I don't own Bleach.

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Rain pelted the metal and tin roof of the darkly colored pick up truck. Grimmjow leaned back into the back seat, his nose crinkling at the smell of whatever the truck's owner had dared let into the vehicle. Whatever it was smelled aweful. He didn't dare try to guess what it was. At the moment, it didn't matter. He was far more worried about the truck's owner. Hanto was one of his lower men and was also, aparently, in the pocket of someone else. Grimmjow was really hoping that he was wrong about this but his sources were amazingly good at what they did and there really was no way they were wrong. That was the exact damn reason he had decided to take the matter into his own hands. He had taken the truck and was waiting for the guy to show up. He was holding a thin wire in his hands, ready for when the driver door was opened by whomever was there.

His heart began to rabbit when the door opened to reveal Hanto. The poor idiot was soaked to the bone from the rain and panting as he rubbed his damp hands together for warmth. Water dripped off the ends of his black hair and eye lashes. Grimmjow nearly began to pity him when he remembered why he was even there in the first place. As soon as the door closed, Grimmjow had the wire around Hanto's throat. The man gagged and struggled against it, his noises turning into gurgles.

"Hanto, Hanto, Hanto," Grimmjow hissed. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out about Takano paying you?" He shook his head as he chuckled darkly.

"B-boss!" Hanto choked. "I-I can e-explain!"

Grimmjow glared and tightened the wire. "I don't really want an explination as to why you're selling me out. I want to know if it's true or not from you personally. That way, I don't have to kill blindly. Now talk!"

Hanto slowed his struggling and panted slowly. His eyes were wide with terror. He had not expected this to happen. He had hoped whoever had stolen his car was just a lowlife thug with nothing better to do but no. It just had to be Grimmjow Jeagerjaques in the fucking flesh didn't it? He licked his lips and started slowly.

"I wasn't selling you out," he half lied. This whole thing had started out as an honest veture only to end up as a trechery. "I wanted to find that thief for you Boss. I swear that's all I wanted to do!"

"But the money was too good huh? Takano really wanted to know about me didn't he?" The wire that had been given some slack so Hanto could speak tightened once again. Hanto startedd struggling anew whie Grimmjow glared at him with disgust. "Stop struggling. It never helps."

"One would think not," a soft voice growled by the windows. Grimmjow's heart nearly stopped when he recognized it. Takano. Damn. When the hell he get here? Grimmjow glanced to the side to find the barrel of a gun pointing at him. His grip on the wire loosened as he thought about wether or not he could duck fast enough to avoid being hit. He knew very well however that Takno would not give up and would shoot again and again until he was dead.

"What are you doing here Takano?" Grimmjow growled as he turned his gaze back to the windshield.

"I gave Hanto a ride up here. When he didn't come down immediately, I came up here to see why. I found you. Now, I will kill you for being in the way." Grimmjow heard the hammer be pulled back by Takano's thumb and breathed in slowly through his nose. If he survived this, Tess would kill him.

"Tell me one thing Takano," Grimmjow said calmly. He was amazed at how clam he sounded. He couldn't believe that it was himself he heard. If this was what an out of body experience was like, then he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. It had come at a really inconvienent time after all.

"What?"

"What was he giving you?"

"Hanto was telling me your weaknesses. In return for information on someone of course."

"Who?"

"A certain orange haired thief. One he claims was the reason you have become soft."

Grimmjow suddenly felt the urge to tighten the wire around Hanto's neck so tightly that he slit through the skin and muscle and bone. Hanto had dared to call him weak and even if he noticed it was true, he wasn't about to let anyone think that way of him. Takano could go fuck himself for all Grimmjow cared. He wasn't weak. He wasn't at all weak! Yes, he had fallen for someone whose heart he broke into thousands of shards but that didn't make him weak. He loved that man like no one else but that didn't make him weak. He wanted to find that man more than anything in the world but that didn't make him weak. He wanted nothing more than to have that man back in his arms but that didn't make him weak. As far as Grimmjow was concerned, he was not weak for loving someone. He was stupid to have thought pushing them awaay would have kept them closer. He understood he had been an idiot and had accepted it for the past six years. He still wore the locket on his neck and at that very moment as he waited for Takano to pull the trigger he was resisting the urge to touch it. He wasn't going to let Takano think Hanto was right. He would never let that happen.

"It's not nice to point guns," soft voice chimed. Grimmjow glimpsed Takano's head move to the side only to jerk back almost painfully. With the moevement backward came the sound of a scilencer on a simple hand gun. Grimmjow blinked in time to see the gun slide to the side and point at Hanto. Hanto for all his credit jerked away from the gun, the wire slicing into his skin slightly. He recoiled into the seat only to be in the path of a bullet from the stranger.

Grimmjow's hands let go of the wire automatically and he tried to get his breathing back to normal. He couldn't believe it. His hands were sweating prfusely. HIs breathing was hitched and uncontroled. He felt his hand go for the locket under his shirt as if to make sure it was still there. He found himself sighing thankfully when he felt the comforting oval shape in his palm even if it was through his shirt. It was there. He was okay. Tess would kill him when he got back but at the moment he didn't care. Holy shit. Who the hell just-.

"Jeeze, you've gotten jumpy since I left," the voice said, a chuckle propelling it past the deafening rain. Grimmjow glanced up to find a nearly nondescript silouette of a person in the rain. He licked his lips as he crawled out of the car. The rain was freezing and Grimmjow felt his limbs go numb almost instantly. As he continued to recover from the initial shell shock, he tripped over Takano's body. Given the distance the stranger was standing from Takano let alone the truck, Grimmjow was suprised at how accurate and precise the shot had been. Glancing at Hanto, Grimmjow found the same precision. He could use someone like that in his gang.

"Wow King!" a new voice called. Grimmjow found himself shivering anew from the eriee sound of the newest voice. That couldn't be natural. "You got 'em good! Nice shootin'!"

"King?" Grimmjow asked. That nickname. He hadn't heard it in such a long time. Not since...He shook his head. No way. It couldn't be him.

"Glad ta know we came all tha way ou' 'ere fer pretty much nothin' King," the new voice conitnued. "Did ya half ta kill 'em?"

The silouette nodded as it inspected its gun. The new figure chuckled as it waltzed up to Grimmjow. The teal haired man's breath hitched again when his azul eyes fell on the pale mirror image before him. The same lithe body, the same slim hands with long fingers, the same damned height even! Everything about this person was exactly the same save for the pale skin that was almost translucent against the off white clothes he wore, the pale silvery hair, the eriee gold irises in a sea of black, and the voice. The accent was another thing entirely. Who was this asshole?

"Holy cow King! Ya've gotten better than me!" the albino called to his companion, a Joker-like smile spreading over his features. Grimmjow somehow managed to get the locket out from under the shirt and was holding it tightly in one hand as he watched the albino move. Even the movements were the same! The hairstyle and even the clothing style was the same. A white wife beater with a pair of white jeans, and black shoes were topped off by the gold peircings in the man's ears, brow, and bottom lip. A black leather band wrapped around the man's left wrist and was paired with two black rings on the same hand. a thin one on the ring finger and a thinker one on his middle finger. It looked like a class ring to Grimmjow. A custom made one by the looks of it. Grimmjow was tempted to find out where the albino had gone to school just to see if he could find any connection to the one the albino mirrored.

"Yer starin' Blue," the albino stated, his face right in Grimmjow's. Grimmjow jumped backward, his eyes wide and one hand swatting at the pale mirror image. The albino laughed. "King! I think I scared 'im!"

"Do shut up Hichigo," the silouette sighed. "Of course you've scared him. I doubt he was expecting a look alike of mine."

"Aw King yer mean!" The albino glanced back at Grimmjow and chuckled. "We takin' 'im home wit' us or na?"

The silouette's head came up long enough to maybe look at both the albino and Grimmjow. It went back down and Grimmjow barely heard the soft affirmative. The figure began to walk off and the albino chuckled again. The chuckle slowed to a stop and the albino's features looked murderous. Grimmjow felt his blood run cold as the albino began to straighten the collar of his coat.

"I don't know what ya did ta King but Just so ya know, I don't like you," he growled. His hands gripped onto the coat tightly and pulled Grimmjow's face down to his own pale one. "King's mine now. Hurt 'im again and I will be the least of your worries."

The albino let go with a soft shove and waltzed after the figure. Grimmjow stumbled after them both, his mind reeling from everything that was happening. The car the two owned was a Jeep Liberty painted silver. Grimmjow was about to climb into the back when the albino snarled at him to sit in the passenger seat. He was about to ask when he noticed the back seat was covered by something. He found out it was someone really. He didn't look back to see the figure even though he was more than curious. He stayed quiet the entire way to Tess' bar. He was suprised they were there. How did this man know about the bar? Was he one of her students?

"Oh Tess! Look who King an' I found!" the albino called after basically kicking the door open. Grimmjow felt his eyes widen when he saw Tess pop up from behind her bar, her color changing eyes wide and her mouth dropped.

"Oh my fucking god!" she gasped, a hand flying to cover her mouth. "King!"

Grimmjow felt a breeze rush past him followed by a soft grunt from behind him. The albino was laughing softly. Turning, Grimmjow found Tess hugging someone around the waist, her face buried in their chest. Her shoulders were rising and falling rapidly and the soft sobs Grimmjow could hear only made him feel like an ass. The man she was hugging however had him worried. He wore black from head to toe, all of his clothes casual dress clothes. His head however made him want to scream. It was bright orange with casual spikes near the top, the back and the bangs slightly grown out from the last time Grimmjow saw them. The man also had silver peircings in his ears and snake bites on his bottom lip. Despite the time spent a part, Grimmjow recognized him automatically.

Ichigo.

Ichigo sank into a booth with a sigh. Six years had been a long time yes but obviously, it hadn't been long enough. As soon as he had set eyes on Grimmjow, he had felt all of the feelings come rushing back. His heart thudded in his chest while constricting at the same time. He had begun to suddenly feel thirsty and hungry, like he had been stranded somewhere without food or water for months. He had begun to sweat as memories he had hoped long gone returned and stabbed into him repeatedly. He felt tears that had been long since dried out sting his eyes and suddenly he couldn't control his breathing functions at all. He had been lucky too. Lucky his twin brother Hichigo had been with him when they spotted Grimmjow stealing the truck. He had been lucky Hichigo knew what was wrong and had quickly pulled him into the back seat and held him tightly. He understood how lucky he had been to not loose himself completely to the feelings he was having when he realized that the truck was one he had used once as a get away car with Hanto.

He had never thought that two hours back in Karakura would drag him back into Grimmjow's life in such a way. He had never dreamed it would happen like that. He had no idea that Grimmjow was planning something until Hichigo came back from what had been a quick stop at Tess' place. His pale twin had said something about the teal haired man being an idiot and Ichigo nearly lost it. He knew how good Grimmjow's sources were and had known to never doubt them. He had insisted to Hichigo that they had to follow Takano and help Grimmjow. Hichigo had been skeptical of course but he had been the one Ichigo had run to six years ago. Ichigo had actually wanted to return to his old life slowly after his conversation with Tess and Hichigo was as close to retired as a theif could get without being like Tess, dead, or worse - actually retired. He had no way of knowing he would end up saving Grimmjow the way he did. Ichigo had always hated using guns - he saw them as a crutch for someone who should never be able to hold one in their entire lives. Now, he had killed two people with one. All for the life of the man who had broken his heart.

Tess was thankfully someone Ichigo could feel relaxed around even if Grimmjow was in the same room. The teal haired man was staring at him in recognition and Ichigo felt blood pool to places he had hoped it never would again if he ever saw the man again. God damn his feelings for the teal haired devil. Hichigo was sending a secret glare to Grimmjow as Tess hugged the life out of him, her sobs sounding heart wrenching to Ichigo's ears.

"Do you know how worried I was about you?" Tess screeched. Ichigo glanced down to meet her tear filled eyes and felt his heart caving inward on itself.

"I can only guess Tess. I'm sorry I stayed away for so long this time," he said.

"Don't you dare do it again jerk," she said as she whiped her eyes clean and walked over to her bar. "Thirsty Ichi? Hichi? Grimmjow?"

"Starved too Tessa!" Hichigo chimed as he chased after her. "King and I haven't eaten yet either! Ya should feed us!"

Grimmjow watched the two walk off together before looking back at Ichigo. The orange haired man glanced at him as well, his eyes cold and almost unfeeling. Just like when Grimmjow first met him. Grimmjow felt himself heat up, his only desire at that very moment being the one to shove the Orange haired theif against a wall and devor him. Grimmjow wanted it more than anything.

"What were you clutching so desperately?" Ichigo asked suddenly. Grimmjow blinked at him as Ichigo noticed he was really and truly interested. It wasn't just his unwarrented feelings screaming at him to at the very least make conversation. No. He wanted to know what the teal haired man had been holding onto on that hill so desperately.

Grimmjow scowled at the orange haired man. "I should be asking the questions here. Not you."

Ichigo bit back a sigh as he felt himself melting as he heard Grimmjow's voice again. Everything within him was screaming to just let Grimmjow ask questions nd to just answer them.

"Then ask," he blurted. He watched Grimmjow swallow hard. He could only guess how Grimmjow felt at that moment.

Grimmjow growled inwardly at himself for his reactions. Ichigo's voice was affecting him so badly and he couldn't stand it. God, he just wanted to touch the other man so badly. Truthfully, he had not expected Ichigo to allow him to ask what he wanted and now that he could, his voice suddenly didn't want to work with him.

"Where...Where did you go?"

"Here and there. One town after another."

"How about some specifics?"

"Tokyo, Hokaido, Kyoto, etcetera."

Grimmjow grit his teeth together. "Who the hell is that...guy you're with?"

"My brother. Hichigo Kurosaki. He's one of Tess' like me but he went off on his own years ago. He always kept in contact with the family though."

"Family?" Grimmjow had never met Ichigo's family.

"Yeah. My sisters and my dad."

"You...never..."

"Never talked about them? There was no reason to. That, and I couldn't afford to drag them back into a world Dad wanted to leave behind for my sisters' sakes." Ichigo watched Grimmjow have an internal battle over the news. He really knew nothing of Ichigo other than what Tess had given him and whatever Ichigo had bothered to tell him. Ichigo felt his heart tighten while beating so damned fast again and he couldn't take it anymore. He turned and walked away to see what Tess and Hichigo were concocting.

"You left before I could explain things to you," Grimmjow said softly. Ichigo stopped dead.

"What was there to explain? You didn't have feelings for me anymore and threw the old toy out with the rest of the garbage. What was there to explain to me Grimmjow?" Oh god! Even saying his name fucking hurts!

"I did it to protect you damn it!"

"Protect me from what? Your ego?"

"From people who wanted me dead back then!" Grimmjow bellowed. "People who would have stopped at nothing to get to me. People who knew about you and my relationship with you! People who were willing to do anything to you just so I might fall into their hands long enough to be killed! People who would have tortured or would have killed you to get to me!"

Ichigo stood stifly, refusing to look back. He didn't want to look back. It was as if, if he looked back, he would never be able to recover. He would never be free from those strong arms and those peircing blue eyes. I wanted nothing more than to get the hell away from this man but he also wanted that same man to hold him close again.

"Bullshit!" he yelled back, his defense mechanisms kicking into high gear. He clenched his hands into tight fists. "You said it yourself. You never cared. It was all meaningless to you. It was all fake and I meant nothing to you other than a fleeting interest. Did I quote you well enough?"

"Damn it Ichigo! I was lying! I thought it would be best to distance us, that you would be safer if you weren't seen as so close to me that you were so damned important to me that you would be the only way for me to be lured!"

"Again I say bullshit! You're even proving it now! It's all about how you didn't want to be lured by people having me in their hands. You didn't want to sacrifice yourself!"

"Do you not hear what I'm trying to say? I didn't want something to happen to you! I wanted you to stay safe and if that meant leaving you, I would do it! When you snuck into my house that night, I wanted to have you again so badly!"

Ichigo stayed silent, his hands beginning to shake. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't want to believe what Grimmjow was saying. If he did, it meant he had left for nothing and that he had tried to push those feelings that were eating him up aside for nothing.

"You...I would have forgiven - have forgiven - your taking my finances. I don't care about those as much as waht you did take."

Ichigo felt his heart tighten agian, this time impossibly tighter.

"Those pictures...you hve no idea how much I treaured those pictures do you Ichigo?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo screamed. "Please...just shut...up. God just stop." He hugged his arms around himself as he tried to breathe normally again. Grimmjow's arms grabbed him and spun him around to face him head on.

"No. I won't. I lost you once. I'm not doing it again! Damn it Ichigo! I love you! I...I won't let your brother or anythig else take you away from me again!" Grimmjow yelled as he shook Ichigo gently but firmly. "I refuse to."

"You never cared," Ichigo wimpered. "Why act like you do now?"

Grimmjow growled. "You want to know what I was holding on the hill?" He waited as Ichigo nodded cautiously. He pointed to his neck. "Look."

Ichigo's eyes fell on the locket and widened. No way. He...he's wearing it? He...he held onto it this long?

"I took it out of the frame and haven't taken it off since," Grimmjow eplained. "Then you were gone and it was like I could never take it off or else I'd ose the last thing I had to remember you by."

Ichigo swallowed. "You...You haven't gotten rid of it?" Grimmjow shook his head.

"And I'm not getting rid of you either Ichigo," Grimmjow said calmly. He bent down, pulling Ichigo closer to himself. He pressed their lips together slowly. He wanted his theif back but he didn't want to rush either. Ichigo moaned softly and began to beg for entrance. That was all Grimmjow needed.

"I thought you said you didn't like him Hichi."

"Nah. If King's happy, I don;t really care all that much."

"I'm suprised at you. One would think you of all people would do everything in your power to have stopped Ichigo from helping Grimmjow."

"Even if I had tied King up, 'e wouldda found a way out."

"True. I taught you two well."

"That ya did Sensei."

"Are you going to do anything about this?"

"Nah. Ta tell the truth, as much as I wan' King fer ma-self, I can' see him wit' anyone bu' Blue."

"So you don't mind?"

"I mind. I'm tolerant."

"What a good Horse you make."

"Ya know it."

Thanks to all who asked for a sequel.