I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long for this last chapter... To make up for it, it's a nice, long chapter for you. I'm not terribly sure about the last quarter or so of this, but I think it's about as good as it's going to get and I'm sick of sitting on it.

Try to enjoy!

Aizen watched as eight of his ten favored soldiers filed through the door of the back passage. The door had been sealed off long ago, years. Part of him was genuinely surprised that Sexta had even remembered it existed. Guards entered occasionally to make rounds below the facility, but otherwise the corridor was left undisturbed. The failed test subjects were left to themselves, fed via an automatic dispenser on a timer, more like cattle than like people. But otherwise, they rarely entered the back hallway, not since Aizen and Mayuri had all but perfected his latest batch of super soldiers.

Long term memory loss had been an accidental but beneficial side effect of the serum used to create the super soldiers. It meant that, after experimentation and training, by the time they had truly been groomed into the soldiers Aizen wanted, they very rarely had any memory of their previous lives. They didn't know they had once been normal people, more or less. They didn't remember friends or family, jobs. They didn't remember anything but Aizen and his facility, training, and the mission.

Well, mostly, anyway. All of them except for Sexta.

Ninety percent really weren't bad odds at all. And even then, Sexta's engineering hadn't failed. He was a super soldier, a weapon. He was built to kill and he was damn good at that, no matter what lies the civilian managed to feed the big man. Sexta was every bit the monster that the rest of the espada were. No, instead it seemed the fault was ingrained in man's very DNA. Perhaps the error had been Aizen's, in his selection of a blue haired young man that no one would miss.

So perhaps it was more like a 100% success rate, with a ten percent rejection rate. Not bad at all, Aizen decided. Now, to clean up this mess once and for all, so that he could wash his hands of the filth that was Sexta and work on tidying up his operation again.

At his side, ever at his side, Gin strode through the revealed doorway, a smug, amused little smirk tugging at his thin lips. His eyes were slitted away and he walked with his careless grace, as always. His sword gleamed at his side, held in a relaxed grip. He didn't re-sheath it, though, and that little detail didn't slip Aizen's attention. So in tune with his other half, the bared weapon meant one of two things; either Gin foresaw issues in bringing Sexta down, despite the overwhelming odds against the rogue soldier, or his counterpart, Tosen, was in combat.

As they walked, leaving the military personnel he'd been showing around behind in his gore smeared laboratory, Aizen addressed his soldiers one last time. "I will not tolerate any underestimating of Sexta this time around. This is a group mission and you will approach and engage with caution. I want him dead. If the civilian stands in the way of your mission, eliminate him too."

His simple orders received nods and agreements all around, his ever obedient soldiers eager to taste the flesh of one of their own. At least Sexta, with his enhanced abilities, would give them a real challenge. It had been far too long since his espada had encountered something truly worth their time.

He chose to think of it as a training mission, and took comfort in that his time and efforts weren't being completely waisted.

Not even ten minutes later, as the espada stalked forward in stealthy, hard earned silence and Aizen, personally guarded by his trusted righthand man, followed at a close but safe distance, the fair skinned general came to a sudden and jolting halt. A very small, strangled breath escaped him, accompanied by the clatter of his sword hitting the gritty tile below him and his steps faltered at Aizen's side. Gin's hand shot out almost desperately and caught in his superior's sleeve, his grip like a vice upon the wrist below the cloth. Cold, usually slitted eyes opened, a look of utter shock on normally amused features. The sound of his falling sword echoed down the hall.

Aizen didn't need to ask. One of his trusted generals, Gin's complimenting other half, was gone.

It took Gin, now incomplete and off balanced, a long minute to compensate for the sudden split and loss of Tosen. The first tremor of doubt finally crept into Aizen's mind. The espada continued on.

More than a kilometer ahead of them, Grimmjow and Ichigo were continuing their run. Miles of underground corridor stretched out before them and, knowing how missions and procedures among the soldiers worked, Grimmjow was forming a plan. They wouldn't be able to out run the espada. It was a simple truth. Grimmjow, by himself, would have stood a better chance at it, but it still would have been unlikely. With the citizen, a mostly normal man, it was impossible. Grimmjow and Ichigo had been stressed out and fighting since they'd been dragged to Aizen's facility. The renegade had been torn apart and repaired multiple times, subjected to more training and testing. He had torn through Mayuri, Octava and even Tosen not so very long ago. The espada were fresh, in good condition.

Coming to the same conclusion, Ichigo frowned at Grimmjow's side, still putting his all into running at the big man's side. "We're not going to be able to get away like this…"

"I know." Grimmjow rumbled lowly, but he didn't pause, didn't hesitate or even slow.

For as long as Ichigo had known him, he'd always had fire, he'd always been stubborn and held to his humanity with all he had. But this was different, there was a steely confidence there, a drivenness that seemed to power the big man.

"We don't have to outrun them for long." Grimmjow said, glancing sidelong at the man he'd dragged into this with him. He would get the civilian out safely if it was the last thing he did. He'd promised, and in turn, Ichigo had promised nearly the same. If there was one thing he'd learned about the civilian since collapsing upon his doorstep, it was that Ichigo was just as stubborn and determined as himself, so it would seem they were in it together, no matter the outcome. "We only have to find the exit before they do."

"…they're not going to stop, just because we make it out of the complex." Ichigo sent him a sharp, concerned look and watched as a near manic grin split those handsome features.

"They'll stop chasing us when the corridor collapses, and we'll need to be out before it goes down."

Ichigo didn't say a word, merely looking on with shock at what the rogue soldier was claiming. To bring down the structure they now ran through? That implied pretty powerful explosives or a crazy amount of raw strength. The latter seemed rather far fetched, and surely had Grimmjow gotten his hands on explosives, he would have used them long ago. Ichigo couldn't imagine Aizen slipping up like that.

As if knowing his thoughts, Grimmjow snorted a humorless laugh and said, "I can't do it, but the others will be able to."

It didn't slip Ichigo's attention that Grimmjow was still associating himself with the espada, even if it was subconsciously. He still saw himself the way Aizen intended him to be.

"It can't be much further…" The big man said, as much to himself as to Ichigo. There was an almost urgent undertone to his voice. He knew they were running out of time. His next words were a snarl, "How far do these damn tunnels run?"

Of course, Ichigo didn't answer. He knew even less about this place than Grimmjow did. Only adrenaline and necessity kept them running, kept them from tiring and giving in. Ahead, the corridor forked, one path bending off to their left, while the other branched more toward the right. Fearing they'd take the wrong path, both slowed as they approached. Peering down both gave away nothing, only more the same; cages lining either side with blank cinderblock walls between glass or bars.

Blue brows furrowed and Grimmjow hesitantly started toward the right corridor, Ichigo walking at his side, but they didn't make it more than a few feet into the new hall before he shook his head, "No…this one's not right." He half whispered, voice low. It was a gut feeling, the tickling of memory in the back of his mind. They backtracked and he paused again, swinging too blue eyes down the other corridor, scanning the scene that looked like everything else around them.

He started to take a step forward, before he froze midway and tilted his head. A split second later, a snarl riding his breath, he snagged Ichigo's hand and they were once more sprinting off down a seemingly endless hall. "We ran out of time to waste." Was his only explanation.

From down the hallway they'd just run the length of, they'd been spotted and a call rang out. Quinto's amusement was obvious, "Sexta! You been doin' an awful lot of running away lately!"

Grimmjow curled his lip and grit his teeth, but didn't pause, didn't even look back. He just kept running, blood still dripping down his front and glistening wetly from the gaping hole in his abdomen.

"You'd be better off leavin' the civilian behind, ya know." Quinto continued his taunting. The espada were gaining on them easily, especially now that their prey was in sight. There was an almost frenzied eagerness to them, like the dogs they hated so much. "You might actually be able to outrun us for a while longer." The laugh in Quinto's voice was cruel.

"Keep running." Grimmjow growled under his breath, a demand Ichigo didn't plan to go against. The cages around them fell away, leaving bare walls to surround them. There was a bend ahead, leaving the corridor just past unseen, but the air seemed lighter, fresher almost. They'd nearly made it. "Don't stop for anything, Ichigo, not until you're clear of the trees."

"Grimmjow," Ichigo half panted at his side, still racing through the hall. The serge of adrenaline from the danger quickly gaining ground on them was like a bolt of lightening, constricting his chest with barely checked panic. "What are you-" But he wasn't given the chance to question the big man's plans.

Like his only intent was ruthless attack, Grimmjow snarled a vicious sound as he planted his weight, shifted, and turned on those giving chase, just before the eight espada had actually caught up. He didn't quit moving though, backpedalling and keeping himself between Ichigo and the others. He bared his teeth and, in a rumbling command, he pushed a single word from his tongue so forcefully it seemed he could conjure the deadly creation into being with just the way he told it to. The word was a growl, a demand, powerful even though it was only a hollow threat. "Cero."

The entire group of soldiers flinched back and away, knowing full well what a cero was capable of.

Grimmjow spun on his heel and tore through the halls again. Catching up, he grabbed Ichigo and pushed the smaller man into swift motion again. As quickly as they could go, with everything they had left, Grimmjow had them running at full tilt.

It was hardly a moment before the espada realized the rouse for what it was. Their responses had been ingrained, taught through experience.

"Hah!" Quinto cackled a dryly amused sound, "Good try, Sexta! Ya don't even have a ce-"

"Quinto!"

"-ro!"

A dark grin spread across Grimmjow's features. "No, I don't. But you do."

Just as the taller's features dropped into a horrified look of realization, the corridor erupted in flames. The structure shook so hard cinderblock and wood broke free, the entire hallway fracturing and twisting under the explosive power. Chaos rained down around them, flew passed them.

Grimmjow hit the ground, bringing Ichigo down with him. The smaller grunted, air pushed from his lungs, but Grimmjow kept him pressed against the ground as heat washed over them. Ahead, as the corridor collapsed around them, light filtered through the raining chaos, an opening in the otherwise lightlessness of the underground structure.

It seemed like a long time before the world around them stopped shaking and debris stopped raining down from above. Dust and dirt and even less savory things drifted through the air. The shifting groan of wood and metal echoed dully through what was left of the corridor they'd been running through.

Trying to catch his breath and calm his racing nerves, Ichigo started to push himself up as Grimmjow shrugged free fallen debris and rolled off him. Trembling almost imperceptibly after the ordeal, Ichigo looked around at the carnage. He'd seen the results of one of Aizen's specialized explosives, back at the diner when he and Grimmjow had been captured originally. Triggered by Cuatro with the same word Grimmjow had spit forth, it had leveled the entirety of the building. This time it seemed the destruction had been no less devastating. Underground, the tunnel behind them had half collapsed. Ichigo suspected that the only reason it was even still partially standing and they weren't flattened was because the facility had surely been braced and fortified against structural damage, designed purposefully with the intent to be able to withstand the development and training of weapons and soldiers.

As Ichigo straightened a groaning cough echoed quietly in the still heavy air. The small sound caused Grimmjow to bolt the rest of the way upright, so that he sat facing the way they'd come. Blue eyes scanned the destruction, narrowed sharply as he searched the maze of shadows. The already dim lighting above flickered precariously, wires frayed and damaged, before it guttered out entirely. The filtering dust gave the illusion of fog or swirling mist. Ichigo edged a step back as something shifted in the gloom.

With bared teeth, the renegade soldier sitting off to his left climbed to his feet in a single, swift motion. Before he'd even fully straightened, he was moving forward, wading through the dark. Even as he picked his way around the largest of the debris, Grimmjow's steps were impossibly silent.

Ichigo trailed behind him, wanting nothing more than to turn the other way, bring Grimmjow with him, and leave this place behind for good. But he knew, if the espada were left to live, if Aizen could salvage his facility, his soldiers, and especially the evidence of Grimmjow's survival, there would be no end to those hunting them. Not after this. Aizen wouldn't give up until the both of them were dead.

Grimmjow had rounded a heavy blockade of fallen brick and metal and wood. Dirt and bits of rock and root from the ground that encased the tunnel sifted through a fissure in the ceiling. Ichigo glanced up at, a degree of worry showing on his features, before he carefully squeezed through the open space Grimmjow had slipped through.

The sick crunch and grind of bone met his ears, loud in the deafening silence. He found Grimmjow crouched beside the body of a soldier he hadn't personally met. Long fingers twitched, clawing at the ground in a jerk of involuntary motion, before the body fell limp. The dark ink staining tan skin told Ichigo that the soldier had been one of Aizen's strongest.

Grimmjow's hand was clenched around something long and tapered, and in the dark, it was hard to tell what he was doing, until the shred of skin and the reek of spilled blood eked through the dark tunnel. It was gruesome business as the renegade waded through what he could find of the other espada. He wasn't overly cruel, but he was ruthless and determined as he first snapped spinal columns, then used a broken, twisted shard of metal to saw through flesh and cartilage and sever heads. None of the other soldiers could be allowed to live, and really, Grimmjow terminating them was a mercy in the long run. Should any of them survive, and they were left in the hands of Aizen, they would be reworked, rebuilt, and again used to further the man's goals. If Aizen was miraculously shut down after this, they would be handed over to some other governmental military branch, and once more be subject to testing and who knew what else.

So Grimmjow waded among what had once been his partners, his teammates, his own kind really, and finished what the explosion had started. Most of them were in bad shape, too close to Quinto when he accidentally detonated his cero. Cuatro, when Grimmjow came upon him, attempted to put up a fight, stating in emotionless tones that their mission was not yet through. The mechanical, expressionless way he spoke reminded Ichigo too much of how Grimmjow had acted after Aizen had attempted to wipe him clean again. The look that crossed Grimmjow's features was a near match to Ichigo's; pity, pain even, but still he pushed aside Cuatro's one remaining arm and shattered the vertebrae near the base of his skull with a single, harsh push and twist.

There was nothing significant left of Quinto. Somewhere near the center of the blast radius, after working their way through shifting, uneven ground, Ichigo tripped up on something in the dark. He thought maybe it was part of the tall soldier's modified attachments, the Santa Teresa gear, but it could have been metal from the tunnel's structure instead.

Grimmjow found and finished off four of the espada. Quinto was clearly gone, and he'd already eliminated Octava. That left three unaccounted for, lost somewhere in the darkness of the collapsed tunnel. They stood amongst the rubble for a long time, it seemed, simply listening, searching for signs of the others.

There was a controlled, determined silence to the rogue soldier in Ichigo's company. Grimmjow said not a word, and when he was satisfied, he glanced at Ichigo, locked eyes, then turned to head back the way they'd been fleeing. Ichigo didn't say anything either, not about the deed Grimmjow had just done, not about the almost lost look in cold blue eyes. Not about what might come next, after they left all this behind.

They only made it a few grueling, careful feet, winding their way through twisted, broken brickwork and metal, before they were stopped by a chilling and familiar sound. There was no shifting in debris, no scuffing of movement accompanying the voice, just the general's silvery voice floating through the near lightless space.

"What a dark deed, Sexta."

The hair on the back of Ichigo's neck rose. Grimmjow growled. The general chuckled a rough, airy sound.

"No need for worryin'." Gin half sang in the shadows. There was a dryness to his voice, and still no sign that he moved about. "Think ya earned your freedom this time. It was a clever plan." The general chuckled again and Grimmjow crept closer to the sound of his voice, Ichigo at his side as the general continued. "All this time we were underestimatin' you; your strength, your combat intelligence."

"Where's Aizen?" Grimmjow growled out, a demand in his rumbling voice. It didn't take long to draw near enough to bring the general into view.

Gin was in no better shape than the espada they'd found had been. He breathed, spoke, but there was an unnatural stillness to him. The usually humorous smirk on his closed off features looked dry, like it was only there because the general didn't know any other expression. At the silvery man's side, half cradled in his lap, was part of a body, but it wasn't Aizen.

Gin shrugged and motioned deeper into the tunnel. Nothing but collapsed ceiling and wall was visible. "When we heard ya playin' wit' the espada, I had him hang back, assumin' that if ya managed ta make it through the wall a' your comrades, you'd go straight for Aizen-sama." He shook his head a bit, chuckling again. "We weren't expectin' a cero. It was a good plan," He said again, nodding in the dark, "Quinto always was too cocky."

Grimmjow said nothing, his gaze half searching in the direction Gin had indicated. The general watched him, the fingers of one hand absently curling in the blood stained fabric of Tosen's shirt. There was something tragic and painful in the way the still living general clutched his obviously dead other half.

"You two should get outta here quick as ya can." Gin finally spoke up again, after receiving nothing from the renegade soldier. "Whether Aizen-sama lives or not, he had powerful guests waitin' for him above." The explosion couldn't have gone unnoticed, and even if it had and hadn't damaged the structure above this particular corridor, when Aizen failed to return to the waiting men and women in his lab, they would search for him and find what had happened.

The general reached toward the scabbard at his hip, but found no handle. Grimmjow stiffened slightly, tense and waiting, but merely watched. Ichigo did the same, silent as he watched the broken picture the general painted.

Propped against a crumbling wall all but unmoving and covered in blood both his own and his partner's, the thin, usually confident man seemed less than himself. Part of him had been removed and the way he cradled that part like he could hold on to Tosen and what Tosen had been, made obvious that Gin was finished.

Gin's searching hand dropped from the empty scabbard as the general cast his seemingly shut gaze about the floor around him. The glint of metal caught his attention, and he leaned to one side slightly, reached out to his dropped sword. The blade cut at his fingers, but it didn't seem to bother him as he dragged it closer. Like him, the sword had been damaged and broken. He held maybe half its length, but it was enough for the purpose he had in mind.

Unlatching his fingers from Tosen's ruined body for a moment, he waved the two away, "Get goin', then, ya wont have ta worry 'bout me sayin' nothin'." His grin seemed to widen, but still it looked hardly amused. "They won't find me close enough ta breathin' ta make me talk."

At first, Ichigo took that to mean that Gin expected Grimmjow to finish him off, the way he had done the rest of the espada. The truth of his words rocked him even harder, however, as Gin chuckled at his incomprehension and made a swiping motion with his thumb across his own slim throat.

"You don't have to do that…" Ichigo half whispered. There was real, genuine sorrow in his expressive eyes as he looked upon the broken general. Gin, the espada, none of them had been all that terrible. They'd simply been following orders, really, and on more than one occasion, Gin had gone out of his way to speak to Ichigo during his unexpected stay. He'd tried to warn Ichigo of what had been headed his way. The civilian didn't think him such a bad guy, just controlled by an evil man.

Gin simply smiled, his piercing gaze closed off like usual. The fragmented length of sword didn't tremble in his hands, elegant fingers wrapped around the blade with an intimate familiarity. It was only when Grimmjow's attention landed unerringly on him that Gin spoke up again, "Ya know what happens inside the mind of a coma patient?" His words were directed at Ichigo, but his attention seemed riveted to Grimmjow.

The civilian frowned an almost sad expression and shook his head.

"Nothin'." Gin said, finally turning his features back toward Ichigo, "Nothin' happens. We weren't like the espada. We're both monsters alright, you an' I, Sexta, but we're different kinda monsters. Tosen and me were blank when Aizen-sama got his hands on us." The general paused, his unamused, yet grinning features unreadable. Then, "When Aizen-sama created the espada series, he was tryin' to recreate Tosen and me, usin' minds that weren't blank like ours, and bodies that hadn't been weakened. The theory was that, because you were healthier than us when he started, you could be even stronger than us."

At a loss, Ichigo merely listened to the dying general. At his side, however, Grimmjow seemed to realize what Gin was getting at.

The general nodded a very slight motion. "Aizen-sama thought his new batch had a 90% success rate, but he was wrong. Of the espada series, only one surpassed his original subjects."

"…I'm not stronger than you," Grimmjow's rumbling voice was nearly a whisper, the barest hint of confusion in it, maybe even a tremble of fear.

"Nah, you're not." Gin agreed, his grin only growing, "But ya defeated the espada, ya tore Aizen-sama's empire apart, exposed it, and ya killed his most powerful soldiers. Yer not stronger than me or Tosen, but ya coulda been. We told Aizen-sama 'bout your potential the first day they pulled ya from deepfreeze. He was holdin' ya back though… ya coulda been what he was lookin' for."

Grimmjow shook his head, a subtle motion. Whether it was a disagreement, disbelief or denial, Ichigo wasn't sure.

They left Gin propped against the wall, half of Tosen's body cradled in his lap and his broken sword's blade in his hands. The last they heard from him was a strangled, wet chuckle and the ripping of flesh as Aizen's last soldier, his trusted general, took his own life.

When they made it clear of the destroyed tunnel and Grimmjow forced open the unguarded doors at the end, the air smelled of rain to come and damp earth. It was the scent of freedom. The dense woods around the fortress wasn't without threat, especially with the council of military officials Aizen was supposed to be entertaining, but it was with a much brighter sense of hope than in weeks that the two stepped out of lightless corridors.

Battered and exhausted from their time in captivity, and with no where else to go, the two turned in the same direction Grimmjow had originally gone when first he'd escaped. The going was much slower than the renegade soldier's first flight out. There was still need for haste, of course. To be caught anywhere near the facility by anyone that might come to investigate what had happened, would be to find another cage. But their pace was measured as they wandered through the undergrowth side by side.

After fighting their way through the facility, tearing through winding hallways at a pace as quick as they could keep up, and hours of stalking through the surrounding woods, the limits of the human body finally began to catch up with the two. All at once, as adrenaline and necessity ran low, running any longer seemed impossible.

"We're still too close…" Grimmjow drawled as their measured but steady pace finally began to falter.

At his side, Ichigo stopped completely, worn out. He wasn't surprised when Grimmjow continued half a step before pausing as well, and turning to look at him.

"If we stop here and they released the hounds…"

"We should have time." Ichigo half panted, leaning back against a tree despite the wet bark. He tipped his head back and simply breathed in the heady, earthen scent for a few moments. "They'll investigate the explosion first, right? And search for Aizen before they even realize anyone's missing."

Grimmjow rumbled a small sound that might have passed for agreement. What Ichigo said made sense, and without Aizen commanding his men, they wouldn't likely even think to search for two missing men in all the chaos. Aizen would be their first priority. It was only an ingrained need and desperation that made Grimmjow fear otherwise.

Recognizing his hesitations for what they were, Grimmjow nodded a bit and decided they could rest for a few minutes at least. Putting his back to a random tree trunk, he slid to its base so that he sat on damp earth.

They were quiet for a few moments, before Ichigo crossed the few steps between them and moved to sit at the bigger man's side. Grimmjow cast a sidelong glance at him, then wordlessly repositioned to make room before pulling the civilian closer.

Ichigo was surprised, to say the least, when strong arms wrapped around his midsection and he was tugged back so that he leaned against the bigger man's front. It only took him a short moment to get over his surprise, and he relaxed back, letting his hands settle against the forearm settled over stomach. He smiled when he felt Grimmjow's chin rest against his shoulder.

A destination wasn't really discussed, no plans were made or questions of 'what if' and 'what's next' asked. It was understood between the two of them; Grimmjow would return to civilization with the man he'd dragged into this mess. He would stay by Ichigo's side, even after his promise to get Ichigo out of all this was fulfilled. He had no where else to go after all, and Ichigo had grown fond of him in their time caged together. Even before then, when they'd been running.

Because of what Aizen had done to him, to all of his soldiers, Grimmjow could hardly remember more than the barking of hounds from his first trip through the trees now surrounding them. Logically, he knew that this was indeed the same woods he'd ran through, bound in a harness and hunted by those that had tried to turn him into a monster, but he could remember very little of it, like it was nothing more than a faint dream from long ago.

Sitting on damp earth, his back to a tree, Grimmjow shook his head a bit, not pulling it away from where his chin rested on Ichigo's shoulder. Fatigue was obvious in his features; too many days, weeks, of fighting and running, of injuries and repair and more exertion. "I don't know… I remember a road maybe, a highway I think." He was quiet for a long minute, and Ichigo could feel a heaviness to his thoughts. Then he continued, his deep voice low, "A car, anyway. The headlights… It missed me, I think, got the hound that had been chasing me." He shrugged, arm tightening around the smaller, "The next thing I remember is waking up in your house, to your dog."

Ichigo half smiled, a touch of sorrow in the expression. Zangetsu had been such a good dog. With all the chaos and fighting to free themselves, fighting to survive, there hadn't really been time to reflect on all that had happened. Now that the dog had been brought up, Ichigo realized how much he ached to be done with this place and its horrifying experimentation. He wanted to go home.

Then it dawned on him; Grimmjow had escaped that night and managed to make it to his front door by foot, all in one night.

"Grimmjow-!" Straightening more upright, he turned to look over his shoulder. There was excitement to his words and an almost relieved smile on his features, "if you made that run by foot in the middle of a storm…" He shook his head a bit, almost disbelievingly, "…we can't be that far away. I think… I think we might actually make it out this time."

Before he could even react, long fingers hooked under his chin and Grimmjow was surging forward. The kiss that found the corner of his lips was quick and soft, but it was so sudden, so unexpected, that it burned like something far more passionate than he'd ever experienced before. Ichigo's features heated up slightly as he stared at the bigger man.

Grimmjow merely grinned and this time it was genuine, not a manic, anger filled expression. It was stunning. Then, blue eyes still locked with brown, he agreed, "I think you're right."

Unwilling to waste too much time, lest they were still in the area when searches began and a crew came to sift through the rubble of the collapse, they didn't rest long. Despite exhaustion from all that they had gone through, they pulled themselves up and once more began the trek through the woods.

When they made it to road Grimmjow had thought he remembered, Ichigo was elated to realize he recognized it. All the time they spent locked in that horrid, maze-like building, and they'd been maybe an hour's drive from where Ichigo had lived by himself, on the very out skirts of the city. And all the time he'd lived there quietly, enjoying a peaceful life with his animals and his writing, he'd never known that there was a hidden facility preforming human experimentation and developing super soldiers for government contractors. He'd never known that innocent people were being destroyed, tortured and remade, or that Grimmjow and the others had even existed.

As they neared the road, making their way down the steep, wooded slope that lead toward the edge of Aizen's territory, Ichigo thought to perhaps flag down a car. He took one look at Grimmjow as he set his feet on level blacktop though, and changed his mind. Covered in dirt and gore and dressed in the all white uniforms Aizen had preferred, they both looked less than friendly. Someone was more likely to call the police than to give them a ride, and at that moment, Ichigo was fairly sure he wasn't alone in not wanting to deal with law enforcement. The last thing they needed was for an officer to attempt to handcuff them and throw them in the back of a cruiser. Grimmjow probably would have torn the car apart to get out, provided the cop could even manage to get him in handcuffs in the first place.

By the time they finally made it to Ichigo's house, hours had passed since their escape. He wasn't entirely sure what he hoped to find, really. The place had been torn up pretty badly from the fight between Grimmjow and Cuatro that night, before Ichigo had dragged his half drugged companion to the car and they'd taken off. After their escape, it had surely been searched by Aizen's men. It wasn't safe, too close to the facility and too obvious should anyone realize they were missing and not dead somewhere in the debris. But Ichigo didn't know where else to go.

Trooping up the steps to the front porch, he winced at the creak of weakened wood, eyes scanning the damage; bullet holes, torn wood and broken windows. He couldn't yet see the inside but it would have to do for now. A night of decent rest, and they could figure out what to do in the morning.

Rubbing at his face, trying to summon the last of his energy, Ichigo took a deep breath and pushed open the door. He was unsurprised to find it wasn't locked. He and Grimmjow hadn't even closed the door on their way out. Cuatro had been damaged, but on their trails anyway.

He frowned and braced himself for what he'd find inside, and didn't put too much thought into the door. Grimmjow crept in behind him, silent as a ghost, quieter than a man his size should have been on rain damaged, weakened wooden floors. Broken glass littered the floor of the room the front door entered into. It crunched under Ichigo's shoes and he looked back to make sure his barefooted companion was alright.

When he looked over his shoulder though, as Grimmjow pushed the door closed behind himself, Ichigo's attention landed on the back of the door. He frowned and turned, moving passed Grimmjow to pull a simple sheet of paper from where it had been carefully tapped to the door.

Written in pretty handwriting was a short, simple note, signed at the bottom by a woman Ichigo had never heard of. Scanning the letter, tears threatened to blur his vision. The woman had been at the diner that day and was one of the few survivors. Among the survivors of the explosion and chaos, an injured Shepard mix with a tag that had his address on it.

After everything that had happened, the stress and fear of their situation, this little bit of good fortune seemed life sustaining. Relief flooded Ichigo's system and it finally hit him that this was really over. Next to the name signed at the bottom of the paper was a number, and Ichigo rushed off to figure out if the power had been cut or if his home line still worked. He had a phone call to make, and part of his family to bring home.

•••••••

Metal tags jangled as the big dog lifted his head from his crossed paws. Ears perked forward and alert, Getsu's dark eyes turned toward the front door. He grumbled a short sound, not quite a growl and no where near aggressive, and Ichigo smiled as he dropped his hand to the dog's head, tangling his fingers in the thick fur along the back of the animal's neck.

Getsu's tail thumped quietly against the floor as the doorknob to the apartment unlatched, and Ichigo gave the dog a final pat as he turned back to his laptop. Out of the few things they'd kept from his old home, his old life, the hard drive with all his writing on it had been among them, but it really didn't matter. He had a new novel to work on.

After hitting send, he closed out of his email, the last chapter of his newest tale on its way to the editor.

Grimmjow closed the door behind himself as he entered, then rounded the dividing wall into the sitting room, where he was unsurprised to find Ichigo and the dog.

Intelligent and well behaved, Zangetsu had learned pretty quickly after being brought home that his master's new companion wasn't fond of him. In the few months the three of them had lived together in the new apartment, Getsu had taken to sitting or laying at Ichigo's side whenever he knew Grimmjow was on his way back after he'd went out, or even if he just left the room and was about to reenter again. At first, the big animal had seemed to be putting himself between the once-soldier and the civilian, like he had when Grimmjow had unexpectedly showed up on Ichigo's doorstep, but it had gradually taken on a different feel. Now it no longer seemed a protective measure, and instead forced Grimmjow into the dog's space whenever he wanted to be near the man he'd grown attached to.

As if cueing in on the big man's unease around him, Getsu had even taken to sitting or laying remarkably still until Grimmjow relaxed. Even then, the dog rarely approached him, letting Grimmjow come to him if the man wanted the animal's attention. It was like the dog was being careful, consciously trying not to come off as aggressive or threatening.

Ichigo liked to joke that it was the dog's way of saying he wasn't going anywhere and that Grimmjow would have to get used to him sooner rather than later. He told Grimmjow nearly everyday, 'he likes you, he wants to be friends.'

Grimmjow was fairly sure that when Ichigo said things like that, it was really just Ichigo trying to tell him to get used to the mutt, but Grimmjow didn't mind so much. The animal was slowly growing on him, and while Getsu was trained and intelligent, Grimmjow was coming to realize that he was nothing like the hounds Aizen had used.

Nearing the chair his companion was seated comfortably in, Grimmjow skirted around the dog at Ichigo's side, but he let his outstretched fingers trail over the dog's lifted snout. Ichigo didn't miss the little touch, nor the extra waggle of Getsu's tail it earned.

He smiled and set his laptop aside, standing as Grimmjow neared him. "Anything this time?" He asked as he looked up at the taller.

Sever blue brows furrowed a bit and Grimmjow shook his head. "No… I'm sure I found the area, but…" Trailing off, he shrugged, "Just vague feelings. I don't really remember any of it."

The corner of Ichigo's lips tugged downward. Closing the short distance between them, he wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's waist. "I'm sorry…"

With a small sigh, the once-soldier only hesitated a short moment before he relaxed into the affectionate embrace. "It doesn't matter," He told Ichigo, his voice a low rumble, as his hands worked up the backs of Ichigo's arms, then wound tight around Ichigo's shoulders. "I don't need any of that anymore."

Aizen had remade him, turned him into a monster, a killer. Aizen had made him dangerous, but Ichigo was teaching him to be human again.

•••

While hard to believe and fantastical, the contents of this book are based on true events. To protect the identities of those involved, names, locations and dates have been changed.

Introduction.

There's an old tale, a lore from ancient days long past. It speaks of fait etched into chance encounters. In Chinese culture, it's said that a red string attaches two people together, creating an unbreakable bond. No matter how tangled the string becomes, it will never fail, never break, and in the end, the two tied together by fate will meet. I think about that a lot these days, but I'll let you decide.

It all started on an average day, or night rather. I sat much as I do now, with my laptop nearby and tales of wild adventure running untempered through my mind, just waiting to be put down on figurative paper. Lightening turned night into day and storm clouds gathered on the dark horizon. With them, they would bring more than rain….

With them, they would bring something dangerous.

The end of Dangerous. It feels good to mark another of my older ones off the list. XD

Thoughts?