What if…
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, I only own this fanfiction.
Chapter 14: A Delicious Dissonance
"Uryu!" It was Orihime. Not very far from her, much to Uryu's annoyance was Ulquiorra, following her like a lost dog.
"Orihime?", questioned Uryu, not really addressing Ulquiorra. Not that the arrancar seemed to mind it.
"Is it true that Ichigo's been kidnapped?! Ulquiorra was coming to pick me up and saw the whole scene! He also said that Grimmjow followed the kidnapper willingly!"
"Kidnapped… Well, I'm sure it looked like that to the casual observer or to Ulquiorra in that case, but-"
Orihime sprinted to the opposite direction followed by a determined Ulquiorra. "Wait! Where are you going?!", shouted Uryu.
"To save Ichigo and maybe Grimmjow! I mean, he could be with the enemy!", shouted the girl.
"Wait!" Uryu grabbed both their hands and pulled the others to stop them from running. "Kurosaki is fine. The one that kidnapped him was the boss at the place he works."
"His boss?", asked Orihime confused.
"Is this normal behavior in the human world?", asked Ulquiorra.
"It definitely isn't normal behavior, but Kurosaki said so himself. It was his boss and that kind of explains how she was okay with Grimmjow following her."
"You sure it wasn't some weirdo?", asked Orihime.
"Well, sure she seemed weird, but everyone he hangs out with is weird to a degree!", said Uryu.
"Grimmjow definitely being one himself.", mumbled Ulquiorra.
Orihime chuckled. "You're right! That goes for you and me too."
Uryu sweatdropped. "Huh?! Well… Yeah, I guess…"
"But still…", said Orihime looking serious. That got Ulquiorra's attention. "I've been feeling this strange air around Ichigo for a while now. That's why I contacted the arrancar, so that they could help. Have you sensed anything strange, Uryu?"
"No. I haven't felt anything. Besides, Kurosaki's always had a strange air about him.", then Uryu looked at Orihime's bag. "Oh, if you're carrying your bag that means you're on your way home, right? Are you okay on time?"
"Ah!", exclaimed Orihime in shock as if waking up from a trance. "You're right! My boss is gonna kill me! Let's go, Ulquiorra!", she then grabbed the arrancar and started running, leaving Uryu alone.
As they reached her house, Orihime stopped to catch her breath. She wasn't looking at Ulquiorra as she spoke. "… I'm sorry…"
Ulquiorra didn't say anything. He heard her take a deep breath and she continued. "I know that I've already told you that I needed your help with figuring out what is going on with Ichigo, but I feel like I'm using you…"
Ulquiorra shook his head. "I don't feel used. Not by you. You wanted support from friends and that is why you called us here. Isn't that, right?"
Orihime sighed. "But still… I don't want to get you into any sort of mess… Even though I'm not sure about what is going on…"
Ulquiorra looked at her in the eyes as he spoke. "I literally kidnapped you. I got you into a terrible mess, as you put it. And yet you forgave me and, in the end, you saved me. The least I can do is assist you with whatever is going on with Ichigo. Also, Grimmjow apparently is already on the case. Though, I'm not sure I trust him on that. Anyway, I'm going to inform Nel with what we know and after you finish with your work, let's go get the others from Urahara and call Ichigo."
Orihime looked at him with a surprised expression. She them smiled warmly at him and Ulquiorra felt a weird tingling in his stomach. She suddenly hugged him. Ulquiorra took a second to process what was happening before he returned the embrace. "Thank you, Ulquiorra."
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"Well. Bon appetite.", said the man with the ramen.
"Hey.", said Ichigo. The man ignored him completely and started eating. "I said, hey."
Grimmjow blinked at the disrespect the other man was showing. He acted like he was completely alone. Ichigo was getting angry. "I'm talking to you! Why are you eating ramen here?!"
"Because you're not eating it. And if I don't eat it, it'll go bad.", said the man like it was the most obvious thing.
Grimmjow sweatdropped. "He has a point you know…"
"Oh, shut up! Eat it at home! What'd you come here for?! This isn't your break area! It's mine!", shouted Ichigo.
"You come here thinking it's your break area?", asked Ikumi, while looking annoyed. "But Ichigo has a point. What are you? A client?"
The man took a big gulp from the bowl and replied in a serious tone. "Of course. I'm a client." The other three looked at him wearily. "So please. Get me some oolong tea."
"Is it okay if it is from a bottle?", asked Ikumi.
"You're gonna serve him?!", asked both Ichigo and Grimmjow at the same time.
After Ikumi brought him the bottle, which he quickly downed, Ichigo decided to ask him again. "So, what business do you have with me?"
"And with me?", asked Grimmjow while crossing his arms.
"That's awfully strange to say. I've got no business with either of you. It was pure chance that I came to this shop. I was looking for a shop that would take a job for me and saw the sign. And when I came in there you were. Just a coincidence.", said the man with a smirk.
"Coincidence my ass-", started Grimmjow, but Ichigo stopped him by raising his arm in front of him.
"Is it also a coincidence that you were carrying around a bowl of ramen?", asked Ichigo.
"And why not? I like ramen.", replied the man.
"If you're going to walk around with something because you like it… then I'd be walking around with chocholate.", said Ichigo.
"You like chocolate, do you? How adorable.", said the man.
"Don't try to change the subject.", said Ichigo.
"Ew, is he hitting on you?", asked Grimmjow with a scowl.
The man chuckled. Grimmjow made a grimace. "He is not denying it…", he mumbled and Ichigo sighed.
"Oh, boy. I'll never get anywhere like this. I didn't come here for a quarrel.", the man continued, completely ignoring Grimmjow's comments. "Young lady, you're the owner of this shop, right?"
Ikumi blushed at being called young. "Young… Y… Yes, that's me!"
"Is it okay if we get down to business?"
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Nnoitra felt very weird being the responsible adult for once. Both Stark and Harribel had gotten wasted the night before and he had to carry them back to Orihime's place all by himself since Urahara had said some bullshit excuse about having to help the brats study. The kids weren't even home the time he said that and he had pushed Nnoitra and the other two out obviously trying to get rid of them. Nnoitra was growling as he pulled his two hangover companions. His human gigai was definitely far weaker than his normal body and he had to put extra strength to drag them with him.
Suddenly he noticed three familiar figures running towards him. He stared at them surprised but at the same time relieved that he wouldn't have to drag the other two any longer. "Am I still drunk? …. Why are Ulquiorra, Orihime and Nel running?", asked Stark.
"I don't know, but you aren't wrong on that. They are indeed running here." His heat started beating rapidly at the sight of Nel and Tesla's word echoed in his head. He needed to talk to her. And that wasn't going to be easy at all.
Orihime waved at them, but when she noticed the state that Harribel and Stark were in, her eyes widened and she looked at them obviously shook. "What happened?! Were you attacked?!"
"Yeah, by a formidable foe called alcohol.", said Nnoitra with an annoyed expression.
"Oh, my!", said Orihime surprised.
Ulquiorra stared at them and shook his head. "I thought better of you two. Don't act like trash like Grimmjow."
Nnoitra raised an eyebrow. It was the first time Ulquiorra would scold the higher ranking Espada. Then again, it was the first time Nnoitra didn't drink at all and the other two overindulged.
"Urahara Kisuke…. Wouldn't stop bringing sake…", mumbled Harribel.
"It was good sake too…", added Stark.
"And you didn't drink…?', asked Nel surprised.
Nnoitra looked at her. It was the first time she talked at him after the whole incident. And it was to doubt him. "Tch! I was talking with Tesla and when I came up to get them, they were already on their fourth bottle and Urahara wasn't even in sight. They were already laughing like idiots, so I decided to go to sleep instead."
Nel blinked in surprise. It was obvious that she just processed that they were talking to each other again and she looked down. "I'm sorry for assuming the worst about you…", she mumbled.
Nnoitra flinched at her answer. He looked away. "I can't really blame you." He took a deep breath and looked at Orihime. "How come you guys were coming to get us?"
Orihime snapped out of her shock and got serious, which was quite weird if Nnoitra was honest. "Ichigo has been kidnapped by his boss. And Grimmjow too."
Nnoitra blinked. "What…...?!"
"To be honest, it isn't as suspicious as it sounds since his boss is weird from what I figured.", explained Ulquiorra. "But we still want to check on Ichigo."
"Right….", replied Nnoitra. He had forgotten that their main objective was to help Orihime with Kurosaki.
"Since they need help, I will heal them and then we can try calling Ichigo.", said Orihime.
"You can heal us?", asked Harribel confused. "We have a hangover, we aren't injured."
"I can reject your hangover just like I rejected his death.", she said while pointing at Ulquiorra. "Well, we shouldn't do it here though, since anyone can see us. Let's look for a secluded spot and we'll do it there.", she said cheerfully.
She and Ulquiorra looked around at alleys, which left Nel and Nnoitra kind of alone, since both Stark and Harribel were too out of it to focus on anything. It felt very weird.
Nnoitra looked down as he spoke. "We need to talk."
Nel blinked in surprise. She looked down as well. "Yeah…"
"We found a perfect spot!", Orihime shouted.
Nnoitra sighed. "After we settle this damn mess."
Nel simply nodded.
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The man placed a picture on the table. The man on the picture was a very familiar one. "Isn't that-" started Grimmjow. Ichigow's eyes widened.
"His name is…", said the man.
"Ishin Kurosaki.", finished Ichigo.
"Huh? You know this man?", asked the man, seemingly oblivious.
Grimmjow growled and Ichigo looked livid. "Are you mocking me? Ishin Kurosaki is my dad! If you want to know anything about him, just ask! I'll answer anything you want!"
"So, he's your old man. That is a coincidence.", said the man, not sounding surprised at all.
"Oh, is it?", said Grimmjow while showing his teeth.
"What did you say?", said Ichigo, also furious.
"But when you say you'll "answer anything" … Do you really know enough about him to be able to answer anything?", asked the man. "Actually. You probably don't even know anything about your own family. Not yet at least."
Ichigo looked at him shocked, while Grimmjow growled. "Watch it you asshole!"
"What are you saying?", asked Ichigo, for the first time looking unsure.
"Just what I said. I'm not trying to talk in riddles.", replied the man with a smug look that was directed at Grimmjow, who was becoming even more infuriated by the second. "How much do you really know about your family? I mean, aren't there some things you want to learn? Like…"
Ikumi slapped her hand on the table much to everyone's surprise. "We got it. Just leave us the photo. Shop's closed for today. You can leave now."
"What's all the hurry about? Does that mean you'll take the case for me?", asked the man.
"We'll call you after we think it over.", replied Ikumi.
The man stood up, looking unbothered. "I see. Then… I'll leave my number with you." He then turned one last time to look at Ichigo. "Kurosaki. Go to the Urahara shop yourself. You'll be sure to see something very interesting there." After that, he finally exited the shop.
Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and Grimmjow nodded. "We should check whatever the heck he wants."
Before Ichigo could reply, his phone rang. He picked up, obviously shaken from the previous conversation. "Orihime?"
Grimmjow sighed. "She doesn't need to worry about me. I don't need a babysitter."
Ichigo didn't answer him and sighed. "I'm perfectly fine, Orihime. And so is Grimmjow. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Grimmjow looked at him curiously as he reassured the girl and eventually ended the call. "Why did you lie to her?"
"It wasn't a lie. I just never mentioned what happened with that weird guy. I don't need her to worry about me and besides, I'm pretty sure that she and Ishida are hiding something from me."
Grimmjow rubbed the back of his head. "I get it, but you can't really protect yourself anymore, right? So, maybe you need her protection."
Ichigo shook his head in the negative. "I don't care. I can manage on my own. I've done it way before."
They stared at each other for a moment until Ichigo broke the silence. "Boss, I'll take care of that job."
Ikumi huffed, but looked at them with a pained expression. "Be careful you two. I didn't like this guy at all."
Ichigo smiled. "Don't worry."
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"Well, now I'm more worried than I was before!", shouted Orihime.
Ulquiorra blinked at her. "You don't trust him?"
"Ichigo always does this. He tries to act like everything is fine and he keeps pushing me away…"
Ulquiorra nodded in understanding. "Maybe we could follow him and figure something out."
Orihime beamed. "Like a spy! That would be so cool!"
Ulquiorra looked at her with a very curious expression, not really understanding what she was talking about. Then Orihime looked down and she looked sad again, much to his surprise. "But this way I will be disrespecting his privacy…"
Ulquiorra looked ahead in contemplation. He had another idea, but he wasn't sure the girl would like it. "Didn't you tell me that he spends a lot of time with that other girl from your school?"
Orihime blinked. "You mean Tatsuki? Yeah, they've been hanging out a lot lately…"
"Why don't you ask her?"
Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. "You… are right…", she mumbled.
Ulquiorra tried to give her a sympathetic look. "I know you feel some sort of jealousy towards their relationship, but she might help."
Orihime looked down. "I hate that I feel this way. I mean they are both my friends and I trust them and Tatsuki probably knows that I fancy Ichigo…"
Ulquiorra nodded. "So, you have nothing to worry about. You might feel that there is a big risk, but there was quite a bigger one when you decided to bring me back to life. And look at how that has been working out for you."
Orihime blinked in surprise, but eventually smiled at him. "You're right. And I don't regret making that choice at all. I'll arrange a meeting with Tatsuki and I'll try to learn as many things as possible."
Ulquiorra nodded and offered her the slightest upwards tilt of his lips, much to the girl's obvious delight.
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Harribel and Stark were talking with each other and they were generally looking like they never drunk a single drop. Nnoitra was watching them with a scowl in his face. Had he known that Orihime could fix that from the beginning, he would just have called her to Urahara's to fix them. He glanced at Nel, who had been sitting next to him, yet she hadn't addressed him at all.
Nnoitra knew that they should talk somewhere more privately, but he was itching for Nel to acknowledge his presence somehow. Before he could say anything though, Nel actually broke the silence. "How is Tesla doing?"
Nnoitra was surprised to say the least. He coughed awkwardly before speaking. "He is doing perfectly fine actually. Sorry, I didn't ask for your fraccion."
Nel nodded. "It's ok. I'm pretty sure they are doing fine…", she looked away. "Did you tell him about… you know… this?"
Nnoitra sighed. "I needed his advice. Sorry for getting him into this mess as well."
"You don't have to apologize. I'd do the same with Pesche and Dondochaka."
He supposed she would. "I-" His eye suddenly caught movement of two familiar face going to Urahara's. "Ain't that Kurosaki and Grimmjow?"
Nel's eyes widened and when they glanced at Harribel and Stark, they realized that they seen them too.
"We'll get Orihime and Ulquiorra.", said Harribel. "Follow them."
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Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. "Isn't that your sister?", asked Grimmjow.
"Karin…? What is she doing at Urahara's place?", asked Ichigo feeling very lightheaded all of a sudden.
"Worried?", asked a voice behind them.
They both turned ready to fight as the man from before emerged from the shadows. "I don't blame you. When your own little sister is paying visits to some suspicious guy's place."
"He's not suspicious! Urahara is-", started Ichigo.
"He saved us?", aske the man. Ichigo's eyes widened and he looked down in shock.
Grimmjow relaxed his stance a little. "Kurosaki?"
"How much do you know to think that you know anything about that Urahara guy?", asked the man.
Ichigo suddenly looked defeated. "Kurosaki, ignore him! He is messing with you!", shouted Grimmjow.
"I'm warning you. Strike while you still can. If you want to protect your family.", said the man.
"Shut the fuck up!", growled Grimmjow. "Kurosaki, he is messing with you, he is bluffing!"
"Oh, am I?", asked the man in a mocking tone.
"Tell me… Your name…", said Ichigo suddenly. Grimmjow looked at him surprised. "What's your name?"
"Ginjo.", replied the man. "Kugo Ginjo."
End of Chapter 14
A/N: And it's finally done! I'm so sorry for the huge delay, but I was a little lazy when it came to writing these past few months. I know it's a relatively small chapter, but I just wanted to officially introduce Ginjo and then go to the next chapter. Ginjo's and Ichigo's dialogues are mainly from chapters 427 and 428 of bleach and so is the beginning dialogue with Orihime and Uryu. Things soon will start taking different turns, especially now that everyone is involved. I don't know when I'll have the next chapter ready, but I'll try my best not to take so long. Till next time!