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In the Aftermath of Winter	By : Nakkinomiko Category: Bleach > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 5655 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters, and make no money from this fic

Chapter List
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A/N: Thank you to KLV and Randi for your reviews! Randi: I do have some significant time jumps planned once I get Grimmjow established in the Living World. Once I get Karin to the point where she’s somewhat legal, interesting things will start happening with her, Grimmjow and Hitsugaya…and I have plans for Ichigo. ::evil grin:: Anyway, on with Chapter 2!
Chapter 2: Grimmjow Meets Isshin
“Thank you so much, Dr. Kurosaki!”
Isshin smiles warmly at the elderly lady sitting on the examination table.
“You are most welcome, Mrs. Tanaka.” Isshin helps her off the table. “Just remember to take your blood pressure medications, and you should be fine. I’d like to see you back here in a month or so, okay? I want to monitor you and make sure the medications are doing their job.”
Isshin continues to make small talk as he escorts the woman from his clinic, but his mind is now elsewhere. It’s nearly dinner time, and Ichigo and Karin haven’t returned from their walk yet. He gives the woman a distracted farewell and steps out onto the sidewalk. It’s already dark, and the air is crisp with the coming winter. Isshin suppresses a shiver and wonders where his children are.
“Father?” Yuzu appears at his elbow. “Is something wrong?”
Isshin smiles and places a gentle hand on her head. “I don’t know,” comes the honest answer. “I thought Karin and Ichigo would be back by now.”
“I…I felt something earlier,” Yuzu confesses. “It was quick …”
“And then disappeared,” Isshin finished. He wraps an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “I felt it, too, Yuzu.” It frightens Isshin, just how quickly both of his daughters’ reiatsu is developing. Karin is already attracting Hollows hungry for her power, and Isshin knows it’s only a matter of time before Yuzu starts to do the same. She is nearly to the point where she can actually see the Hollows and Shinigami rather than merely sense them. Isshin dreads that day. Yuzu is a gentle girl and Isshin knows she wouldn’t hurt anything, not even a power hungry Hollow bent on devouring her.
“Do you think they’re in trouble?” Yuzu’s voice is small and full of worry.
Isshin shakes his head slowly. “I don’t think so, Yuzu-chan. I would have felt Karin’s reiatsu spike if she were fighting, and there are Shinigami patrolling the town. If something big enough to pose a challenge for Karin were to show up, they would investigate.”
At least, Isshin hopes they will. He’s still a little bitter that they completely cut Ichigo off from his Shinigami friends. They never bothered to ask Ichigo what he wanted, and regardless of what old man Yamamoto may have thought, the separation is slowly killing the kid. Isshin knows Ichigo misses Rukia, Renji, and even that stuck up noble, Byakuya. The kid never complains, though, and sometimes, that pisses off Isshin even more. If anyone has a right to complain, it’s Ichigo. Soul Society all but used him to defeat some of their most powerful foes and then tossed him out of their midst with hardly a proper thank you. Yes, there were many deaths in the battle against Aizen, but without Ichigo’s help, there would have been so many more.
“Oh, there they are!” Yuzu points down the street, her mouth set in a happy smile. “They seem to be just fine.”
“Yes, they seem to be fine,” Isshin murmurs. Isshin watches them approach, not quite sure how to react to the sight of an Espada trailing after his kids. His first instinct is to attack first and ask questions later, but he controls himself and takes a moment to observe. It becomes evident very quickly that his kids are not only aware of his presence, but both of his children are actively engaging him in conversation, with Karin serving as a relay between the Espada and Ichigo. They eventually draw close enough for Isshin to hear what they are saying.
“You’ll have to find someplace to stay,” Karin says. She has that look she gets when she’s thinking hard about something. “You can’t just stay on the street. There are too many Shinigami around—they’ll find you.”
The baby blue-haired Espada snorts with contempt. “Let them try and capture me. I’ll hand them their asses!”
“Grimmjow, I’m serious!” Karin counters. Her frown is ferocious. “If they send a couple of captains after you they will capture you!”
“And probably give you to that freak, Mayuri,” Ichigo adds. Isshin shudders along with Ichigo as he mentions the Twelfth Division captain. “Trust me, Grimm, you don’t want that.”
“I heard that Quincy pansy beat Mayuri,” Grimmjow says. “He sure as hell won’t beat me!”
Karin’s eyes narrow. “I’ll make sure to tell Ishida that you think he’s a pansy,” she says. Her tone of voice conveys her irritation.
“He’s stronger than you think he is,” Ichigo says. “And watch what you say about my friends, jerk, or I’ll take it out of your hide when I get my powers back!”
“You and what army?” Grimmjow growls.
Karin rolls her eyes and doesn’t bother passing on Grimmjow’s retort. Isshin has to smile at her diplomacy. The two would probably go on for hours if she let them. Isshin decides that now is the perfect time to interrupt.
“I see we have a guest.”
Neither of his children must have noticed him standing in the doorway, for they both stop in their tracks and trade a worried look.
“Um….” Ichigo’s voice trails off, and Karin sighs.
“Yeah, Dad, we have a guest. This is Grimmjow and he’s….”
“An Espada,” Isshin finishes flatly. He locks gazes with shocking blue eyes. Grimmjow has crossed his arms and his chin has tilted upwards slightly, as if issuing a silent challenge. It’s all bravado, because even though the Espada tried hard to hide it, Isshin didn’t miss the momentary flash of fear in those azure depths.
“A friend,” Karin corrects, her voice sharp with reproach. “A friend that needs our help.”
“Yes, I heard,” Isshin says. He is being unusually serious, and he can see his kids are wary because of it. It’s not often that he drops his affected silliness in front of his children. “The kind of help you want to give him could have the Soul Society brand our entire family as traitors.”
All three cringe at his words, because they all know it is the truth. Isshin sighs inwardly as Ichigo and Karin trade another look, a silent communication between brother and sister. They are hell bent on helping this Espada. Isshin can see it in the set of their jaws and the determination burning in their eyes. If he refuses to help them, they will just go elsewhere, or figure out how to hide him on their own.
“Look, Dad,” Ichigo starts, but Isshin holds up a hand to stop him.
“Karin, Ichigo, go inside,” Isshin says, and he makes sure that his tone conveys his wish to be obeyed. Ichigo opens his mouth, no doubt to protest, but Isshin gives him a hard look. It is a look so out-of-character for him that Ichigo’s jaw actually drops in shock before the teen snaps his mouth shut and stalks past him and into the house. Karin follows, glancing worriedly at the Espada before she disappears inside.
“So, Grimmjow, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn your ass in to Soul Society now.”
Grimmjow barks a humorless laugh. “I don’t have a good reason. In fact, I wouldn’t blame you for running me off. I tried to kill Ichigo during the war.”
Isshin knows this. Ichigo has spoken of his battles with Grimmjow often, so he also knows that Grimmjow also, for the most part, fought fair and clean, too.
“And?” Isshin prods.
Grimmjow just looks at him, his brows furrowed. “What do you want me to say, Kurosaki-san? I’m a Hollow-Shinigami hybrid, created by that bastard Aizen to be a pawn in whatever sick game he was playing. I didn’t have a whole lot of choice. Aizen was ruthless, and we either did what we were told or suffered the consequences. As much as I might look like a Shinigami, I’m still part Hollow, and I did what my Hollow instincts told me to do… survive.”
“That doesn’t tell me why you are here now.”
Grimmjow frowns again, and Isshin realizes the Espada doesn’t know the answer. But Isshin thinks he might know, so he takes a guess.
“Ichigo is important to you, isn’t he? He’s the one person in all the three worlds you can honestly respect because he beat you fairly in a battle, and he has never judged you for what you are. In a perfect world with no prejudice or war, you and he might have been good friends.”
Isshin knows he’s hit the head on the nail when Grimmjow says nothing and looks away. The Espada is silent for several moments before he speaks again.
“Look, I don’t expect you to help me at all,” Grimmjow says. “Just don’t turn me in, that’s all. If you turn me in, I won’t be able to keep my promise.”
“Promise?”
Grimmjow nods slowly. “I promised Ichigo that I’d protect the things important to him.” He speaks the words slowly, as if it is painful for him to admit his moment of compassion, and he will not look at Isshin.
Isshin swallows a smile as he watches Grimmjow squirm under the weight of his own emotions. It must be strange for the Hollow to have any sort of emotions outside of hate and hunger. But then again, no thanks to Aizen, Grimmjow isn’t just a Hollow, he’s also Shinigami. Not unlike Ichigo was before he lost his powers. Not unlike Shinji and the other Visoreds.
“That’s a tall order, you know that, right? His sisters, his friends, his class mates...they’re all important to him, every last one of them. They’re the reason why he put himself on the line to stop Aizen, and he’d go through that Hell all over again if it meant keeping them safe.”
Grimmjow glances at him quickly and then looks away again. “I know that.”
“That means you’re going to have to promise to take care of yourself, too. You know that right?”
“What?” Grimmjow actually looks at him now. His brows are drawn together in confusion and his scowl is fierce.
“Grimmjow, if Ichigo is willing to risk being branded a traitor for you that tells me he already considers you his friend.” Isshin lets Grimmjow chew on that for a moment before he continues. “I’m going to help you.”
“You are?”
“Yes, I am,” Isshin replies. “And the first thing we’re going to see about is doing something to hide your massive reiatsu. You’re a sitting duck until we do.”
“I’m shielding the best I can,” Grimmjow retorts. His scowl is back, and he sounds offended.
“It’s not your fault,” Isshin says. “But don’t you worry, Grimmjow. I know what needs to be done, and I know the perfect person to help.”
Isshin leans into the house and calls out to his kids. “Ah, my darling children, Grimmjow and I are going to take a walk! Don’t wait dinner for me! We’ll be back soon!” He hears Ichigo start to reply, but Isshin slams the door shut before he can finish and motions for Grimmjow to follow him.
“And where the Hell are we going?” Grimmjow asks.
Isshin grins. “We’re going to visit an old friend.”
TBC
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In the Aftermath of Winter