Archive of Our Own

July 29, afternoon

"We're home!"

"Kurosaki, do you always have to be so loud?!"

Grimmjow growls near his left ear and pushes him against the wall. Ichigo hisses and pokes him in the shoulder with the same ferocity with which Arrancar had pushed him against the wall a few seconds earlier. Grimmjow smiles, the corner of his mouth on the side where there is no jaw turning high.

I love that maniacal smile. 

“What are you looking at?” Arrancar snorts and walks past him, heading straight for the kitchen.

Ichigo blushes furiously. He lowers his head so low that his forehead almost touches the floor and takes off his shoes. He places them next to Grimmjow's shoes and takes a few shallow, quick breaths.

“Are you still such a jerk?”

Ichigo squeals and almost jumps. Karin is standing in front of him - he didn't even realize when she arrived! – with a bored look on his face. She has his new football at hand. He clears his throat and nods at the ball. "Are you leaving?"

Karin smirks. “Yes, but I'll stay a while to watch you squirm.”

Shinigami feels his face turn even redder. “I'm not squirming!” He forcibly throws out of his head the erotic image of squirming that comes to his mind when he hears words about squirming. His mind flashes images of him writhing beneath Espada's body.

“It's free entertainment; watching you make a fool of yourself.” Karin's cheeky smile grows. "I don't know how it's possible that Arrancar-san didn't realize what was going on..."

Ichigo leaps towards Kain and closes her mouth with his hand. "Quiet! Do you want him to hear?! He has an excellent hearing."

Karin slaps his hand away. "Yuzu keeps him busy talking." His sister's eyebrows go up, almost to her hair. He looks at Ichigo carefully. Ichigo looks away. It's fucking embarrassing to be honest.

"What are you looking at?" He knows full well what his sister is looking at, but the tactic of playing dumb might work once again.

“Did he try to eat you?” Karin snorts quietly with laughter.

Ichigo rolls his eyes. Of course, the tactics didn't work. Karin noticed the marks on his neck. Red marks, stained with blood, mar his neck. Four tooth marks decorate his neck like a necklace. The red welts sting incredibly with every movement.

"These are battle marks." He mumbles quietly. He passes by his sister, shaking her head in pity. He hears him muttering something about brother who is idiot. 

Thanks to these tooth marks, Grimmjow won today's fight. During the fight, Grimmjow suddenly reached for his neck, teeth bared. Ichigo was only a second late in dodging. Grimmjow's fangs left only a reddened mark.

Every time Espada came within a hair's breadth of his skin, Ichigo's body began to go crazy. His heart was beating so hard that he could feel it in his throat, and his blood was boiling in his body. The smell of sand and sweat distracted him. The man's presence was distracting, stimulating his body in a way that was not wanted during a fight.

He walks into the kitchen, ignoring his sister, but hears her footsteps behind him. Just thinking about her sarcastic comments makes me feel resigned.

In the kitchen, Grimmjow sits contentedly at a table behind a barrier with plates of food. Arrancar devours with satisfaction on his face - there is no other way to call it; devouring in the most predatory way - steak, prepared by Yuzu. A soft growl escapes Espada's throat. Like a big cat that devours its newly hunted prey.

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu's scolding voice makes Ichigo wince slightly. "Why didn't you tell me that Grimmjow-san came with you?"

The Substitute Shinigami sits resignedly at the table, opposite the Catlike-Arrancar, who now pays no attention to him at all.

"There's a malfunction, Urahara broke something and the Garganta can't open and has to wait a while."

He speaks matter-of-factly, slowly brings his hand to Espada's plate and steals a piece of baked vegetable from it, he think it's a carrot. Grimmjow's one eye watches him with hostility. He only lets up when he sees Ichigo stealing a vegetable from his plate. Shinigami is always full of admiration for his hunting skills. Well, Grimmjow is a cat, cats eat meat. As long as he steals vegetables and fruits from Espada's plate (but only some! For example, you can't steal peaches and watermelon, otherwise you're guaranteed to get your hand bitten) everything is fine. Apart from Ichigo, no one has ever dared to steal so blatantly from his plate.

“You could have called! I would prepare more food, and now…”

"It's okay Yuzu, I'm not hungry." He smiles. He's now stealing a piece of baked potato. Grimmjow's eyebrows furrow, Ichigo smiles and puts the stolen meal into his mouth. Karin kicks him in the ankle. There's that nasty smile on her face again. Ichigo barely manages to swallow a piece of potato.

"Grimmjow-san, would you like a piece of cake?" Yuzu asks happily, pulling a box of cake out of the fridge. "We celebrated Ichigo's birthday a little later this year and we still have some left."

Grimmjow stops eating, Ichigo steals a piece of carrot from his plate with a sly smile. Blue eyebrows furrow, a look on his face that Ichigo already knows well. Ichigo swallows his food quickly.

“Cake?”

What's a cake, Kurosaki?!

Because Grimmjow doesn't know what a cake is. If they were alone this question would be asked, but for some reason when they are not alone Espada doesn't ask anything, ever. He remembers everything and asks him everything when they are alone.

“It's a birthday cake.” He speaks calmly. He stands up and takes two glasses. He pours orange juice into them and places one in front of Grimmjow, while he drinks from the other. He takes the plate from the confused Yuzu and starts cutting the cake.

The strawberry cake looks wonderful. He chooses the piece with the prettiest strawberries and places it in front of Espada, returning to his previous spot across from Grimmjow.

“Birthdays are something people celebrate?” He looks at the cake as if it was about to offend him. His nose wrinkles and sniffs. More predatory behavior. Animal. He sniff before approaching anything that he doesn't trust or that is new, unknown. At first it scared Ichigo, but now, after some time, it makes him sad.

"Yes! It's Ichi-nii's 23rd birthday!” Yuzu excitedly cleans the cake while scolding Ginger for cutting the cake into pieces.

"What for? Why celebrate?”

Grimmjow asks quite honestly. He looks at Ichigo and waits for an answer. Even Karin has stopped kicking him under the table and looks from Ichigo to Grimmjow with a frown.

“Like why…?” The ginger Shinigami frowns in confusion.
Espada's gaze shifts to the cake. “Why celebrate something that brings you closer and closer to death?”

Yuzu lets out a sigh.

Ichigo sits frozen. Once again, Grimmjow's logic completely surprised him. He even feel a little crushed by this question. It's amazing how many philosophical questions Grimmjow asks and how he understands the world. Or he doesn't understand, depending on how you look at it.

“Well…” Yuzu finally breaks the few moments of silence. “… It's hard to explain. I think every person has a different reason to celebrate or not celebrate a birthday.” He smiles gently and looks at his brother with tenderness in his eyes. “Ichigo has been through a lot. We celebrate that he survived and is with us. And so on every year until he dies and becomes real Shinigami.” He chuckles. Karin snorts from across the table.

Grimmjow is silent. His gaze lifts and their eyes meet. Ichigo is bathed in a wave of blue. Arrancar's eye color is bright, a true storm of blue.

How could someone so murderous have such pure, beautiful blue eyes?

"Sounds logical." He mumbles quietly. He brings a plate with cake and starts eating.

"And when is your birthday?" Karin's question hangs in the air like fog.

"I don't have." Arrancar replies with a mouthful of strawberries as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Maybe it is for him. Not for his sisters, so Ichigo closes his eyes and waits for the questions to come. He hopes Grimmjow is in a good mood and won't start growling at his sisters.

Karin snorts and leans nonchalantly against the chair, crossing her arms. "Everyone has a birthday."

“How come you don't have it?” Yuzu tries to be tactful unlike Karin, even giving her a scolding look for a few seconds.

Arrancar shrugs. "I'm a Hollow, we don't have a date of birth. Maybe it would be the date of my death, but I don't remember anything from before, so I don't know when or how I died.” He clenches his jaw for a moment. The fangs in his mask rub together, making a soft grating sound.

This must have big impressed Karin, make her arrogance drop a bit. Her dismissive pose disappears and she sits normally in the chair. Yuzu lets out a soft, sad squeak.

A shiver of anxiety runs down Ichigo's spine. He always has blue hair and an arrogant smile in front of him. A body with fantastic muscles, a sharp sense of humor, a nasty and intelligent disposition. Grimmjow looks human; even his clothes covers the hole in his stomach. Sometimes he surprises himself with how easily he forgets who Grimmjow really is. The bone is something so permanent and normal that even it is no longer something strange for him and something that should arouse anxiety and disgust.

"That's sad." Yuzu looks like she's about to cry.

"I don't know." The cake leaves only crumbs and Arrancar loosens his jaw. “Neither of us thinks about it. If we had memories, it would be even worse. I don't think there's an Arrancar that remembers anything."

Ichigo remembers Orihime's brother. Saliva flows heavily down his throat. With the strength of an Arrancar, something like this would be catastrophic.

“What is it like to remember nothing?”

"Karin!" Ichigo kicks his sister under the table. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to." Words escape from Ichigo's mouth, a little panicked. Blue eyes looking straight at him again.

“There is a void.” The former Sexta says before Ichigo can say anything else. “There is complete emptiness. Immediately after death, there are probably some images, some fragments of words and images swirl around in your head, but they gradually fade away. And then there's just hunger."

He shrugs. Ichigo doesn't know if he's just pretending that it's nothing to him or if it really doesn't matter. He feels a knot in his stomach. He looks at Karin with the most scolding look he can muster.

There is silence. Yuzu gets up and starts cleaning up. Ichigo sits in silence and thinks he's dreaming. Grimmjow seems to be thinking hard about something. His eyes are closed and he is looking at the table. Ichigo wonders what he's thinking. Have he ever tried to remember, if he have some snippets of deja vu when he is in the human world? When he looks at ordinary, everyday people, does anything happen to his memory? Do flashbacks of memories come back to him? What years did he live in? Ichigo has so many questions, but he will never ask them. He's afraid.

“July 31st. This date kind of comes to my mind when you talk about birthdays, so maybe it's then. But who the hell knows.” He snorts and stands up. He stretches and his bones crack loudly like cracking bones.

“Kurosaki, I feel the Garganta working. Thank you for the meal.” He nodded to Yuzu and walks to the door as if nothing happened.

Karin kicks him under the table. Ichigo looks at her furiously. She definitely left him some bruises. She is unimpressed, however, and nods at the departing Arrancar and rolls her eyes. He sighs loudly. "Follow him!" He hisses almost in a whisper.

The Shinigami gets up and goes to the corridor where Espada puts on his shoes. “I'm coming with you. I need to run in the sand.”

He says furiously. The storm of emotions in his body swirls like a hurricane. Shiro hisses loudly as he jumps over buildings and feels his emptiness thrashing around inside like a mad animal.

July 29, evening

Yoruichi's scream echoes through Shoten like the echo of some terrifying hurricane. The scream turns into mad laughter. Ichigo has to cover his ears because he feels like his ears are going to start bleeding from all the screaming. Rukia - giggling wildly - falls into the former Shinigami's embrace and hugs her, leaning back dangerously.

Ichigo doesn't even know what they're laughing about. I don't even want to guess. He's got his own problems to worry about. For example, Grimmjow.

He returned from Hueco Mundo about an hour ago and went straight to the drinking party at Urahara's store. If he had known, he wouldn't have come here, but it was too late. Rukia sensed his reiatsu and almost dragged him here by force.

After the peace and quiet of Hueco Mundo, finding yourself in this nest of chaos is like a nightmare. Sometimes he really misses the silence of the sands and the peace of the still moon. After two fights with Espada, he is sore and feels his bones creak with every movement. The next few days will definitely be quite difficult. There are definitely more bruises under the clothes than healthy skin.
Renji, sitting next to him, drinks the sake in one gulp.

"Why do you look like that?" He is sober, certainly more sober than Rukia and Yoruichi. Urahara has long been lying under the table and mumbling something about some research. “You look like something happened.”

"Nothing, I was just talking to Grimmjow." His sake cup has been sitting on the table untouched for an hour. He's too tired to drink. He feels that after one cup he would fall to the floor like a sleeping beauty.

“Did he publicly tell you off? Did he refuse to be asked out on a date?” Renji laughs, then coughs as Ichigo elbows him in the ribs. A technique he learned from Rukia. The lieutenant coughs and for a moment looks as if she might vomit. His friend looks at him reproachfully.

“No, that's not the point.”

Renji sighs heavily. Somewhere in the background, Yoruichi is heatedly discussing something with Rukia and another burst of drunken laughter erupts.

"So... you're still standing there?" Abarai scratches the back of his neck with another heavy sigh. “Ichigo, you like him. How long will you wait to do anything? I don't even know how it's possible that others don't see it. You can be read like an open book." His friend's brown eyes bore holes into his head. Ichigo stares fiercely at the sake cup as if it held the answers to his problems.

“Karin knows. She guessed." He only grunts in response.

“Karin is as scary as Ulquiorra. And Yuzu is actually… worst” Renji trembles in fear. "You stood in front of Aizen, then Yhwach, and you couldn't…."

“That's different!” Ichigo says helplessly. He rests his hand on his knee and rests his head on it. “It was something else then. Grimmjow is… I feel different. I don't want to lose it if this thing goes wrong."

“Silence is not good either. Will you remain silent for all eternity?” A hand lands on his shoulder and squeezes comfortingly. “I don't know him well, but he doesn't seem hostile towards you by his standards. You could say he's even... possessive? Like a jealous animal.”

"Don't talk about him like he's some kind of animal!" Ichigo frowns angrily. Somewhere in the background you can hear a broken bottle and Yoruichi's pathetic moan.

“That's not what I meant. It's more that he seems dissatisfied with anyone being closer to you than him or your sisters. Haven't you noticed that?"

Ichigo takes his eyes off the cup and slowly turns his head to the red-haired Shinigami. He nods his head, as if in slow motion.
Renji sighs. “What's stopping you from doing anything about it?”

Ichigo's eyebrows furrow. Well, what? He thought about it many times. He tried desperately to make sure his hidden feelings wouldn't come to the surface. He only succeeded to a certain extent. Karin figured it out quite quickly. He told Renji about two months ago when he was a little tipsy. He sincerely and deeply hoped that apart from these two people, no one else knew or guessed.

“I don't know... I'm afraid I'll lose him. That he would stop fighting me or… whatever.”

That he would stop paying attention to me.

Renji pokes him in the ribs so hard that Ichigo winces. This is probably revenge for the earlier blow.

“In my opinion, you're both morons. You know what you feel and you hide it, and he doesn't know what he feels but he shows it.”

Ichigo rolls his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Grimmjow doesn't feel for me…' His voice dies in his throat and he groans in pain when the red-haired Shinigami's hand hits him on the back of the head. Kurosaki glares at his friend, Renji pours the sake and looks at Ichigo with an incredulous look.

"I don't think you're completely indifferent to him." He says and tilts the cup, drinking the alcohol in one gulp. Ichigo looks at his, full from the hour and still on the table, with a sad face. "If that were the case, he would have gotten tired of fighting you a long time ago, and yet he keeps coming back."

“Grimmjow values strength.  He won't rest until he drain the marrow from my bones." Ichigo mumbles indifferently, ignoring Renji who is fighting for his life after choking on his alcohol.

Renji smiles widely as he stops choking. “And I think it's more than that. And before you laugh, use that pretty head of yours.” Renji taps him hard on the forehead. “You seriously haven't noticed how that Cat Bastard is always hanging around you? If he could, he would hiss at anyone who came closer than two meters to you." Renji chuckles. “Jealous kitten.”

Ichigo rolls his eyes again. But inside he feels doubtful. Did he really not notice it?

“I don't think there are any personal boundaries for cats. That's what I heard, I've never had a cat." Red eyebrows furrow as Renji thinks hard about something. “You're probably the only person who touched Espada and he didn't bite or scratch you. At least not seriously enough to be placed under the care of the Fourth Division. I saw myself how both of you eat from the same plate!”

Ichigo's world slowed down dramatically. The cup he was playing with tilted and sake spilled onto the table. Did he really not notice it? Grimmjow let him touch him, poke him, nudge him with his elbows, and even grab his hand. At first, he actually bit. He grabbed Ichigo's hand with his teeth so quickly that Ichigo only noticed when he dug his fangs hard into the back of his hand. Or scratched when his face got too close. If it weren't for his father's Kido, he would be full of scars. Ichigo didn't notice when he stopped doing it.

"He's still biting and scratching me." He shrugs. But he doesn't do it as strongly anymore. They look like love nips, like Grimmjow is grabbing his skin with his teeth just for the sake of it. Ichigo blushes furiously. And he definitely doesn't talk about it out loud.

Renji laughs anyway. “I'm not saying you should throw your arms around him right away. Start working slowly and see how he reacts. I don't know him well, but he is a predator, he will react reluctantly to quick and sudden changes."

Oh yes, Ichigo knew it perfectly well. Sexta is a predator, one of the strongest predators in Hueco Mundo. He is a large, wild cat that purrs when he eats meat, sniffs when he doesn't know what to do, and when he is in Resurrección, his tail and ears seem to work instinctively. He growls quietly when something doesn't suit him.

Sometimes he feels like a madman when he looks at the man's predatory attitude but... Grimmjow attracts him like a magnet. Arrancar looks downright unearthly, it makes an impression just by looking at him. And combined with his character…. Even under torture, Ichigo wouldn't admit what thoughts sometimes go through his head. Especially when Espada pins him to the ground and smiles in a way that makes his knees fail and go weak. Grimmjow almost growls into his mouth, "I won," and Ichigo feels like he could get wet just from doing so. His blood boils and he fights with all his might to protect his throat. Bite me. Mark me. 

Renji may be right. He feels more and more exhausted by this. The sick thought in his head that pops up sometimes tells him to hurry up before Grimmjow becomes interested in someone else. That's why Ichigo wants to become more and more strong. So as not to lose the blue-haired man's attention. He should do something, anything that would focus Grimmjow's attention on him more, more. 

“His birthday is coming soon. July 31.” He speaks quietly. He doesn't think giggling and drunk Rukia and Yoruichi heard their conversation, but it's better not to tempt fate. “I want to give him something, but I don't know what. I guess that's a good idea...?" He asks with uncertainty.

“This is a great idea. A birthday and a gift are always a good occasion.” Renji says with a serious tone and the tone of some expert. “But what will you give him?”

Exactly. Ichigo blinks and returns his gaze to the sake bowl. Somewhere to the right he hears Urahara snoring and the girls giggling slightly sleepily. I wonder where the kids and Tessai are…
Focus!

What could someone like Grimmjow want? The redhead's eyebrows furrow. Grimmjow doesn't pay attention to things in the human world, even though he was once human himself, it doesn't seem to matter to him now. None of the typically human things given on a birthday would impress or show what Ichigo wanted to show. Sword? He already has a Panther. A dagger or any weapon? No, he has claws that he can use at any time. Grimmjow had few things he cared about.

With a quiet, resigned sigh, he rested his head in his hand. “But what to give him? This fool… all that matters to him is strength and fighting.”

I would like to be equally important to him. He always wants to be the center of his attention. So that he can fight only with me.

Renji shrugged. “I don't know what Arrancars need. This Cat Bastard would only be happy if he got stronger. Or he would gladly bite off Ikkaku's head, he lost to him at cards recently."

Ichigo stopped listening. Somewhere on the edge of consciousness he heard Urahara's snores and the sleepy, tired voices of the girls. 

Stronger. The perfect gift for Grimmjow would be if he could become stronger. Segunda Etapa.

Almost no one knew that this was possible. Nobody knew you could go to a higher level. And how strong you were back then. If it weren't for Shiro, if he hadn't become Vasto Lorde, he wouldn't have won. Shiro may have been a mischievous gremlin, but he brought him out of the grave. For which he was sincerely grateful.

Thanks, King!

If Grimmjow could enter Segunda Etapa, the fight would be completely different. Ichigo would also have to reach the heights of his skills. They could fuel each other to become strong.

Ichigo bit his lower lip. Grimmjow would definitely be…

"…incredible." A quiet whisper escaped his lips. He tightened his grip on his friend's shoulder. The red haired Shinigami looked at him confused. "Thanks Renji, that's a great idea!"

He stood up abruptly and immediately staggered. Dizziness clouded his thoughts. (You're already 23, King, you're not getting any younger~). He ran out of Shoten, leaving a confused Renji frozen in place with the sake cup halfway to his mouth.

July 30

The rooms Ulquiorra occupied were… different. Ichigo didn't know how he imagined it, in fact he never thought about it. But that was… interesting? A room - an office, full of books, a desk covered with papers, a large bed with dark green bedding, glass doors to the terrace and Quatro himself sitting on the terrace at a table with a book and drinking tea.

Green eyes stared at him and Ichigo felt a little sorry for coming, but there was no one else he could turn to. Espada's expression was as calm as ever, but somehow less blank at the same time. Maybe after removing the influence of the Hōgyoku and Aizen's ill will, Arrancars became more... itself.

Ichigo almost squirmed under the piercing gaze.

“Let me elaborate.” Batlike Arrancar's voice was intrigued, which already confused Ichigo quite a bit. "You want me to tell you about Segunda Etapa because you want to help Grimmjow achieve it?"

"Yes, actually you're right." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. “As always, you hit the nail on the head.” Ichigo tried to smile, but it didn't really work.

Quatro's eyebrow rose. Ulquiorra set the cup down with a soft clink. "What for?"

A simple question, the answer should have been just as simple, but for Ichigo, giving an explanation to Quatro was quite complicated. Ichigo also didn't want to confide his motives to Arrancar in front of him. Ichigo's eyes darted to the side, seeing the desert beyond the barrier. Grimmjow said that this desert is much more interesting than it seems.

"Don't get me wrong..." Ulquiorra's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, which, left to themselves, drifted more and more often towards the Blue-haired Arrancar. "...I don't mind if Grimmjow reaches for the Segunda Etapa." Ulquiorra looked at him, forcing Ichigo to look him in the eyes. “I just don't know why, since he's strong anyway. His number has long since ceased to matter. Espada's forces have changed."

“I know, That Cat Ass is strong. Twice a week I have my body cut by his claws and teeth.” He rolls his eyes and doesn't notice Quatro's raised eyebrows suggestively. “Grimmjow values strength, fighting, power. I want to help him achieve this. I have Vasto Lorde in me. We could fight… more. I want to give him strength. As a birthday present.” He speaks quietly. He feels stripped of his own feelings, although according to him he hasn't said anything directly about his feelings. His gaze had long since moved aside, to the desert. As if he expected to see a patch of blue there at any moment.

"Is this... for Grimmjow's Birthday?"

If he ever wondered what a shocked Ulquiorra sounded like, he would have his answer. Orange-haired Shinigami just nods his head.

Quatro puts the book on the table. “Basically, Segunda Etapa is not something special. It's hard to achieve, very hard you might say, but it's not some mystical element of being an Arrancar. Sit down…” He jumps headfirst into one of the chairs next to him.

"…wherever." He adds as Ichigo sits down on the thick marble railing. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra's new Fracción brings a cup of tea. A young boy in a black and white outfit, with long gray hair shimmering in the moonlight like a river of silver, and black and white eyes. From what Ichigo knows from Nel, he was recently found. There are no bones visible, but there is a grey emblem on his eyes and face. Like tiger stripes.

“Tennō recently joined to us in Las Noches. For now it is Fracción but it will be strong.” Ulquiorra glances at the new Arrancar as he leaves. "I think he'll be in the top 5 Espada if he practices a little."

Ichigo looks at Quatro in confusion. “That high?”

"Yes. He is Vasto Lorde. He lived alone in the forest for a long time, which proves that he is strong. But that's not important, what's important is Segunda Etapa.”

“So will you help me?” When around Ulquiorra, he shows no emotion but is excited.

"Yes. It's not a bad idea. After the war we are weakened. And Shinigami cannot be trusted.”

Ichigo would like to argue with him about this, but unfortunately he has to agree, at least when it comes to Central 46.

“So… how can this be achieved?”

“The best and fastest in combat. State of emergency, risk of death. Fear. Real fear for life. Then the reiatsu can be stimulated enough to go higher and, as it were, activate Segunda Etapa.”

Ichigo staggers on the railing. “So what? Should I put Grimmjow in a life-threatening condition!?”

That doesn't sound good, King.

“What about what I just told you? Meditation takes time, and Grimmjow doesn't have the patience to wait for the water to boil. It will be easiest for him to fight.”

Ichigo blinks a few times, surprised. I feel like this plan has lost its meaning. “But we fought many times, he knows my style. It won't work." His voice is resigned. Ulquiorra looks at him intensely, and Ichigo thinks his green eyes will drill a hole through his head. "What?" He grumbles.

Cifer closes his eyes for a few seconds. “Think Shinigami. Use your brain.” Green eyes look at him expectantly again and Ichigo feels like they are drilling a hole into his existence.

King, he suggests…

NO!

Ichigo's skin turns pale, he feels the blood drain from his face and turns paper white. "NO." He speaks firmly. “That's not an option. I'll kill him!” He hisses furiously at Arrancar.

Quatro's eyebrows raise slightly in intrigue again. "You know you hiss like a Hollow?" The sentence throws Ichigo off balance for a few seconds. “I don't know any other option. I remember fighting with you, you are strong. You were strong then, you're probably stronger now. And so did he. Nothing should happen.”

"NO! I don't want to take that risk. If I kill him… I'll hate myself.” He adds at the end in a whisper.

Espada takes pity on him and does not comment. “You can't control your Hollow?" He asks instead.

"Yes." He swallows. "Me and the Hollow are one, but Grimmjow is strong, in a fight I will finally forget about myself, focus on the fight and... I can..."

Ulquiorra sighs softly. “Let's say I help you. You didn't kill me, so let me pay you back. I guess we don't have much time, so we'll start right away."

Ichigo nods slowly. Sounds fair.

"I'll help you start controlling the Vasto Lorde." Quatro puts his hands in his pockets and leans against the back of the chair. “You have to give your all in a fight. Grimmjow can't know that this is, let's say, a fixed fight. He must feel threatened. Instinct must kick in. To believe that he is fighting to the death, for real.

"I see. I guess."

"It may be that Grimmjow will not enter Stage Two." Espada's eyebrows furrow. Ichigo's heart pounds faster.

I didn't think about it.

"Not every Arrancar will reach this stage." Ulquiorra continued as if Ichigo hadn't said anything at all. “You have to be really strong. I don't think anyone below Vasto Lorde would be able to, but being one is no guarantee. It depends on the strength of the individual.”

"When will I know it's not going to work?" He asks carefully.

"When Grimmjow stops fighting and waits for the final blow."
Ichigo flinches when he hears the roar of a Hollow in the distance from the forest. Strong and loud. Maybe Adjuchas. He feels off balance.

"I didn't think I'd have to go this far..."

Won't he hate me after this?

King... I don't kn ow.

“I have to let myself be carried away by the fight and be able to control myself at the same time.”

Why is it so hard for him when Grimmjow's life is on the line? Harder than during the war. It's harder than every moment in the past. Even when it involved his friends. The thought of losing Grimmjow burns into his soul like a painful mark. It makes the mind paranoid. He's never felt anything like this. The thought of any of his friends dying caused pain and sadness, but not as… as the thought of losing Grimmjow. The world without him would make no sense. Their fights gave his life rhythm, the blue added color to his life.

Ichigo jumped off the railing and staggered. He grabbed the cold stone and gripped it tightly until his knuckles turned white. Life without Grimmjow would be meaningless. This realization was like a bucket of ice water. The feelings, finally named, found their place and it was as if his whole world began to spin differently.

I love him.

July 30, later

Tia Harribel was sitting at a table in Aizen's old conference room. She was hard to read, half of her face was covered by collar of her blouse. Her eyes were narrowed into slits and Ichigo squirmed under her gaze like a student in the principal's office.

"Do you want me to distract Grimmjow while you train with Ulquiorra?"

When Harribel said it out loud, Ichigo realized how strange it sounded.

"It's best for him to leave Hueco Mundo." Ulquiorra spoke up next to him. “Our fight might attract him to us, and we don't want that. Not under these circumstances”

Ichigo felt like he was in some alternate reality. Training with Ulquiorra. Urahara would kill him with the force of his laughter if he heard it. Which basically happened this morning.

“Urahara knows everything. He will find something to do for Grimmjow.” He interjects and looks at the Queen of Hueco Mundo almost pleadingly. "It's important..."

"It has to do with the Shinigami's gift for Grimmjow's birthday."

Ichigo hisses in anger as he slowly turns his head towards Quatro. “Do you know what discretion and professional secrecy are!?”

Tia's eyes narrow further, as if she were smiling. "All right. I will send him to Urahara-san.”

Ichigo relaxes. "Thank you." He mumbles quietly.

“Whatever you're planning, I'm sure there will be a lot of reiatsu... make sure you're far out in the middle of nowhere so as not to damage the stronghold. I will also organize classes for the others so that they will not be too interested in the reiatsu waves if they sense anything.”

Shiro mumbles inwardly distrustfully.

You're right, it's suspicious, Ichigo say to his Hollow. But before he can ask why he helps so much, Ulquiorra comes out of the room and pulls Ichigo by the sleeve.

“I win. You owe me money.”

He hears Harribel's voice and - he swears on his mother - hears Ulquiorra snort.

Later, the desert far from Las Noches

"Your plan is to fight Grimmjow in the desert until he reaches Segunda Etapa."

"Yes."

“Do you think this will work?” Ichigo asks carefully after a few seconds of silence.

“Grimmjow is a mean asshole, but he's strong. We have to do him justice here. The idiot was chasing mice in the desert out of boredom, but in the meantime he became an Arrancar, so we can say that there is a good chance."

The tension disappears from his body a little. He feels excited and terrified at the same time. Because what if something goes wrong? And will he hurt him during the fight?

Don't think about it. I can't believe we could hurt him.

“Your fight is tomorrow?” Ichigo nods in agreement. "Start fighting like you always do, something will happen to you, you'll go crazy and you'll turn into a Vasto Lorde. Then fight witch him as long as you both can. I've seen you two chase each other around the desert like two cats for an ungodly amount of time and you enjoy it, so I assume you can handle a long fight.”

The plan is simple. In theory. In practice, all he can think about is that Grimmjow won't hate him after all this.

"We don't chase each other like cats." Ichigo grunts, crossing his arms defiantly.

“No, sometimes it's the cat chasing the lizard. Or lizard hunting on cat.” Kurosaki snorts again. Espada reaches for his sword in the meantime. “Don't lie. I see you sometimes from my terrace. First a streak of blue, then orange. And after some time the same thing will happen the other way round. You are playing like two kittens in a litter box. And Harribel has an aneurysm every time you get too close to the walls.”

Ichigo wants to say something in his defense, but spada's drawn sword stops him.

“Let's get started. Use Bankai.”

Many hours later

A wheeze escapes from his throat. He's breathing heavily. His world spins on the edge, he focuses on the still moon and tries to steady his breathing. He has two horns in his field of vision.

It's mine.

Thoughts flow in his head. It feels different. He can't describe it. I feel whole. The claws on his hands dig into the sand where he lies. Claws on the toes as well. He moves his feet carefully and feels the cool sand move between his toes.

I am Vasto Lorde. I am a Hollow.

For the first time, he is completely conscious at the same time. He feels as if he and Shiro have merged into one, even though the sword lies next to his hand. He hears every whisper of the forest and sand. Tiny animals, the distant roars of Hollows, Ulquiorra's breathing nearby.

He raises his hand and looks at it as if seeing it for the first time. Because maybe that's actually the case.

A pale hand  with black talons. He touches his face.

“If you tear off the mask, you become an Arrancar. I guess. "

Everything freezes. Ulquiorra's voice is close. He hears his footsteps in the sand. He exhales slowly.

“Can I call it a success?”

Speak! Use your vocal chords!

"Yes... I'm aware myself." He speaks quietly and stands up. He sits down on the sand and sees his legs. Strong, slightly inhuman legs and feet with claws. Slowly, with careful movements, he gets up. He's a little wobbly on his feet, like a newborn foal, and he has to admit to himself that it sure is a funny sight.

Vasto Lorde staggers and staggers, trying to keep his balance. He takes a few tentative steps. After a few minutes of feeling like he's walking on the ship's deck, his steps become more steady and his body and mind adjust. Waves of reietsu flow through his body. He thought that as a Hollow he would feel strange, like an intruder in a body that wasn't his own, but it's completely the opposite. He feels fit, just like he does in his human body.

He roars. Loudly. The wave passes through the sand like a hurricane. He touches the bone-covered face. He's smiling, but he doesn't think it shows.

“It's weird to feel like this. But I think it's okay. I think i like it."

July 31

Grimmjow's birthday is on Wednesday. It's the middle of the week, but they always fight every Wednesday and Saturday. Perfect timing. 

Ichigo wakes up feeling pleasantly excited. And with a sore soul. Ulquiorra is as cold as he is effective. The bat bastard knows no mercy and has forced him to work so hard that he's had enough. Shiro almost bit him when he showed up, but Ichigo would be lying if he said he didn't help him.

Urahara was a Shinigami and yes, he helped him with all his training, but he himself admitted that there was little he could do to tame the Vasto Lorde except to bind Kido and control it by force. That's why he agreed to help and distract Grimmjow. (Urahara literally said: The only thing I can help you with is to put a "bit" in your Hollow's mouth and teach you how to forcefully lead him. But I don't think that would be a good idea for such a strong Vasto Lorde. The idea of ​​training with an Arrancar is great. I'll help you and take care of distracting Grimmjow-san)

After a quick shower and brushing his teeth, he runs downstairs. He avoids his father's blow and sits at the kitchen table, shouting at him. Yuzu is already bustling around the kitchen waiting for the rice to finish cooking, she is lost in thought. Karin is nowhere to be seen, and Ichigo lets out a relieved breath. This morning he won't hear any insults or ridicule.

"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu sits down next to him. He clutches a dishcloth in his hands. "Are you fighting Grimmjow-san today?"

He hums in agreement as he pours himself some juice.

“Well... I thought maybe you'd invite him home after the fight ? I could make a cake and something good to eat…”

Ichigo freezes for a second. He doesn't know what to answer. Yuzu took him completely by surprise.

“You know, yesterday was… kind of sad. He didn't even know what cake was." He finishes quietly. "I couldn't stop thinking about it and I even have an idea for something for him..."

"Do you have a birthday present forArrancar?"! Isshin sits down at the table, eyes and mouth wide open. There is a mark of Ichigo's hand on his cheek. Yuzu nods shyly. Old Kurosaki bursts into tears and runs to Masaki's portrait. “Oh, Masaki! Our daughter is a treasure!”

Ichigo rolls his eyes.

“So will you bring him?” Yuzu asks with a smile slowly blooming on her face.

“I'll try, but I can't promise.” He hopes that everything will go well, the plan will work and no one will die or be seriously injured.

“Exactly, Ichigo! Bring him!” The former Shinigami reaches the table in a split second and wipes the tears from his cheeks. "I finally want to talk to my son-in-law!" He laughs loudly and pats his son on the back.

“GOAT FACE!” Ichigo stands up abruptly and the chair slides back with a screech. Yuzu smiles widely and gets up, making Ichigo and his father breakfast.

“Well, what? Karin told me. And judging by what she told me, I think you're hopeless, nothing like your father. You stand still, you make no progress at all.”

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo sits back in the chair. He doesn't understand his father at all.

“But apart from your incompetence in starting relationships, It's nice that you're carrying on the family tradition, and that's why I'm proud of you!” Isshin smiles widely. "As a Shinigami, I bonded with the Quincy, and now, my son, Shinigami, is chasingArrancar."

Kittens like to chase each other~. And play with lizards~

Shut up, Shiro.

Ichigo burns his tongue on the hot food as he looks wide-eyed at his father, who is contentedly starting to eat breakfast.As if nothing had happened and the vision of an Arrancar in the house was completely indifferent to him. Ichigo thought his father would be - he should be, right?! - displeased and angry. And he surprised him again.

“And it doesn't bother you?” He asks carefully. Yuzu is as quiet as a mouse, eavesdropping.

"Are you asking if I'm mad thatArrancar will be my second son?" He thinks, even tapping his chin with his finger in a theatrical gesture. “No, not at all. Even a bit.” He smiles broadly and shrugs. “Arrancars are clever beasts. They are very sociable and very attached to their group. They fight for their own people. That's a good thing." He adds, looking straight into Ichigo's eyes.

Ichigo swallows hard. Did I just get his father's blessing?

An hour later, in front of Urahara's shop

He waits outside Urahara's shop until Espada appears. He bites his lip nervously. He has doubts but feels it's too late to back out. There is no other gift for Grimmjow either.

Descorrer opens with a quiet click as always. Grimmjow leaves black hole and Ichigo knows by the look on his face that Arrancar is pissed. Before he can ask, the man's blue eyes focus on him. I feel like a deer caught in the headlights.

Arrancar's hair was even messier, the zipper on his suit was pulled lower than usual, his eyes were closed. He looks pissed off. “Kurosaki! What are you waiting for?!”

Oh yeah, he's definitely pissed. Ichigo, still being watched by piercing blue eyes, enters the Garganta.

On the other side, the night of Hueco Mundo is the same, not changing. There is only desert around them. Only the distant outline of Las Noches can be seen on the horizon. They will have to go somewhere further during the fight.

Calm down, King. Everything will be fine.

And how can you be sure? Ichigo asks teasingly, drawing his sword. Zangetsu shines in the moonlight.

I feel it in my horns. They itch when I have a good feeling, and they hurt when you're about to say something stupid.

Ichigo knows Shiro is rolling his eyes now. A nasty habit he learned from Karin.

"Here we go!" Grimmjow lunges at him with a wild roar. Ichigo blocks the punch immediately and proceeds to attack. 

Grimmjow imposes a murderous speed right away. It doesn't offer any warnings or warm-up time. He jumps away from him and releases the Panther with a wild smile.

No, he's furious. Maybe something happened when he was with Urahara yesterday?

Shiro's voice shakes as Grimmjow roars wildly. Ichigo dodges the claws just millimeters from his face. Ichigo jumps back and stands firmly on his feet. Grimmjow watches him. His tail moves nervously and the hair seems to be more erect.

"Bankai."

Espada gives him no time and attacks. A shiver runs through Ichigo's body. No, that's bad! Okay, Grimmjow is mad, it's not bad. Maybe it's better for him. He thinks quickly, parrying blows. Espada's eyes are narrowed, lacking the sparkle that Grimmjow always has when they fight each other.

The black Getsuga cuts the sand and the wave sends the man crashing into the sand.

We must move away from the fortress. “Chase me, Kitten!” He smiles broadly at Blue-haired Arrancar lying on the sand. Grimmjow clenches his teeth and stands up nimbly.

Ichigo moves forward. For calling Sexta a kitten, he will get claws on his face, but it's hard, he'll survive somehow. His father will put him back together at the clinic. Grimmjow hates being called that sometimes, but it's hard not to because he's a cat. If Ichigo wasn't afraid of losing his hand, he would have tried to stroke his hair.

The adrenaline rush is great. By focusing on the circumstances rather than the fight itself, he notices how enjoyable the chase is. The presence ofArrancar behind him, the waves of reiatsu and the threat of being caught are like a drug.

What do you want him to do to you if he catches you?

The Hollow's growl and the suggestions he wants to make send a strong shiver through his entire body, going straight to your lower abdomen. Behind him, he hears Grimmjow's cat paws hitting the sand. He notice that they don't use sonido.

He falls screaming onto the sand. Grimmjow's claws dig into his shoulders and his paws slap down his back as he pushes him against the sand with his full body weight. It takes him a split second to flip Ichigo onto his back and pin him to the ground, knees on either side of his hips and a curtain of blue hair limiting his vision to just the larger man's face. It hangs over his face, teeth bared, inches from his mouth. Ichigo feels the cool air from his lungs hit his open mouth and warm the skin of his face.

The moment is so deliciously erotic. If he lifted himself just a little, he could press their lips together in a kiss.

He uses all his willpower to hold himself back, instead, using his free hand to push Espada away and put on his face mask.

The fight is almost formulaic, no different from any other time. Ichigo thinks frantically how to get the Vasto Lorde into the fight and start the whole plan.

He and Grimmjow run at each other, ready to attack again, until suddenly Ichigo stops. Somewhere on the edge he catches a foreign reiatsu. It is gray and white, calm but ready to attack.

Grimmjow stops, splattering at the sand. He lifts his head up and sniffs.

Something is approaching. Something strong. It's approaching fast!
A streak of gray light hits Grimmjow and knocks him to the ground, he jumps away and lands gracefully on the sand near them.

Another Vasto Lorde! But we know him! Shiro hisses, even a little excited.

Gray and white Vasto Lorde - Tennō - recognizes Ulquiorra's Fracción. Funnily enough, he also looks like a cat. He definitely has cat ears sticking out of his head. Fluffy and gray like his hair. Teeth and fangs bared in warning. Unlike Grimmjow, who is more armored, the young Arrancar is definitely mostly exposed. From shoulder to elbow it has gray fur with white stripes, and below it there is only snow-white bone and deadly claws. The legs are built similarly to Grimmjow's, definitely feline, predatory, covered with bone and claws. There is also some armor and fur on the chest. Ichigo had never seen so much fur on any Vasto Lorde before. And the tail. A long tail, armored with sharp protrusions closer to the body, and as it gets closer to the end, the armor disappears, leaving only gray fur and sharp protrusions on the back. For a predator, it's very exposed. It has more fur than armor.

He doesn't have a hole. Shiro sounds cautious.

Ichigo no longer has the opportunity to look at another feline Arrancar.

“You dickhead!” Grimmjow roars, rushing to attack the alien Hollow. He doesn't know him. A thought runs through Ichigo's head. Is this Ulquiorra's help in this crazy plan?

"I'll kill you!" A hoarse growl drowns out the dawn of claws. Tennō quickly dodges and lunges at Ichigo. He dodges and for a moment panics that this unplanned attack is pure murder, but Arrancar's black and white eyes stare at him intensely as he runs towards him. His face emblem changed to gray and black stripes.

He's fast. Maybe someone could finally drive Yoruichi away. 

He manages to dodge, but the new Catlike Asshole in the collection twists while running in a way that would dislocate all the bones of any normal creature. He twists and in a split second sinks his teeth into Ichigo's shoulder. Great. Another flexible, feline bastard.

He tackles him to the ground, still holding his arm with his teeth. Ichigo feels like shit. Brought to earth by Fracción. Bitten by a fluffy Arrancar.

He is actually strong! Shiro is truly surprised. For the first time in a long time.

Tennō releases him and rushes towards Grimmjow again. He hears Sexta inhale sharply. This is a good opportunity. Ichigo thinks quickly. Threat and all that.

Black and red Reiatsu begins to pulse around him and his body as he begins to transform. He hears the movement of the two Arrancar stop. Ichigo roars and bounces off the sand with all his strength, throwing it at the Hollow.

The tennō is fast, dodging him, growling quietly. He rushes past Grimmjow, who looks stunned. There's something about his facial expression that the Shinigami doesn't like, but first he will drive away the "intruder" and then focus all his energy on Grimmjow.

The fight lasts only a moment before the gray-haired feline Arrancar snorts and runs away. Madness. Why do all his plans have to be so stupid. Shiro chuckles somewhere in the corner of his mind.

The quiet shifting of sand under his paws draws his attention back towards Grimmjow. He grips his sword more firmly and slowly turns to Espada. Grimmjow looks at him uncertainly. He grits his teeth until a grinding sound can be heard. He's never seen him in this form and Ichigo wonders what he's thinking.

A rumbling growl escapes from his throat. It's time to start. He Attacks. Grimmjow's eyes widen and he ducks. He slashes at his arm with his claws, but Ichigo's hierro blocks them, they glide across his skin like on armor. It doesn't hurt, but it's definitely not pleasant.

Grimmjow's cocky smile that Ichigo loves so much is nowhere to be seen on Espada's lips. He doesn't smirk, he doesn't smile, he doesn't growl. But he is deadly serious. Something's wrong. He thinks frantically. He curses in his mind. It was a stupid plan. Something went wrong. But it's too late to back out. Ichigo must move on now and see the result. And have hope Grimmjow doesn't hate him.

The fight pushes them deeper into the desert, and they exchange attacks at a furious pace. Ichigo lets himself follow his instincts a little and pushes harder and harder. Grimmjow is breathing heavily, his breath wheezing and wheezing in his chest. Grimmjow's gaze becomes more and more erratic and frantic. It's a heartbreaking sight and he hates himself for what he does.

The attack throws Grimmjow into the air and into the sand several meters away. Espada lies on the sand and watches as Ichigo slowly approaches him, his eyes narrowed in a way Ichigo knows well. Arrancar's thoughts must be racing. Red reiatsu pulsates within him with excitement. He didn't get tired at all, he could have fought for a long, long time. He's afraid of what will happen to Grimmjow. He sees a hint of panic in his eyes, feels a hint of fear. He's a few steps away from him and he rails against  Espada, grabbing him by the neck with his claws and pressing him into the sand. He growls quietly. He sees his reflection and hatred in the blue of his eyes. Grimmjow is furious. Ichigo doesn't know how long they've been fighting, but it must have been a damn long time.

He leans a little lower. A sudden wave of reiatsu stops him. It pours out in blue waves from Grimmjow. He loosens his grip on Arrancar's throat and looks at what is happening.

A second later, the shock wave throws him to the sand and the reiatsu pins him to the ground. His muscles tense with pain as he stands up. Before he can focus, something knocks him to the ground with a wild roar. Long claws dig into his right shoulder and neck.
Grimmjow sits on top of him. He growls furiously and looks furious. It's... different. His reiatsu is more dense. Bluer... It looks different. The bony crown is gone, the hair on top is stained black and white. The eyes glow bright blue with reiatsu. The hair is lighter, so blue that it is almost white. He also has a mane of black fur around his neck. The turquoise birthmark hasn't changed much, and the ears also look similar. He crushes him with the weight of his entire body. It's definitely heavier. Stronger.

He has to get him off his or he will strangle him. He's definitely furious. He seems quite overcome by instinctive hatred. He uses all his strength to throw Grimmjow off of him and throw himself to the right, where his sword lies. Fuck, Zangetsu is far away. His long hair tangles with his horns, and the claw wound on his shoulder burns terribly.

You better not have rabies, you son of a bitch.

He breaks into a run. The chase seems to be much more fun than the fight. Is this more of a Hollow thing? A furious growl and feral roar rings in his ears as Grimmjow slams his full body weight into him. He manages to dodge at the last moment.

He's faster!

Standing a dozen or so steps away from Arrancar, he can see him in full. He's still the Catlike Bastard. But he no longer has the armor. His legs from the pelvis down are covered with short, white fur with spots starting mid-thigh and extending down the legs to the knees where the black, smooth fur shimmers ominously, the bony black protrusion is the same, only changed color. The tail is black, with sharp protrusions shining from the reietsu. The tips of the paws are ink black. The claws are longer, more deadly. Same with those on your hands. Now covered from the elbow down with black fur with white spots. His torso is exposed with a black emblem. Ichigo narrows his eyes. The bastard even has spots on his hair!

He looks great. "I'll kill you, Kurosaki." It's not a growl, it's a hiss. The angry, silent hiss sounds far more dangerous than any threats he had ever shouted at him in the past.

Another fight begins. Claws hit their bodies like hail and slither across the hierro. They growl and hiss at each other. Grimmjow hits him in the head and Ichigo pulls his tail. Pure pain runs through Espada's body, so Ichigo don't do it again. He runs his claws through his light blue hair in apology.

They fight, but it's like some kind of dance. They cut each other with claws and sword, but then they touch each other's bodies in split-second affectionate gestures. Ichigo doesn't realize they're doing it until a while later. Grimmjow grabs him by his long hair and pulls his neck close to his fangs, but he doesn't bite, Ichigo runs his hand and claws down his lower back, making only small cuts. 

They continue to growl and hiss, not saying a word. Ichigo seems to understand every hiss and growl like a well-known language. One he's never learned, but he knows it. Grimmjow clamps his teeth on his shoulder, his hand tightening on Ichigo's hip at the same time. He manages to escape. In retaliation, a few moments later, he bites Grimmjow's shoulder as well, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him closer.

Ichigo doesn't know how long it lasts. They bite, touch, and hurt each other, but it looks different. Like a mating dance.

Grimmjow is stronger. Ichigo has some brain lag trying to understand this, but the fact is he can barely follow it. Maybe it's because he's bleeding from several places and he fought another Vasto Lorde today, or maybe it's because being completely Vasto Lorde is still something new for him. The plan succeeded, but Ichigo forgot about this element. What to do at the end.

Grimmjow doesn't spare him. He still attacks like a furious animal. As if something had gone wrong in his head. A moment ago he had been holding him by the hip and biting his shoulder.Grimmjow's claws cut through his hierro and wound him below the ribs. He dodges, but it only takes a second for  Arrancar to catch up with him and knock him down.

Steam billows from his nose and mouth. He's tired too, but adrenaline keeps him on his feet. He growls as he leans into Ichigo's face. His eyes widen in panic as a clawed hand comes up and falls on his face with a whistle.

His face isn't covered in blood. The mask breaks with a loud crack and pieces fall off his face. Ichigo feels his Hollowification retreating. Grimmjow leans in even closer, their foreheads almost touching. His claws dig into his shoulders. What little Hollow instinct he had left told him to do one thing.

He got you. Give in.

It exposes the neck. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back, exposing his throat completely.

In complete silence, he only hears their breathing. He gasps loudly, Grimmjow's breath hitting his neck directly. Grimmjow crushes him with his entire body, sitting on his hips and leaning over him. He trembles all over his body and clenches his hands in the sand. A shiver runs to his targets, straight to his lower abdomen. He feels the heat as his skin flushes and his arousal settles heavily in his groin.

Warm breath hits his neck. He opens his eyes, but his head is still tilted back, so he can't see. Just feel. Arrancar's nose is sniffing at his neck.

Ichigo gasps for breath as a warm tongue licks his skin from his collarbone to his ear. Teeth catch on skin and Ichigo moans softly. A soft growl escapes Espada's throat. No longer the furious, rumbling, angry growl.

Ichigo hesitates for only a few seconds before raising both hands. He weaves one into the light blue hair at the base of Arrancar's skull, and the other wraps around his back. Arrancar's back muscles are tense and hard. 

Ichigo lets out a choked moan as the fang teases the skin between his neck and shoulder. Grimmjow licks the blood from the small wound. It's hard to bear it. He feels the excitement rising in his body and his penis starting to harden.

Grimmjow lets go of his left arm and rests his clawed hand next to his head. Ichigo feels him inhale as if he's smelling him. Arrancar's lips move down his neck and he shivers with heat. The mouth and protruding fangs leave wet marks. When Grimmjow sucks his Adam's apple, Ichigo can't control himself anymore and moans loudly.

A satisfied growl escapes Arrancar's throat. Espada's tongue licks his neck and Ichigo can barely contain his moans anymore. His thoughts are racing like crazy. The weight above him feels good, the warm breath on his skin driving him crazy.

Stop him.

Shiro's voice is strained. What?

Stop it, right now. I know... it feels good. And it will definitely end in sex if you don't stop it, but... You were chasing each other in the desert. You bare your throat, you purr, you don't fight. It's instinct. Maybe he's not completely, you know...

Can't he control yourself?

Possible. He's still kind of high after such a reiatsu spike, his instincts have kicked in even more. He's wild.

Ichigo swallows loudly. Shiro's words made him feel like someone had poured a bucket of cold water on his head. Icy. It made sense, unfortunately. Shiro's words were bitter, but his Hollow was right. If in this state... anything happened, Grimmjow might hold a grudge against him. About this whole situation.

Ichigo's eyebrows furrow in frustration. At the same time, he moans again as the fangs and lips sink into his skin once again.

Wait…! Why does this sound like courtship?! With all this running and exposing your throat and all?!

Because it was like a courtship, you idiot! Shiro sounds clearly annoyed. You are seriously uneducated when it comes to Vasto Lorde. You run, you purr even though you don't know it and you don't know at all what signals you're giving!

Not good. I really want to continue. He finally has Grimmjow above him, he can feel the warmth of his body, but Shiro is right. When he looks at his wild face, his eyes dart around, clouded by a wave of reiatsu. He hasn't said a word since Segunda Etapa was activated. Just grunts, growls and purrs.

He can't take advantage of this situation, he wouldn't be able to look at himself until the end of the universe. That would be just plain mean. He wants to make sure that Grimmjow kisses him because he wants to and not because some primal instinct tells him to.

Although it sounds very sexy...

Be quiet.

He tightens his muscles, relaxed with pleasure, and carefully pulls Grimmjow away from his neck. Arrancar rocks back and falls from his hips to his lap. The legs surround him and for a moment he is tempted to touch the white fur.

Damn, his legs are crazy long…

Grimmjow looks at him confused. He tilts his head and sniffs air. 

Ichigo smiles softly and carefully takes the clawed hand. The claws are long and sharp like needles. A hand covered in black fur tightens around his. Ichigo sucks in a breath.

“Grimmjow. It's me, Ichigo."

He blinks his eyes several times. Neon blue and glowing eyes stare at him intensely. Espada doesn't move at all, frozen in his lap and staring at him. He tilts his head to the side and it looks very cute and very predatory.

"Grimmjow, snap out of it."

Hit him in the face! Unless you're afraid of losing your arm~

Shiro, you're not helping at all!

I am a sword! All I can do is hel p!

Espada's face is static, as if suspended in stillness. It's a bit scary because the blank expression on his face doesn't suit him. A face without emotion, without that crazy smile, without frown, without any emotion was so alien. Grimmjow doesn't hide his emotions, it's visible in his every smile, wrinkle, and posture.

This reiatsu-stuffed hell looks like Grimmjow, but Ichigo feels like he's not there. He could have asked Ulquiorra what it was like. Of course, as always, his plan was a beginning, but not an end. What's after?

What if the kitten catches a lizard~?

Shiro, shut up or I'll hit you.

Second by second, Ichigo speaks to him and it feels like the words are bouncing off the wall. Blue reiatsu glows in his eyes like a gas flame. Espada looks at him and Ichigo doesn't know if he's trying to remember something or thinking about how to attack him. The hand covered in short fur still grips his. Ichigo hugs his gently and Grimmjow hugs her back.

Hit him in the face.

Shiro says indifferently. His Hollow snorts as Ichigo mentally nudges him for saying this.

What other idea do you have? You can stay like that for who knows how long until his reietsu normalizes. Hit him and maybe he'll break out of this trance.

Ichigo bites his lip. Arrancar sits on his lap with a blank expression. Around them, Ichigo can feel the pressure of reiatsu.

“Me and my stupid ideas…” he mutters and takes a swing. The blow echoes in Ichigo's head and Grimmjow's head tilts to the side. A grunt and a soft groan of pain escape from Espada's throat. The man's other hand, the one Ichigo wasn't holding so tightly, touches his cheek.

Grimmjow slowly turns to face him. The cheek is red, the mark from the blow contrasts with the fair skin and is visible through the claws and black fur on the hand. “Kurosaki! What was that!?”

Ichigo didn't notice that his breath had hit until he let out a relieved breath. Blue eyes look at him, wide open, with resentment and misunderstanding.

"What happened?! What did you do?!” Grimmjow growls softly and leans towards him. His blue eyebrows are furrowed and his expression is irritated. “Why do I feel…so weird?!”

“You have just reached Segunda Etapa.” Ichigo says and shakes the man's hand. The claws clench in response, Ichigo's bones creaking under the force of the grip and the sharp edges of the claws making shallow cuts. Blue eyes are wide open, Arrancar blinks several times. The look on his face is completely confused. Ichigo struggles with himself to keep his hands in place and not run his fingers through his light blue hair and By the fur on the body. They seem so soft.

"All the best." Ichigo says smiling instead of touching the man like some pervert with.

A few seconds pass in silence. Grimmjow's forehead smooths out. He still looks confused. His tail moves nervously across the sand and his ears twitch at every little sound, which looks absurdly cute, but Ichigo won't tell him that, even under torture. The weight of Espada's body makes the bones in his legs creak miserably, but he doesn't want to remove the other man's weight. 

"Kurosaki... How is it possible that... I remember grey Vasto Lorde... and then you!" Blue eyebrows furrow again. "You've turned into a Vasto Lorde!" An angry hiss pierces Ichigo's mind. He feels Espada's furious, pulsating reiatsu. Grimmjow completely ignored the birthday wishes. He feels burning anger, his tail twitches nervously and his ears are tilted back like on angry cat.

He's furious.

Shiro mumbles in confusion. Saliva catches in Ichigo's throat and he swallows it with difficulty. Why would he be angry about this? Espada completely ignores the fact that he has reached the Segunda Etapa, and instead appears furious with Ichigo. “I know…” He can barely maintain eye contact; crazy blue eyes seem to drill a hole into Ichigo's existence and claw at the very essence of his soul.

"Kurosaki!" Clawed hands grab the front of his kosode and claws at the fabric. "You've never turned into a fucking Vasto Lorde when we were fighting before." Grimmjow leans into his face. Just a few more millimeters and they could have touched their foreheads. Grimmjow smells of reiatsu and sweat. The scent of musk turns Ichigo's spine and he feels his mouth water.

He reaches out with trembling hands and grabs his fur-covered wrists. It is so velvety to the touch. His mind is racing because he doesn't know how to explain it all. Once again, his great plan backfired. At least not completely. “Let me explain.”

Espada's face contorts in anger. "I'm too weak for you?!"

"What?" Ichigo blinks rapidly and leans down, just in time to avoid colliding with Grimmjow's forehead and the crown of his new, black hair.

The claws on the material tighten. Ichigo only hears the fabric of his Shihakushō creak under the pressure of his claws.

“I'm too weak that you've never used the full power of the Hollow? You never became a Vasto Lorde when you fight me. Is it because I'm weak?!” If the fusion could kill, Ichigo would be dead before Arrancar finished his sentence. “This fucking Bat was strong, but I wasn't?!”

Ichigo almost hits his forehead with his hand. He even ignores the mention of Quatro and how he knows about it. That's the least of his problems now. Of course that's the only conclusion Grimmjow made. With his (let's say) obsession with strength and fighting, he took it a little differently than Ichigo had planned. 

Whatever you say, King. Or maybe it was enough to play it differently?

Hush, you malicious lizard.

He nudges Shiro, and an angry hiss suggests that his Hollow will definitely bite him later, but no matter. Now he has a more important problem. He tightens his hands on the man's wrists. “Grimm. Listen to me.”

 Arrancar's blue eyes focus on him. He's lucky, it's rare for Grimmjow to do what he's asked.  Arrancar focuses on him. “How do you explain this? There is nothing to explain here. You only changed when that stray attacked.”

With superhuman speed, too fast even for an ordinary Vasto Lorde, Grimmjow lets go of the fabric of his Shihakushō and grabs him by the throat with one hand. A chill runs through his body. I feel quite confused. As if his body was still responding to his Hollow's instincts. And the tightness of his hand around his throat and the weight of his body on his legs had something to do with it.

“This stray is Ulquiorra's Fracción.” Says. “Ulquiorra was supposed to help me, but I didn't know he would send a his Fracción. I didn't know he was that strong."

A look of confusion crosses Grimmjow's face before it reverts back to an angry expression. “What the fuck are you talking about?” His eyes are wide open, his breathing is fast and shallow. Ichigo takes a breath. Which is hard because the hand is still around his throat. His mind maliciously feeds him other images related to their current position, and Shiro chuckles.

“You said it was your birthday today. This is my gift to you. “Segunda Etapa.” He does everything so that his voice does not hesitate or tremble. This is the moment when he find out whether Grimmjow will hate him or not. He endangered his life, lied to him. Ichigo doesn't know what he would decorate in such a situation, he certainly wouldn't want to see this person for some time.

There's a sticky feeling of fear in his stomach. What if Grimmjow hates me? What if he calls him crazy and leaves and Ichigo can only admire his new tail?

He waits for any reaction from Arrancar, but Grimmjow remains silent. He lets go of his neck and kosode, and it's only now that he notices that his hands - and his whole body - look a little different. Ichigo bites his lip. It's hard to read anything on his face. The uncertainty of their situation burns the inside of his body where his own empty hole is.

"Grimmjow?" He asks quietly. Blue haired Arrancar touches the fur on his hands. The angry wrinkles on his forehead disappeared, as did the furiously narrowed eyes. “Is everything okay?” Before he thinks, he puts his hand on his knee. Espada's leg trembles at the touch. And the fur on the legs is as soft as on the arms.

"What for?" Grimmjow asks suddenly. The blunet catches his gaze again and Ichigo feels like a deer caught in the headlights. The man's gaze seems to burn him. He loves Espada's crazy blue eyes; every time he feels his defense walls crumble under that blue gaze.

"Why what??" Ichigo's brow furrows. Anxiety moves in his gut like some crazy animal. Grimmjow's voice is quiet, he seems…confused. Worried. He is so completely different from his usual attitude. Ichigo definitely prefers it when he's loud and brash. That's how he entered his life.

“Segunda Etapa. What's this for?”

Ichigo sucks in a breath. Grimmjow asks seriously. The misunderstanding on his face breaks Ginger's heart. Ichigo swallows and leans into the man; it still smells of reiatsu, sweat, musk and sand. “I wanted you to be strong. Stronger. More." He speaks quietly. The smell of their blood irritates his nose, and he wants to inhale the scent. It tempts him in a cruel way. He wants to lick the streaks of blood from Arrancar's face and then kiss him while lying beneath him in the sand. He had never felt more like Hollow than he did now.

Espada's head tilts to the side slightly. Like a cat. He clenches his hands into fists, holds them on her thighs, and in his grip he also grabs the fur. It looks painful. Ichigo covers them with his hands. "Why do you want your enemy to be stronger?" Grimmjow's voice is quieter than usual. "You should do everything to make it the other way around."

Ichigo looks down. “I wanted us to be able to fight. Fight harder, better. As Vasto Lorde.” He smiles from the corner of his mouth. “I love fighting you. I wanted us to be able to fight... like Hollows. We usually fight with swords, like Shinigami. I want... to keep you with me. So that you don't find anyone else to fight instead of me.”

He feels a weight lift from his heart. The words that had been weighing on him for a long time finally found an outlet and surfaced. He lowers his eyes, he can't look at Grimmjow because he's afraid of what he'll see. What facial expression, what emotions in the eyes. “I want you to fight only with me.” He adds even more quietly, but he knows Espada will hear.

Grimmjow didn't remove his hand from under his. He doesn't tighten them on the fur and they are still covered with his own. He's still sitting on his thighs, with his legs stretched out on either side of his body. Espada's body weight is pleasant. Grimmjow is bigger and heavier. As if he could protect him, hide in his embrace. Ichigo always feels warm at the thought. This strange pose holds them together, it's not entirely comfortable but it seems to hold their bodies together in the middle of the desert. In something close, common.

"Why? Why do you care so much about this?” Espada's voice trembles. Ichigo feels the warmth of his body. They are leaning towards each other as if they were attracting each other. Just a slight movement of the head and their foreheads would touch. Just a little more and they could breathe into each other's mouths. Shinigami's eyes are down, focused on the man's body, his abdominal muscles, and his empty hole. “You can fight anyone else.”

These words almost sound like an insult to Ichigo. Fighting with no one gives him so much satisfaction. He suddenly raises his head and looks straight into Arrancar's eyes. “I care about you. I don't want to fight anyone else. I like you, Grimmjow.” His voice trembles at the end.

Waiting for a reaction is terrible. In Hueco Mundo, time flows differently, Ichigo feels as if a million years pass around them with each beat of his heart. Espada's face shows nothing, but Ichigo knows him well; You can see a whole range of emotions in the man's eyes. His reiatsu is shaking. And the smell of blood and sweat confuses his mind.

"You like me." Grimmjow repeats like an echo. Finally the last wall is destroyed and their foreheads touch as Espada leans in closer. Warm breath smelling of blood wraps around Ichigo. "What does it mean?"

“That… I wants to have it all to himself. I want to fight with you and run in the desert until the end of the world.”

Tell him. Tell him everything. Perfect opportunity.

He takes shallow breaths, if he starts taking deep breaths, Grimmjow's scent will completely deprive him of his mind. They look into each other's eyes all the time and Aizen could be standing next to them and Ichigo wouldn't care at all. He tightens his fingers around Espada's hands and ignores when the claws cut into the skin.

"Grimm…I…I love you." The words come out of his mouth as a whisper. “For some time now, I…” He can't find the words. He had imagined both of them many times, thought about what he could say, but now his mind went blank. The empty pit swallowed all the words and instead fills his head with the scent of their blood, sweat and musk.

He tightens his fingers on his claws, the flowing blood staining the fur on Grimmjow's thighs. Pain is good grounding.

“Do you know what I am? Haven't you forgotten?" A soft voice throws him off balance. He kept looking at the face of the man in front of him, and now he feels as if he had just opened his eyes. "Kurosaki, do you know what you're in love with?" He removes his hands from the Shinigami's grip and leans back. He's almost sitting on his lap. He raises his hands so Ichigo can see the claws stained with his blood. "These are not the hands of a human, or even a Shinigami." Grimmjow is restless, an ocean of emotions flowing in his eyes. “I have claws, fangs, fur…even a fucking tail.”

Ichigo slowly and carefully touches the man's right cheek. The skin is smooth. It's not ice cold like everyone might expect. Arrancar's body is surprisingly warm. This isn't the first time he's touched him, but it feels like the first time in a new timeline. Their timeline. Now touch seems to have a different, intimate meaning. Grimmjow's hands fall to his thighs and grip his fur again.

"If I had a problem with it, I would have denied what I felt a long time ago." He speaks, putting as much confidence into his voice as he can. “And this feeling goes on and on. You are amazing and I love you, you cat bastard.”

He connects their lips in a gentle kiss. In fact, he only kisses the corner of Arrancar's mouth.

Espada's gaze shifts to the side as Ichigo moves away. A blush appears on the pale cheeks. Grimmjow looks so beautiful with a slight blush. The same, but different. Somehow it suits him. The blush makes his face softer. The pale red smoothes his sharp bones and gives a softness and tenderness to his features.

He's gorgeous as always.

“I know very well who you are. I'm half the same as you."

He speaks quietly, directly into Espada's mouth. Grimmjow looks at him with an unreadable expression on his face - it's full of emotions, it's hard to single out one specific one. His mouth falls open and his hands slowly move to the Shinigami's hands. Night-black claws gently glide up his arms until they finally find Ichigo's cheeks.

The intense blue of his eyes, his gaze drilling into Ichigo's existence like a diamond drill. The intensity of the look is shocking. Espada's eyes sparkle with a million shades of blue and contain a million emotions. They seem to be saying this is your last chance to escape.

Ichigo will never escape. Grimmjow understands what his Hollow side feels like no other. How it feels to be half Hollow. They are half the same. There are other Arrancars, like Nel, but he doesn't feel like this... Grimmjow understands his ferocity. He understands the burning need to fight, to bare his teeth, to chase across the sand. The desire to fight and the feeling of peace after the fight when they lie on the sand and count who hurt the other more that day. They don't understand that inside he is just as wild a beast as Grimmjow.

A beast that calls and longs for Grimmjow's company. he loves him, wants him. Same as Ichigo.

Ichigo doesn't move. He doesn't move as a larger, stronger body leans in and kisses him softly.

A soft growl escapes his throat. Grimmjow growls throatily. His thoughts are incoherent. I feel everything smear into a warm, liquid mass. Even Shiro blends into… this. Is it his instinct? Those primal needs that he had been imprisoning all his life?

It feels like home. Lying beneath Grimmjow in the sand, scratches on his body, purring in joy and pleasure at having his fighting partner's warm body above him, caressing him.

You're so fucked, Ichigo. Completely Finished. Not Aizen. No Yhwach. The cat beat you.

Ichigo wants to growl, but instead he moans softly. Shiro retreats deeper into his consciousness. The kiss deepens. Ichigo tightens his grip on Espada's shoulders as if he were holding on to an anchor. Fangs clamp down on his lower lip and he feels blood.

Ichigo doesn't want to break the kiss, even though he's running out of oxygen. Grimmjow pulls away though, letting his breath be taken away. Their faces are millimeters apart, their breaths caress each other's skin.

"Berry." The choked word thunders in his head like the thunder of a mighty storm. Grimmjow's voice... Kurosaki never suspected that an Espada could sound like that. His name sounds like a whimper in Arrancar's mouth. The sound pierces his being. It caresses his soul. Greedy Espada wants more, and with his eyes wide open, his mouth ajar and his cheeks red, he leans in and joins them in another kiss. Slow, filled with passion, but not greedy. One of the first - for sure, there will be more, right? – which will entail future ones.

He wonders for a split second if when he moaned Sexta's name in his moments of weakness while masturbating, he sounded the same. Did he also sound pathetic and pleading. Like he was whimpering. Even if it's hard. He wasn't lying. Never. His body and heart never lied about who he loved and who he wanted.

He wanted to call Grimmjow but he couldn't. The man's mouth closed like some mystical seal, like the sweetest lock and gag. The claws felt against the skin of his face, he could almost feel them against his eyes. One wrong move and he'll lose an eyeball.

The eyes would be worth it.

It was so hard for him to tear himself away from Arrancar's mouth. It was hard to pull away, as if he lost a part of himself in doing so. Finally, he pulls away from Espada with difficulty.

“Grimm…” He closes his mouth. I don't know what to say. Again. He had thought about this moment countless times, and he was making up sentences in his mind, but now none of them fit.

"Do you love me, Ichigo?" The words fall from Arrancar's mouth suddenly and without any meaning or meaning. This was another feature that Kurosaki loved about this man. Directness, reluctance to plot, trick, play dirty and kill with a knife in the back.

Ichigo. He called us Ichigo. Does he love us? Maybe he likes it? Maybe he doesn't-hate?

Shiro shuddered deeply. A barely audible whisper; trembling, scared. Both of them - Ichigo and Shiro, as one - did not tremble because of Aizen, not because of Qiuncy, but because of Grimmjow.

The Shinigami swallows. “I love you, Grimmjow. For a long time. Since… I don't know when. It just came. And I don't want it to go away.”

His blue eyebrows furrow and his face returns to the same familiar expression of irritation. "Why? Why do you love me? I am a Hollow.” He says annoyed. Ichigo closes his eyes for a few seconds. Of course, Grimmjow doesn't understand, he may not understand. Hollows – everything is different for them. It seems…simpler. I don't like you = I will eat you.

He had found out long ago that Grimmjow understood emotions in a different way. It was even strange. He was alive once. He was human. He had a life and lived in the human world, surrounded by the same things as Ichigo. How was it possible that Arrancars didn't understand this? Or they understood differently.

“I am drawn to you. All of you. Your everything.” He touches the mask on his forehead. White as the moon and smooth as polished bone. “Strength, honor, how smart and sassy you are. How... you insult me inventively, how you steal my hair bands, jelly beans from the package and food from my plate. A mighty warrior, strong, brave. How do you protect what is close to you. It's how honest and honor you are.” The words rolled off Ichigo's tongue quickly. They came easily and were whispered between them in the silence of the desert.

Espada's frown deepened. He studied Ichigo's face carefully. “So it's not because I'm handsome?”

Ichigo laughed loudly. He felt all the tension leave him. How it flows down his bones like water. How everything subsides and returns to normal. Grimmjow is now sitting on his thighs instead of in his lap, having moved closer. They are so close that Ichigo can see flecks of blue in the Grimmjow's eyes. The tense muscles relax and he feels  Espada's tense body relax as well. The long tail lies on the sand and only the tip lazily glides across the sand, like a relaxed cat.

“You look like the embodiment of temptation.” He purrs into the man's mouth. “The first time I saw you… I still can't get it out of my head.” He smiles and places his hands on Grimmjow's thighs. “You were the enemy, a mortal threat, and all I could think about was your abdominal muscles.”

Ichigo's well-known smile appears on Arrancar's lips. Insolent, crooked, cruel. And so damn sexy, Ichigo loves that toothy, menacing smile. Segunda Etapa seems to have given it some teeth, they are big and sharp. The smile would probably be terrifying to anyone else, but it has the effect on Ichigo that all the blood in his body flows to his penis.

“Shall I tell you a secret?” Their foreheads touch once again.  Arrancar's bone is cold. They are always cool. Ichigo remains silent and waits for further words. Grimmjow steals a quick kiss and nips his lower lip with his fangs in the process. “Ever since I saw you in that damn city I wanted to grab you, bite you and have you under me so I could fuck you in that desert.”

A big shiver goes through Ichigo's body. Even Grimmjow felt it. He just smiled wider. More teeth and the heat in Ichigo's groin gets hotter. Espada buries his face in his neck and inhales his scent. "I'll fuck you in this desert and all the Hollows will hear you moan." He nips the skin on his arm with his teeth and licks the bite. The warm tongue makes Kurosaki sigh softly.

"What's stopping you?"

 Arrancar pulls away and snorts loudly. A gust of air tickles the Shinigami's sensitive skin.

“We're going back to Las Noches.” He mutters furiously. “I have to kill this stray bastard Arrancar.”

Ichigo rolls his eyes so hard they almost fall out.

Later, Las Noches

"You! You didn't say you had a new Fracción!” Grimmjow bursts into Ulquiorra's room without even knocking. Ichigo enters behind him, mumbling silent apologies under his breath. However, it is drowned out by Grimmjow's screams. "And he is another feline Vasto Lorde!"

“Are you jealous?” Quatro doesn't seem in any way agitated. “I heard that there are cats that do not tolerate other cats in their environment. However, I must worry you because Tennō's potential is too great to ignore because of your jealousy."

Ichigo tries to hide his amusement at all costs. He tries to control himself as Grimmjow's furious gaze focuses on him for a moment. Ichigo stifles a laugh. He'll definitely scratch me later.

"I didn't know there was a new Arrancar in Las Noches." Grimmjow calms down, he's still pissed but he's not screaming anymore. Out of the corner of his eye, with hostility, he glances briefly at the young Arrancar. Probably young. Ichigo doesn't know how old he is, he looks like he's 20-25, but he could be thousands. You never know. Tennō stands next to the bookcase and arranges books on it and cleaning. Completely ignoring them all.

"If you spent your time in a fortress instead of chasing each other across the sand like wild cats in an alley, you would know." Ulquiorra says indifferently, as if nothing had happened while looking through some large book. To Ichigo, it looks like some kind of art album.

"We don't chase each other like cats..." Ichigo says firmly with a blush.

“Of course not.” Quatro says without conviction.

Grimmjow shakes his head. "Never mind! We will come back to this topic later. And to stray Arrancars too.”

“He's not a stray. Urahara-san likes him very much. Captain Byakuya speaks highly of him.”

Ichigo grabs Grimmjow's elbow before Arrancar lunges at Quatro. “Thanks, we'll go now. And…thanks.” Espada just nods and goes back to drinking his tea. He's probably the only Arrancar who really likes drinking tea.

He and Grimmjow walk out into the corridor. Sexta sighs loudly. “What madness.” Ichigo says confused.

Grimmjow just snorts. Ichigo bites his lower lip. Catlike Arrancar's previous bites make the skin burn.

"That's true?" Grimmjow asks suddenly. They walk forward, with Blunet's eyes fixed on the empty corridor in front of him. “That you trained with this fucking Bat?” There's a strange note in his head. He doesn't seem angry, or at least not mad

Ichigo sighs softly. They move forward, but not in any particular direction or goal. Maybe to Grimmjow's room. “Yes…” He finally says, his tone light. “It's nothing. He reached Segunda Etapa, I didn't know who to ask about it. He helped me.”

Arrancar's shoulders relax. He looks away, at the blank wall, as if avoiding Ichigo's gaze. “So you won't fight him again?” The voice is calm, or at least Grimmjow pretends to be. Ichigo hears the tension and fear in it.

Ichigo smiles. He wants to laugh out loud, but it will piss off Espada and he doesn't have the energy to fight anymore today. “It's just a one-time thing.” He follows Espada's lead and says it like it's nothing special, a remark not worth mentioning ever again.

“Why do you ask this?” Ichigo bites his tongue. He should listen to Yuzu and her advice to think before he speaks. But now it's too late. Grimmjow's arm muscles tense again.

King, you realy should seriously think before you speak.

I'll blame it on you. You're the mean one.

"Never mind." Espada hisses. "It's nothing."

Ichigo grabs his arm and they both stop. Grimmjowa faces him and frowns.

“I don't think so.” Ichigo says calmly, still holding Espada's arm. The hand slowly slides onto his hand and tightens on his fingers. Human, without claws.

"Kurosaki..." Grimmjow growls warningly.

He doesn't like talking about his feelings.

Whatever you say. Come on, go take care of yourself, Shiro. You're a lizard, go eat a cucumber or something.

I'll bite you if you come to me.

"NO." He speaks firmly. He looks into Espada's eyes with determination. “Honesty is the key. Without it, everything falls apart.” He speaks with strength in his voice. “Tell me what's going on, we'll figure it out and forget about it.”

 Arrancar blinks. Grimmjow's free hand ruffles his hair, making a mess. Even bigger. his hair is longer. The hand stays on the back of his neck for a moment and then falls limply.

"One of Harribel's witches said you went to fight witch fucking Bat yesterday." His brow furrowed in irritation at the memory. "She said I was too weak for you and you found someone stronger to fight."

Ichigo tightens his grip on Arrancar's forearms. “This is nonsense. It was about something else. I have no control over this lizard. He was supposed to help me master my Hollow and Vasto Lorde.” He smiles from the corner of his mouth.

You are a lizard yourself. Now I'll bite you and scratch you.

Sexta quietly exhales. “It makes sense now." He speaks quietly.

“Grimm, you will always be my first priority. If you want, I can eat this witch.”

Grimmjow laughs loudly as he drags him to his part of the Las Noches. 

Later, Grimmjow's bedroom

Grimmjow's room is a mess. Always. Clothes on the floor, magazines from the human world, comics and books, a tablet on the dresser, rubber bands and hair clips... Chaos controlled only by Sexta.

Ichigo stretches and swings his leg over Grimmjow's bare hip. The man smiles wolfishly and grabs his ass and pulls him into a kiss. The kiss leaves Ichigo breathless. And he feels himself melting once again under the influence of Espada's body heat.

He had sex. With Grimmjow. In the heart of Hueco Mundo. He moaned like a whore and writhed in the black sheets on Espada's bed. Under Grimmjow. The weight of Arrancar's body on him as he thrusts deep into him is something fantastic, and Ichigo feels like he's already addicted to it.

The kiss is agressive at first, full of teeth and fight. Then he turns lazy and affectionate. Ichigo puts his hand in the man's blue hair and pulls his head back. With cheeks as red as a strawberry, he takes quick breaths.

“I'll fuck you in the desert anyway.” Grimmjowa growls and grips his ass tighter, Kurosaki moans loudly. The entire body is full of bruises, bite marks and claws that appear on Espada's hands as if by instinct.

Ichigo just smiles widely. “Just not today.” He purrs.

“Why not, Berry?” The hand releases his ass and strokes his thigh. Arrancar figured it out quickly. Ichigo loves being touched.

"We'll still have time to have sex in the desert." His voice trembles as sharp nails scrape the skin on the inside of his thigh. He curls his toes. “Do you have any plans? Can we go back to town?”

Grimmjow frowns. "Why?" His head falls on the pillow. The Shinigami are combing his hair and he tries his hardest not to purr.

"Your birthday… Yuzu prepared something." He says with a smile. He lets go of his hair and gently strokes the skin of Arrancar's cheek. “She remembered what you said about your birthday and wanted to prepare something for you.”

Confusion crosses Sexta's face. “Your sister is too nice.” He speaks softly, face pressed into the pillow, and delights in the echo of Ichigo's touch in his hair.

“She likes you. Thanks to you, she can go crazy and have fun cooking European dishes.”

"That's why she's my favorite Kurosaki." Grimmjow smirks cheekily. Ichigo pinches his ribs. Grimmjow cringes with a cat-like laugh. “Don't be jealous. Favorite does not mean the same as loved.” His head falls back onto the pillow and he closes his eyes.

Ichigo's face softens. He moves closer his body against Grimmjow and cuddles up to him. "Can I ask you something?" He almost sinks into the pleasant warmth. He buries his face in the muscles of the bigger man's chest.

Grimmjow doesn't open his eyes. He just mumbles something.

Ichgo hesitates for a moment. After what happened at the dump and what Grmmjow said, these thoughts didn't leave him alone. The worst thing is that Renji might have been right. "Did you... feel something for me before?"

 Arrancar's eyes open slowly. He buries his nose in Ichigo's sweaty hair and inhales the scent. "Yes." He says after a moment of silence.

Ichigo tightens his hands on his body. "Why didn't you say anything?" He asks quietly.

Grimmjow's hand touches his hip. Fingers start to move in vague patterns. Arrancar doesn't say anything, Ichigo already thinks he'll drop this topic for some reason, but after a moment he speaks up. "At first it was just sexual. Nice body, sharp tongue. Then we had our fight, don't kill me. Then the Quincys came and somehow everything changed. I realized when the feelings completely changed. From simple lust to... different."

"You could still have told me. We could have spared each other many... things." For example sleepless nights, fear for each other. Not knowing how to name their complicated relationship.

"I thought about it. But you're a Shinigami. And I'm an Arrancar. It could cause chaos. I didn't know what you felt. It was hard to sense."

Ichigo doesn't want to hear this. He should, but he doesn't, not now. They'll bring this up later. It's painful, and there will be time for such topics. Instead, he kisses Grimmjow's lips with all the tenderness he has in him.

And then he moans loudly again.

Karakura, evening

It is evening in the city when they leave Garganta. The last night of July is pleasantly warm. The lights are on in Ichigo's house and through the curtained windows, Ichigo can see the shadows of his family members. And he hears his father wailing.

With a slight feeling of anxiety, Ichigo opens the door as usual. Grimmjow follows him, silent as a cat. I feel light knowing that everything turned out so well. Eventually that burden of feeling held in for so long disappeared and was replaced by actual feeling.

You are stupid. If you had taken a step earlier, you would have spared me your failed monologues. Because Kitten felt something for you too. You are both cowards.

You can scratch my ass afterwards, but please be quiet.

Hmph!

"We are already home"

“Ichi-nii, wait with Grimmjow-san in the living room! I'll be there soon!” Yuzu shouts from the kitchen.

Ichigo turns to Espada. “Wait for me in the living room, I'll go get my body.”

It still sounds absurd every time after all these years, but he's gotten used to it. He quickly runs up the stairs and finds the body just as he left it. It's so good that Kon is with Urahara. He's getting his own Gigai and Ichigo is happy about that. Sometimes he gets fed up with it. Kon as a stuffed animal can be very annoying.

He enters his body and lies down for a few seconds to get rid of the dizziness associated with changing position. After a while, he gets up and runs downstairs.

Grimmjow sits in the living room and looks a little confused. Ichigo stops abruptly. The living room is decorated with blue decorations. Blue, cat decorations. Several large black cat balloons are scattered on the floor. There are also several smaller ones, all blue or shades of blue. Even balloons white with (probably) oragne cats ones. Yuzu even scattered white confetti and there is a garland with balloons attached to the ceiling. There are even napkins with cat paws on the table. Orange.

Ichigo smiles and sits on the couch next to spada. "Yuzu took it seriously." Their arms touch.

Grimmjow is silent and wide-eyed. He moves his jaw, but ultimately says nothing. A shadow of sadness pierces Ichigo's heart. Grimmjow didn't deserve the past he had in Hueco Mundo before he became an Arrancar. If Shinigami had found him earlier, things would have been different. Maybe he would even become a Shinigami. 

"MY SON!" Isshin's scream cuts through the air with almost a whistle. He lunges at Ichigo, wanting to hug him, but the blow knocks him back a few steps. In a split second he registers the presence of Arrancar. "MY SECOND SON!" He takes a step towards him, but Espada's warning growl is enough for Isshin to freeze in mid-step. Ichigo wishes he could growl like that.

You can do it, you just don't want to. 

Isshin looks at them both with a blank expression before a wide smile breaks out on his face. Ichigo feels his father's eyes land on him. I don't know why, but he is blushing. As if he knew…

You're an idiot~ You smell like Grimmjow, He can feel his reiatsu on you. In other words, he knows you had sex.

It's disgusting. Shiro, how can you say this to me...

Hehe~

Isshin sinks into his chair with a wide smile, as if he knew exactly what his own Hollow had just told him. "I guess I shouldn't call Grimmjow my second son, considering..."

"Shut up!" Ichigo screams almost in panic, feeling himself blush like a tomato. Father and Shiro cackle loudly.

Karin's warning scream interrupts the awkward exchange. “Attention people! Let's go!”

Grimmjow quickly looks at the entrance to the living room and is so surprised that he opens his mouth. Ichigo looks where he is and freezes too, but then smiles broadly.

Yuzu walks slowly, holding the cake. Blue cake with white cat made of icing. It doesn't look anything like a panther, it's just an ordinary cat, but the reference is quite clear. Two large candles burn on the cake. Next to her, Karin holds a stack of plates and cutlery, and a large kitchen knife.

How old is Grimmjow? An anxious thought flashes through his head, but he quickly dismisses it. He'll think about it another time.

Yuzu puts the cake on the table with a big smile. "Happy birthday, Grimmjow-san!"

 Arrancar looks at the cake with distrust, as if he expected it to attack him. Or maybe it's just uncertainty? Ichigo leans towards the man and tightens his fingers around his hand. Their bodies are close and even through his clothes he can feel the warm body of the man next to him.

“Blow out the candles.” He pretends not to see Karin and Isshin's cheeky smile. “It's a tradition. Make a wish and blow out the candles.”
"Wish?" Grimmjow repeats dully.

Ichigo nods. “Yes, it's something you want to happen, to come true. Such a request to the universe. If you're lucky, it will come true.”

Grimmjow glances at him briefly and then looks back at the cake. He takes a deep breath and quickly blows out the candles.

Yuzu lets out a scream of joy. He pulls out a large gift bag from the cabinet. It's not blue, but white with a big colorful cake. He stands next to the couch they are sitting on and holds out her hands holding a bag. "All the best." He smiles broadly. “As soon as I saw him, I thought of you.” He adds with a satisfied expression.

Grimmjow takes the gift bag and looks inside in surprise. Ichigo is honestly curious about what his sister gave him.

Grimmjow's cheeks blush slightly as he holds out a large stuffed, fluffy  cat. A smile immediately appears on Ichigo's face. The mascot definitely looks more like a panther. It's snowy, but a panther is a panther. He is white with light gray spots, the ends of her legs, tail and ears are black. The cat's nose and whiskers are also black.

Karin cackles like crazy. Isshin's face is somewhere between amusement and tenderness.

"It's similar." Ichigo moves closer to Arrancar. The man's hands touch the mascot delicately, he tenderly strokes the fur of the stuffed animal. “Similar to your Segunda.”

Grimmjow lets out a soft laugh, still staring at the panther. Ichigo feels a warm sensation burning him from the inside. Shiro is so moved that he hiccups. The lizard always hiccups at times like this.

Hik! – I'll eat – Hik! - You! – for this! – Hik!

“Thanks kid.” Grimmjow's voice cracks. 

“Okay, let's eat cake!”

Late at night, Ichigo's room

Ichigo's bed is smaller and they lie close to each other. The stuffed cat lies between them, held tightly by Grimmjow. That's sweet. Ichigo feels warm as he looks at Grimmjow's face buried in the plush fur of the panther. Espada's eyes are closed, breathing steadily. He's sleeping. Yuzu prepared a lot of food, enough to feed a Shinigami squad.

Their feet are tangled and Ichigo's hand is on Arrancar's hip, gently stroking the skin. Grimmjow's jumpsuit and stripes lie somewhere next to the bed, along with Panther(sword). The two of them, dressed only in boxers, had gone to bed a moment ago.

Ichigo couldn't sleep. The last two days seem strangely crazy. As if they were on some kind of acceleration. Of course, the result is more than satisfactory. In his bed, Grimmjow takes a deep breath in his sleep. The Shinigami affectionately strokes the skin on his hip.

Who would have thought... Arrancar, Espada lying in his bed in the human world, stuffed with birthday cake and cuddling with a stuffed cat. If someone had told him that during their first meeting, he would have choked on laughter.

Grimmjow wasn't as bad as everyone thought. There was softness and tenderness in it. Taking care of his own. Instinct. And many things Ichigo loved.

"Berry…" A growl pulls him from his thoughts. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

Ichigo opens his eyes in surprise. Blue eyes look at him with the intensity that an Arrancar always has in his eyes. Blue ratings in millions of shades. Depth and persistence. The force of a million tons of water and the weight of the sky.

"I'm happy." Ichigo's lips curl into a lazy smile.

Grimmjow frowns. You can barely see it, the sleepiness radiates from his body and half-closed eyes. “And that's why you're not sleeping?”

Kurosaki laughs quietly. "I'm happy because I have you."

The quiet snort is drowned out by the plush fur. “You had me for a long time. I only fight with you.”

A bright blush blooms on Ichigo's cheeks in a split second. Grimmjow laughs quietly at him. There's a quiet growl inside him. He feels like a Hollow, content, full, with the man he loves at his side in his lair. It feels good. Vasto Lorde, Hollow is happy. It's familiar to him, since he "tamed" his Hollow he feels like one of them, half of it. These wild instincts are so soothing.

“I know, but… we're better off now, right?”

Grimmjow only hums in response. “Yes, and tomorrow I will have you in the sand.” 

"Only if you tell me what you wish for?"

"You."

15 minutes later

"If you tell anyone about this stuffed cat, I will eat you."