed like they were done. She called out, "I thought you were waiting for me. He's a wreck, now I'm waiting on you."

Grimmjow let out a bark of laughter. "Ha! False, bean sprout." He winced and lifted his hand to his side, but his grin didn't fade.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, an expression that still seemed out of place on someone inherently intimidating. "Now that he knows I can fix him, he gets carried away."

"Carried away getting beat to hell?" She pinned Grimmjow with a pitying look. "You're insane."

Ichigo reached for Grimmjow's mask, and he must have been comfortable enough with Ichigo in his personal space, because he kept talking, his smile too wide. "Maybe let's see you fight him next, shorty."

Rukia grit her teeth and snapped, "You don't hear me talking shit about your stupid hair!"

Grimmjow laughed. "Pff, that's all you've got?"

"Can you shut the fuck up for 2 seconds," Ichigo growled. He got a grip on Grimmjow's mask and yanked him closer, purposefully pulling him off balance, but the arrancar didn't complain. Darkness swarmed over Grimmjow's skin like ink, and when it dripped away, evaporating into reishi, he looked completely untouched. Grimmjow still looked tired, but physically, he was just about perfect.

Ichigo let Grimmjow go and huffed. "Fixed. Be free."

Ichigo and Rukia started walking back to the others and Grimmjow followed, rolling his arm and stretching out apparently stiff muscles.

Renji groaned, "How the fuck is that fair?"

Ichigo said, "It's complicated, I'll only risk doing it on a conduit."

"So you could fix me?" Renji asked.

Rukia snickered, "No one can fix you, Renji."

Renji blushed and muttered, "You know what I mean."

Ichigo said, "In theory but I'm better with Alteza, I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to."

The squads that had gathered to watch were breaking up, talking amongst themselves, but they were a far less rowdy crowd than the eleventh. A shinigami said something about cheating and Grimmjow must have had good hearing, because he didn't let it slide. "Oy! What was that?! Yeah, I see you, motherfucker!"

Ichigo raised his voice, impressively louder and more authoritative than Grimmjow. "Shut up, Grimmjow!" To Renji's surprise, Grimmjow did. Ichigo turned on the shinigami. "And you. Jealous? If you want, we can go a round. I can beat the shit out of you, break a few bones, Unohana can heal you." His smile turned absolutely vicious, and the shinigami paled under the attention. "And we can do that every day."

Rukia slapped Ichigo's arm and snapped, "And you wonder why they don't like you." Ichigo's expression fell into one of pure annoyance, dissolving any tension before it could take root. Renji realized Rukia was good at that.

Gin said carelessly. "Can ya not threaten my squad, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo's tone was unapologetic. "Sorry."

Neither of them were serious, and for once, that was fine. Renji felt a shift in both Ichigo, and the squads watching him. They weren't on edge because Ichigo wasn't, they weren't looking at him like he was going to kill something. Ichigo was relaxed for once, less anxious, and it was infectious. Seeing him act normal dragged him down in a good way. It was a reminder that he was mortal too.

Even Grimmjow looked happy, but then, he'd gotten what he'd wanted. Renji was starting to see the parts of Ichigo that Rukia cared about. He hadn't understood until recently why she had been so attached. The hybrid shut himself off from others, but he was trying.

Renji said, "Well, this was enlightening. Now that you have a new babysitter, I'm off."

Rukia gave him a half salute and a smile that was so unburdened by worry it made his chest ache at the sheer nostalgia of it. "See ya soon, Renji."

- xxx -

Kurosaki Ichigo

Ichigo was in a good mood, a startlingly good mood, given he was still processing what he may or may not have done regarding hell.

In spite of his good mood, once the three of them were safe in living world, Rukia turned directly to him and demanded, "What did you do?"

Ichigo feigned offense, and Grimmjow left him to flounder. Asshole. "What makes you say that?"

She folded her arms like it was obvious. "Guilt, dumbass. If guilt had a smell-"

"It does," Grimmjow supplied.

"Then, if I could smell guilt I wouldn't need to feel your soul to know you either think you did something, or you did, you big idiot." She raised a brow. "So which is it?"

Ichigo struggled with an answer and Grimmjow muttered, "The shrimp was gonna find out eventually."

Ichigo shot Grimmjow a glare and folded his arms defensively. After a second suffering a deeply withering look, he started from the beginning of his short little story, and it ended with Rukia looking less worried than he thought she'd be.

"What?" Rukia said, "After all the shit that's happened, what's one more thing? You'll handle it, I trust you."

Grimmjow stared at her with just as much, if not more shock, than Ichigo. Ichigo protested. "What did I do to deserve that?"

She smiled and gave him a chiding look. "Ichigo. When you put your mind to something, you do it. I still haven't forgotten that you saved my life, and saved the world."

Ichigo grimaced. "You don't have to word it like that."

"Seriously," Grimmjow growled, "Don't. What if he gets an ego?"

"Like you can talk," Ichigo bit back.

Rukia said, "Well it's too late for that, people are already calling you the Godeater."

Ichigo squinted at her. "What? Who the fuck started that?"

Rukia blew out her cheeks and shrugged, looking as innocent as possible. "I have no idea, ask Renji."

Grimmjow nodded sagely. "That ain't bad."

"What-don't agree with her!" Ichigo protested.

Rukia hastily changed the subject, slapping her fist down into her palm. "So what's the plan?"

Ichigo growled, "And you blame me for my people problems."

Rukia said, "You could smile more...not like that."

Ichigo wouldn't call his expression a smile either. "Okay, the plan!"

"What plan?" Grimmjow asked.

"The plan I'm making up right now," Ichigo snarled. "So we find the shinigami, and we spy on them for a bit."

"A bit..." Rukia said. "An hour? A few minutes?"

"I don't know!" Ichigo shrugged dramatically. "As long as my patience can take it."

Grimmjow supplied, "30 minutes. Tops."

"Thank you, Grimmjow." Ichigo said.

"So we spy on them," Rukia trailed off, "and then what?"

"Then we say hi," Ichigo said

Rukia frowned. "No, not 'we'. Me."

"Agreed," Grimmjow said. The arrancar shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned. "The less they see tall, dark and scary, the better."

Ichigo tried not to whine, but he felt like he was whining. "I'm not that scary."

"You are." Rukia and Grimmjow answered in unison, and it appeared to annoy them both.

Grimmjow added, "I made people nervous. You make people piss-their-pants scared."

Ichigo grumbled, "I get it already."

Rukia was still staring at Grimmjow. "Your hair is very exciting, I don't blame them."

Grimmjow shot her a confused look. "What?"

Rukia slapped her hands together. "Yoshi! Who's our first victim?"

"Don't call them that," Ichigo growled, "You'll scare them off, you weirdo." If Rukia was this excited, then whatever she was up to in Soul Society must have been really, really dull.

Ichigo jerked his thumb East. "First guy is somewhere that way." And she already left.

Rukia looked back. "Well? Come on, we already wasted enough time with you two flirting."

"Flirting!?" Grimmjow repeated, outraged. "We were waiting on you!"

Rukia was brutal, Grimmjow couldn't even deny it without sounding like he was overcompensating, and from the look on his face, he was aware of it. Ichigo caught up with Rukia rather than be left behind. He said, "When you explain Seireitei is literally gone, try not to augment it with a slideshow." No response. Fascinating.

Ichigo could practically feel the distaste radiating off of Grimmjow when he asked, "How many of these fuckers are there again?"

Ichigo closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint what his senses were telling him, and settled on as estimate. "A lot."

"Fucking great," Grimmjow snarled.

Rukia's mood wasn't dampened at all, it was kind of nice to have more than a snarling wildcat for company.

So he unsealed hell….At the very least Ichigo could say he wasn't going to be bored.

- xxx -

Rukia has joined your party.

I'm literally incapable of writing short things, I'm so sorry. This chapter wasn't even going to be this, and then I had too much fun, so I hope you enjoyed my silly shenanigans.

Current Espada Ranking

King Strawberry

Fraccion: Grimmjow, Nelliel

0 - Harribel

1 - Ulquiorra

2 - Starrk & Lilynette

3 - Grimmjow

4 - Zommari

5 - Szayelaporro Granz

6 - Shawlong

7 - Cyan, Mila Rose, Apacci (Quimera Parca: Ayon)

8 - Yylfordt Granz

9 - Edrad Liones

10 - Pesche