A/N: Would you believe it if I said this is my first GrimmIchi fic ever? Perhaps not. But it actually is. I've read loads of GrimmIchi, but damn this is the first time I'm getting the courage to write one. Anyway, this is an AU of sorts. It sticks to canon up to a point (where Ichigo bids goodbye to his powers and is a normal human), but then diverges completely.

This is the first chapter of several, and because I don't want to waste time with trivial details like what Ichigo had for lunch or what homework he was given or how lovely the cat's fur was (what cat? lol you will know as you read) or what shoes Ishida was wearing, this first chapter may seem rushed. Think of it as a prologue, but not really a prologue.

I'm going to be as quick with updates as possible. I'm so excited to write this fic! And I hope you guys will be as happy to read it.

I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (Tite Kubo does) but damn I wish I did. Oh well. And hey, I'm not mentioning this every chapter. This is the disclaimer for the whole story.

Protector
Chapter 1: Sehnsucht

"IIIIIIchiiiiiig – ow!"

"Yo, Ichigo."

"Kurosaki-kun! Good morning!"

The aforementioned Ichigo Kurosaki smiled at the two people in front of him, and spared a look at the third friend, who was currently caught in a lock. "Hey Mizuiro, Inoue." He let his arm free and his friend fell down to the ground with a much-exaggerated groan. "Yo, Keigo. Don't spend all morning on the floor." he added, as he walked into class.

"Ichigo! You're still so distant these days! What happened to our friendshi…." Keigo's voice became indistinguishable as Ichigo pushed the sliding door shut, walking directly to his preferred seat by the window. Ishida glanced at him from behind his book on sewing techniques, and Tatsuki grinned from the back of the class where she was holding Chizuru back from pouncing on Orihime.

In other words, it was a completely normal morning in Karakura High School. As normal as things could get in the little town; perhaps even more normal than usual.

Karakura Town's threshold of normality was different from that of most towns, and that was obvious to most people living there. Nearly every day there would be a report of mysterious sounds, or sudden crashes, or distant wails which some people claimed to hear from nowhere. To most normal residents, it was creepy, frightening even. To a small minority, it was everyday business to hear these reports, and these special few would take care of any visible concerns in the town. Visible to them, at least – not necessarily everyone else.

Exactly 17 months ago, the town had known true devastation for the first time, when the Shinigami of Soul Society were forced to defend it from the exploits of the Arrancar and the traitorous Aizen Sosuke, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tosen. Successful they were, but only by a hair's breadth, so to speak, and only because Ichigo Kurosaki had been there to bring an abrupt end to the battle with his formidable powers as a Substitute Shinigami, at the cost of losing them all.

Today, Ichigo Kurosaki was seventeen months older, and only had the badge to prove that he had once been the person around whom great battles had been fought. He was just another normal high school senior now, and the world of the Shinigami was closed to him once more. This time, perhaps forever.

He wasn't really sure what to make of that. Perhaps he had realized his unspoken dream of being just another person who could blend into the crowd. But he couldn't protect his friends and family effectively any more. Now they were the ones protecting him.

Maybe he wanted something to upset the still waters and add some color to his life. He looked almost despondently at the sky from outside the window, as if expecting a portal to open, or for something to fall out of the sky to give him some more hope, but nothing whatsoever happened. He was faced with a lovely, brilliant blue on that cloudless day.

"Kurosaki!"

He snapped his head back to the front of the class and was confronted by Ochi-sensei's frustrated visage, rapping on the blackboard. "Concentrate in class, will you!" He didn't so much as hear what she said afterward. She was teaching Shakespeare, and he knew it back to front - he had read it so many times.

Almost absentmindedly, he slipped a hand into his bag and drew out the little wooden badge with a simple black skull on it, tilting it this way and that, almost expecting it to beep and signal a Hollow somewhere. Maybe if he was still a Shinigami, he'd be running over to the Hollow by now.

Almost as if reality had decided to echo his thoughts that day, Ishida stood up quickly, pushing his glasses up his nose. Wow, so there really is a Hollow. Heh. His thoughts immediately flitted to Karin and Yuzu as he saw Ishida run down the hallway, Ochi-sensei's voice admonishing him, but knew Ishida wouldn't let anything happen. He could trust his friends, at the very least.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Again?

Almost irritated, he looked back up and saw not Ochi-sensei's, but Inoue's face in front of him, perplexed. "Eh, Kurosaki-kun, it's lunch time already, did you forget?" His face softened as he replied, "No, I'll just be there, Inoue, you head on with Tatsuki." She smiled brightly in response and was about to skip away, but stopped after going a few feet ahead. "Kurosaki-kun...you've been looking really distracted these days. Is - is something wrong?"

His eyes widened momentarily. Trust Inoue to ask questions like these exactly when he felt under the weather; it was unsettling at times and welcoming at others. This time, though, he wasn't sure whether he felt anything at all, but he managed to force a smile and say, "Nah, I was just thinking. Go on, I'll be there soon."

She gave him a look that said 'Well, alright' and looked like she was about to say something else, but almost suddenly, a bright smile was back on her face and she said, "Don't be too late, ok?" before running away to join Tatsuki, who was outside the class waiting for her. He could hear her asking, "What took you so long?" and Orihime's nervous "eheheheh" came in response. She passed Ichigo a questioning look as she walked down the hallway, but he decided not to trouble his childhood friend with the details.

It seemed like an eternity that he sat there, thinking of nothing in particular, just needing some time alone to process everything that had happened 17 months ago. It felt like he could never reminisce enough, like he always needed to sit down and think 'what do I do now?' He honestly didn't know the answer to that question. For now, everything was just part of a never-ending routine – wake up, go to school, go to work, return home for dinner, do homework, and sleep with conflicted dreams. Insert interactions with people into that equation, and that explained his day. He wondered how he had managed to get through so many months of that drudgery.

Once again, his eyes drifted to the clear blue of the sky, and he felt that if he stared at it, he might feel a bit better, a bit calmer for a while. Indeed, the best thing to calm all the voices of restlessness inside his head was either to offer them a welcome distraction, or to engage himself in activity, and right now he chose to distract.

If there was wind, it would have sent the coarse white sand flying. But there wasn't any wind there, and the sand lay completely still, as did the air. There wasn't a single sound to be heard in that quietest of deserts.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The fragile silence was rent apart by the muffled sounds coming from nearly a mile away. A draught of wind swept across the sand, the grains momentarily being whisked into the air and then quickly settling back.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The intervals between the sounds were smaller now, and the sound itself was deeper. From a distance, a sharp-eyed observer could see sand being kicked up in the distance. All of a sudden, there was a rasping roar.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Nearly five dark forms appeared to be approaching, and from the increasing sound, at a great speed. They were probably running, or considering the place, they were likely to be fleeing from someone or something. Another of the roars, and the sand was disturbed again. The tranquil, almost peaceful night was suddenly one where the reishi-laden air pulsed with the panic and distress emanating from the forms, which were now identifiable as Adjuchas, hurtling through the sand at an incredible speed, their movement indistinguishable to humans. The crooked trees which interspersed the desert were trampled down in the stampede.

Behind these roaring, animalistic creatures, a smaller, more sculpted form followed, and it was almost immediately noticeable that it ran at a faster speed than the escaping Adjuchas. An astute observer would say its silhouette was that of a well-built man with a shock of hair and considerably loose, flowing clothes. The man growled and raised his palm, whispering a word that was lost in the howling of the sand, and a red blast of energy incinerated the Adjuchas as they ran, their final screams lost in the sound of the blast itself. The man came to a halt and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. This man was the Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

Well, only the lingering tattoo on his back was any indication of that. Aizen was gone, and so was his stupid hierarchy designating who was stronger and weaker. As if anyone was stronger than him. He spat on the ground. Tch, useless Hollows. They weren't even worth a good fight. When he was an Adjuchas he wasn't a pansy coward; he leapt and pounced and devoured anyone who so much as dared to challenge him. These new Hollows were all worthless, a waste of his time. Why did he even think about challenging him? They were too weak to even be called practice.

He stopped and surveyed the surroundings. One would wonder why Grimmjow spent so much time fighting nearly everyone he came across, even when he wasn't being challenged. But he had a score to settle, a fight to finish, and he was itching to get it started, itching to win. He wouldn't tolerate anyone just stamping over his dignity and considering him someone to pity. He wasn't someone who would allow shit like that, people thinking he was weak. He was never weak. He would never be weak. He was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, and he was the king of Hueco Mundo.

Instinctively, as he thought of his opponent, he snarled. This time there would be only one victor, and that victor would be him. Let's see how well-honed Ichigo Kurosaki's powers were now. He must have not even practiced, thinking that everything was over now that that bastard Aizen was dealt with. Well, he'd be getting a surprise, then. Grimmjow loved surprise attacks.

He simply couldn't wait to get his hands on him. Not anymore. It had been seventeen whole months of practice and waiting.

With much crackling, an endless void opened before him. He leapt into the Garganta he had opened and swiftly made his way across the inter-dimensional space that separated him from his much-deserved fight. In the real world, there was more crackling, and the Garganta opened its large mouth in the sky. Grimmjow slowed his pace and leisurely stepped out of the void, inhaling the air which smelled of weak, useless souls. Somewhere in that midst, Kurosaki was hiding, probably completely unaware of the great fight that would ensue.

"Here I come, Kurosaki!" he growled with barely hidden eagerness, exposing his teeth in a feral smile. Vengeance would be so sweet.

It was evening now. School was long since out, and Orihime was only just skipping out of the bakery, basket full of bread in one hand and a box with a big cake in it in the other. She had had such a great time at work today! Her boss had allowed everyone to try their hand at baking a cake of their own creation. She hadn't ever been too good at baking cakes, but she was sure she got the hang of it today. She wished she could share it with her friends, but she was afraid she wouldn't have gotten it as perfect as she would have wanted to.

After handing over the bread to Ishida-kun (because she had already given Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun bread in the past week), she would go shopping for some new ingredients that would make her cake even better. The bakery didn't have all of those, which was too bad, but the big cake she would bake the next week, she would make sure to put in all those.

It was going to be a lovely chocolate cake for Kurosaki-kun's birthday! She was so excited. Everyone was planning a big party for him and she still hadn't bought him a present. She wondered what to give him that he would like. Maybe she could give him the new Tekken game that was out! Or… tickets to a concert! Or some books that he would like. Kurosaki-kun acted all the same after he had lost his powers, but he looked so desolate that she could feel it within herself…she really wanted to cheer him up. She really hoped he would become his usual self on his birthday.

She was close to Ishida-kun's house now, so she slowed her pace a little. There was a little starved cat on the side of the road. It was all white, and had piercing, needy eyes that longed for food. It was probably too hungry to even move. She felt really sorry for it and stopped, watching it for a while. Maybe she could feed it some bread? She drew a small roll from the basket and nimbly tiptoed over the cat. It meowed when she approached, and she giggled and broke the roll into several small pieces, placing them slowly before it and watching its actions with amused eyes. It deftly drew one in with its paw and snapped it up, and then another. She probably had to give it another roll; it seemed ravenous. Perhaps she should bring extra rolls next time!

It meowed at her. It was already done with this one. She picked another small one from the basket and was about to hand it to the cat, when her skin prickled unpleasantly.

Immediately she dropped the roll, the cake and the basket and jumped up, hands raised. She knew exactly what that prickling meant – new reiatsu. Unwelcome reiatsu. Her breathing automatically quickened and her eyes darted around. She was ready to run, fight or defend, whatever the situation called for. She wondered if Ishida-kun had felt it too. And Sado-kun.

For a small while, the prickling continued, and she frowned. Where is this coming from? Who is it? It's not an ordinary Hollow. She considered putting up Santen Kesshun, but decided that was probably unnecessary seeing as she didn't even know what the threat was. Maybe it wasn't even a threat; maybe it was just some new Shinigami she didn't know. When nothing happened, she straightened up, and picked up the basket and the cake, leaving the cat clawing at some of the rolls that had fallen down due to the impact. Suspiciously and cautiously, she continued walking to Ishida-kun's house, looking around carefully, when there was an ominous crackle.

She knew that sound all too well. Whipping around immediately, she looked up at the sky and saw the Garganta slowly split the seamless blue sky with an expanding black void. In the center of the void stood a lone figure, whose identity she wasn't so sure of, until the reiatsu washed over her like an oncoming tide, suffocating her with the shock and the memories it produced in her rather than its pressure. A-Aren't you supposed to be dead? She immediately had images of being gagged, bound and powerless; being tossed on the ground; her throat being grasped so roughly she couldn't so much as budge. All she knew with this person was suffocation and fear. Grimmjow!

He stepped forward. His reiatsu was tingling with anticipation – for what she didn't know yet, but she knew that he had some sort of personal vendetta with Kurosaki-kun…oh no! Kurosaki-kun was virtually powerless now! If she went now and tried to save him, she might be too late, and she definitely wouldn't be able to stand up to his power; she had to be practical. The cake, the basket – all of it was on the ground, and those didn't matter now. She had to get support and get Grimmjow out of Karakura Town now. Turning around, she instinctively ran to Ishida-kun's house with all the energy she could muster, but bumped almost immediately into someone who caught her arms before she could fall backward.

"Inoue-san! Are you alright?" It was Ishida-kun, oh thank goodness for his arrival! She didn't have to waste any more time looking for him too. He must have already sensed the danger, and the strain was evident in his voice, as if every moment wasted in talking was an eternity. She felt the same.

"I-Ishida-kun…" she panted, desperation evident in her voice, "It's the Espada that Kurosaki-kun fought. Grimmjow. I think he's looking for Kurosaki-kun again, but I don't know if we're enough to fight him. What do we do?" She said all this very fast; Ishida could hear the tension in her voice. He was worried himself, even if he didn't show it.

"Inoue-san, right now, let's just hurry there before we worry about whether we can face him or not." He didn't know the extent of the Espada's power. I hope my training helps. Then again, he could have trained as well. Why must he come now! He gritted his teeth and began to run. "Inoue-san, come! Let's make it before anything happens." She nodded in consent, trying to quiet her racing mind, sweat beading on her forehead. Kurosaki-kun! Please be safe!

Ichigo stopped for a minute on the roadside, wiping the sweat (and evident irritation) off his forehead. The boxes in his arms weighed a ton, and why the hell did he have to carry these for some old geezer who was moving house? Damn that Unagiya, couldn't she keep her clients a bit closer to home… he balanced the boxes in his arms again and swiftly strode over to the side street where the client was supposed to be, endeavoring to get the job done as quickly as he could and get home. Hopefully that woman didn't drag him back and push him out into the streets for more work.

Elsewhere, Orihime and Ishida were frantically searching for him, his location almost impossible to trace due to him having little to no distinguishable reiryoku. Right now, he was just another ordinary human…and any latent abilities were all deep below the surface.

Kurosaki-kun…where are you?
Kurosaki, you'd better be somewhere we can find you right now!
Heh, Kurosaki, you don't know what you've got coming!

A/N: So this was the first chapter! Review, please, I'd like to know these bags under my eyes from staying up late planning out this fic aren't all for nothing…