Chapter Five: The Rebirth, The Meeting, and the Promotion
Unseeing sky blue eyes stared up at the sky as Grimmjow’s motionless body laid sprawled out on the rocks along the shore line of the river. Dark, shadowy figures surrounded Grimmjow’s body, slowly crawled over to him. Every single one seemed to be covered in some type of white armor like things. Each looked different from one another. Among the group, there were four figures all together. One of them stepped forward, kneeling down beside the blonde’s body, stroking his hair gently.
“Beautiful”, the duel tone voice said as the being stared down at the blond man. The figure looked down at their hands as blonde dye came out leaving patches of what looked like blue in his hair. A smile stretched along the figure’s face, a smile of raw excitement. “Very beautiful. Is he meant to be with us, Shoushi?”
A black cat slowly padded over to the group. It slowly crawled up Grimmjow’s body and sat on his chest. “Yes, he is.” The cat had a deep voice, speaking clearly in a human tongue. “Grimmjow Jeagerjaques died tonight... In his place, La Pantera will be born.”
“Pantera, eh”, the same duel tone voice asked in an eager manner, “A cat hybrid. We haven’t had one of those in a while. How fun.” Golden irises reflected in the moonlight, staring in amusement down at Grimmjow’s motionless body as slightly maniacal laughter rang through the air. “Will I be able to play with this one a bit, Shoushi-san? He intrigues me... Never have I seen a being that looked more beautiful.”
“All in due time”, the cat said calmly, “Now, all of you, stand back. It’s time to awaken him.” The figure that had stepped forward before now stepped back in respect as the cat got up again. The cat leaned down close to the blonde’s face, over his lips. It paused for a moment before breathing into the blonde’s mouth, blowing life back into him before he could react to the gas in the air meant to turn him into a hollow.
The blond man was motionless for a moment before his body jerked harshly. Unseeing eyes came back into reality, the pupils narrowing into slits as his body started itself up again before resuming what they were before. Heat rushed though the blonde’s veins, his body shifting and reconstructing itself. All the other figures quickly disappeared as the blonde finally gasped for breath and sat up, coughing all the while. He tried to clear his lungs of all the water and whatever else he inhaled from the water. He looked around, finding no one there except him. He slowly shuffled to his feet, and made his way slowly away from the factory.
--
Grimmjow’s eyes slowly fluttered open the next morning. He sat up and slowly stretched his arms above his head. He moved to roll over out of his bed, but yelped lightly as he fell from one of his shelves where he kept knickknacks and such. His body automatically turned and he landed on his feet and hands. He looked down at himself, noticing his choice of clothing. It was white drawstring pants with a button up blue shirt over it. His brows knit together in confusion. He hadn’t been wearing this last night, had he? Last… night? The blonde frowned further as he learned that he could not remember what had happened that previous night.
His answering machine beeped once and started to play a message. “Yo, Grimm, where in ******** are ya”, Nnoitora’s voice drawled, lightly coated in worry as Grimmjow could tell since he knew the black haired man fairly well, “Nobody’s heard from ya’ an’ it’s already ten o’ clock. Call me or Szayel, bye.” The machine clicked and Grimmjow looked up at the clock in alarm as he realized he was very late for work.
The blonde jumped up off the floor and put on his daily clothes he wore to work and paused when he noticed the same black cat from before sitting on top of his couch, meowing expectedly at him. Grimmjow quickly walked over and looked at its collar, praising his luck that it gave an address. He quickly scooped up the cat along with his things and ran out the door, locking it behind him.
---
Grimmjow stood nervously outside the door to the small, very quaint house in the outer parts of the city. He reached out and knocked on the door swiftly. “Hello”, he called out after a minute, “Is anyone home?” He cursed swiftly under his breath as the cat jumped down out of his arms and pushed the door open, heading inside. He slowly stepped into the house behind it, shutting the door behind himself. “Hello?”
“Oh, I have a guest~! How exciting!”
Grimmjow jumped in surprise and turned to face the woman standing in the doorway to what he assumed to be the kitchen. She had long purple hair that was pulled into a high ponytail, golden amber eyes that glittered with amusement, and a long, narrow face. Her lips were curved upwards into a smile as she sauntered over to the blonde. She wore nothing but a morning robe that only partially covered her. The ends of the silky, purple robe stopped below her thighs, with long sleeves going down her arms. She was also very well endowed, Grimmjow noted dully as she sauntered over to him slowly.
Grimmjow studied her for a moment or two before he remembered why he was there in the first place. “Oh, I, uh, I found your cat”, he said quietly, adverting his gaze down at the multitude of cats milling around the halls near his feet and then back to her, “The... black one.”
“Oh, Shoushi, you mean”, she asked lightly, “Odd... He doesn’t normally bring home strangers... Never the less, thank you for returning him. Here, come inside instead of standing there in the door.” She came closer to him and beckoned him inside towards the living room.
Grimmjow shook his head rapidly. “Oh, no”, he said quickly, “I can’t stay. I’m already late for work, so I have to-”
“Oh nonsense,” the purple haired woman cooed as she grabbed him by the arm and drug him inside. She set him down on couch and went into the kitchen, coming back a moment later with two cups of tea. She handed one to the blonde before settling down in front of him, sipping the hot liquid out of her own cup. As Grimmjow took a hesitant sip of tea, the woman smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot, I am Yoruichi Shihoin. I always forget my introductions.”
“Grimmjow Jeagerjaques”, the blonde responded quietly. He felt out of place in the woman’s home, but at home at the same time. He thought of it as odd, but things around him often worked in the oddest of ways. Grimmjow looked around the small living room, noticing all of the artifacts on the walls from the different eras of the world. There were things like hieroglyphic scrolls, to vases from Greece, to the old London technology, and numerous other things. “You like to collect artifacts, it seems.” The comment was light and mildly curious.
Yoruichi hummed softly as she looked around the room. “Yes. I like international travel. I’ve visited many countries. It’s one of the perks of being me.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched the blonde squirm in his place on the couch. Her head shot up as another knock sounded on her door. “Oh, I am so popular today~! I’ll get that.” Yoruichi moved to get up but paused when she heard a key turning to lock and the door being pushed open.
“Yoruichi-san?” The voice that echoed from the hallways was a soft tenor, and had a pleasing sound to it.
Yoruichi’s eyes lit up as a familiar head of orange hair poked around the door frame and looked inside her living room. “Ichigo~!” The woman quickly scrambled up and over to the young man and hugged him tightly. “Oooohhh~! What is my favorite nephew doing here?” Her tone was filled with raw excitement as she spoke, grinning at the young man standing before her.
Grimmjow turned and studied the young man closely. He had a very lean, wiry frame but with enough muscles for everyone to know that he could take care of himself. He had brown, tea colored eyes that at the moment were shining with warmth towards the purple haired woman. His hair was a bright orange that shown in the light. It was an odd color, but it fit the young man quite well. He was dressed in a nice, cleanly pressed white shirt, brown khaki pants, and nice black shoes.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by and say hello before I ran off to work”, Ichigo said with a slight grin, before his face gained a confused look as he took notice of the extra guest in the room, “Oh, who is this? A friend of yours?”
“Oh”, Yoruichi said with a grin as she turned to look at Grimmjow, “Shoushi ran off again and this nice young man returned him to me!”
“Why do you not keep them in the house”, the young orange haired man chastised her shaking his head in exasperation, “It’s a good thing I gave them all collars otherwise you wouldn’t know where Shoushi was half the time.” The young man pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand and then gave Grimmjow an apologetic smile. “Thank you for returning Shoushi and putting up with my Aunt and her craziness.”
Grimmjow shook his head as he got up. “It’s no problem”, he said with a thin smile, “Just almost made me fall off a window ledge trying to get it down.”
“Ehh?!” The young man gained a panicked look. “I hope you’re okay. That stupid cat has the tendency to randomly get up on high places and sit there.”
“I’m fine”, Grimmjow said with a wave of his hand, “A cop showed up and saved my a** before I could fall.” He extended a hand to the orange haired man. “Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques.”
The orange haired man grasped his hand with a warm smile. “Ichigo Kurosaki.”
Grimmjow released his hand, pausing as the name rang something familiar in him. “Kurosa- OH! Your one of Renji and Uryu’s friends! That’s why I recognized your name.” The blonde perked up as he realized the connection. Renji had talked about the man the day before during his visit to give him back his wallet. So this was the one Renji said that he had been reminded of.
Ichigo nodded slowly in confusion before his face brightened with recognition. “Oh! You were the one Renji was talking about yesterday.” He smiled lightly and a bit playfully. “So you’re the one Uryu calls ‘The menacing, tempermental blonde with an actual talent for art’. Now it makes sense. You work for Sosuke Aizen’s company with Szayel.”
“Unfortunately.” A snort sounded from the blonde. “I hate that man and everything he stands for. He’s an arrogant p***k with no talent nor recognition for talent.” While he didn’t mean to say all that aloud, he didn’t care either way. He hated the man and wasn’t going to deny it.
A laugh sounded from Ichigo and he smiled in mirth. “Wow, you must hate him if you have no qualms saying it like that”, he said in amusement, “Well, sorry to cut this short, but I have to head to the hospital. Just came to say a quick hello before my shift starts.” He hugged Yoruichi briefly before letting her go and looking over at Grimmjow. “Your office is on the way to the hospital, would you like a lift?”
Grimmjow held his hands in front of himself shaking his head rapidly. “Oh no. I couldn’t, I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Nonsense”, Ichigo said with a shake of his head, “It’s no trouble at all. Come on, I’ll drop you off.” He began moving from the doorway and heading towards the front door.
Grimmjow took a step forward, opening his mouth to protest before Yoruichi shook her head. “No use arguing once he’s made up his mind”, she said with humor, “Just go on and accept. It’ll make things easier.”
Grimmjow frowned before nodding in compliance. “Well, thank you”, he said softly.
“No, thank you for returning my cat”, Yoruichi said with a smile, “I apologize for the trouble he caused.”
“It wasn’t that much”, Grimmjow said, shaking his head rapidly. He backed up into one of the tables that held an old Victorian vase. The table shifted as he backed into it, causing the vase to rock and tip over, falling off. Grimmjow, with lightening reflexes, turned and quickly caught the vase before it could break. He set it back on the table quickly, but gently.
Yoruichi gave a rather guarded smile as she watched him, something flashing in her amber eyes briefly as she did so. “Nice catch”, she said with an appreciative hum, “You have good reflexes.”
Grimmjow stared at the vase in confusion. How did I do that, he thought to himself. “Erm, thank you”, he said as he backed up and started down the hall and out the door, giving a quick parting wave, “Good bye, Yoruichi-san!” With that, he headed outside where he found Ichigo, leaned up against his car smiling at the blonde in amusement. “What?”
“Nothing.” Ichigo gave a shrug as he unlocked the door and opened it for the blonde before stepping around to the driver side. He stepped inside and shut the door, the blonde doing the same. As soon as he was buckled in and also the blonde as well, he pulled out and onto the rode. His eyes occasionally flickered to the blonde haired man to the right of him.
Grimmjow, noticing the staring after a few minutes, gave the man a sharp glance out of the corner of his narrowed eye. “Is there something interesting you’re looking at?” The question hadn’t meant to escape him, but he was getting irritated by the orange haired man’s staring.
Ichigo’s lips turned up into an amused smile. “I didn’t expect you to be so formal”, he commented idly, “I’ve heard about you from Uryu. He always said you were loud mouthed and rude to everyone. So I’m just a bit surprised is all.”
Grimmjow sent him a sharp glance and turned his head to look at Ichigo. “Well, I’ve heard the same about you, so ya’ ain’t like I expected either.” His tone was dry with a bit of sarcasm thrown in.
Ichigo smiled wryly. “Let me guess, Renji?” He received no answer in reply. “I thought so. What else did he tell you?”
“That you and he fight constantly”, Grimmjow responded with a smirk of amusement, “He said that as he watched Nnoitora and I fight. He said it was like how you two fight, without any bite.”
Ichigo chuckled softly to himself. “How true”, he said shaking his head.
Grimmjow leaned back in the seat, staring out the front window with a light smirk of amusement. “You also missed it as Szayel was playing twenty questions”, he said idly, “He kept asking Renji random s**t.”
“Did he ask him about his sexuality”, Ichigo asked with a knowing smirk.
“Uh huh.”
“The response?”
“‘Both. I like the beauty of both sexes.’”
Ichigo snorted. “Of course, his customary response. I don’t know why he says that. It sounds stupid.”
“Well, Szayel got a kick out of it”, Grimmjow said dryly, “But Szayel is just that gay, like most of the people in our art division.”
“Most?” Ichigo’s tone was curious and he glanced at Grimmjow out of the corner of his eye.
“Well, everyone in the division is either gay, lesbian, or bi”, Grimmjow said rolling his eyes, “I don’t think I’ve met a straight person in there yet.”
“Fun.” Ichigo smirked lightly in amusement. “What about you? Which category are you in?”
“Gay”, Grimmjow said idly, “Growing up with a younger sister was enough to make me never want a woman in my life... That, and I don’t find them as appealing.”
Ichigo began to laugh heartily at that. “I know how you feel”, he said in amusement, “I fall in the same category for the same reason. Only I have two little sisters.”
“Double the pain.” Grimmjow smirked in amusement at the orange haired man.
“Maybe.” Ichigo shrugged lightly. “But they’re tolerable... Plus, I have a soft spot for them. But that’s a typical big brother thing.”
A snort was his response. “Then I ain’t a typical big brother. Then again, with my sister, I don’t wonder why. She’s an idiot who likes to plan everything spontaneously.”
“How kind of you to say.” Ichigo’s response was dry and a bit sarcastic.
Grimmjow shrugged. “So, since I’ve heard the stories of almost everyone in your group, what about you? What about your life and love life?”
“Both are nonexistent”, Ichigo responded with a smirk, “If Renji didn’t say it yesterday, I’m an anti-social b*****d that has no life and no people skills whatsoever. I work more than I spend spare time to myself, and I generally hate being around too many people for too long. Yet I still agree to drink with them. Why, I do not know.”
“So you’ve never been in a relationship”, Grimmjow asked curiously, leaning back into his seat, “Ever?”
Ichigo shook his head no. “Never.”
Grimmjow snorted. “Ya’ve got looks to die fer, I can’t see how ya’ve never been in one.” He turned and faced the orange haired man, studying him for a few moments.
It was Ichigo’s turn to snort this time. “Oh, I’ve been asked by numerous amounts of people”, he said with a light frown, “But I turned them all down. I was either too busy to consider a relationship or I wasn’t interested in the person. Renji and Uryu swear up and down I’m asexual.” His infamous scowl worked its way back onto his face. “I just haven’t found the right person yet. If I find someone, I want to know if I even have a shot at wanting to be with them for the rest of my life. I’m shooting for the perfect one.”
Grimmjow closed his eyes and smiled in amusement. “Good luck with that”, he said softly, “But I suppose I’m like you in that aspect. Never been in a relationship before either and I don’t want to be in one. I haven’t found the right person either. Still lookin’ and hopin’ though.” He opened his eyes and noticed they’d arrived at the office building where he worked. “Well, thank you for the ride.”
“It wasn’t a problem”, Ichigo said looking over at Grimmjow with a miniscule smile. Before the blonde got out, Ichigo held up one hand. “Would you mind having lunch with me sometime?” Ichigo’s eyes widened as the question left his mouth before he could stop it. He hadn’t meant to actually ask the blonde out, but there wasn’t any way he could take it back now. The orange haired man cringed on the inside at his stupidity. Dammit, why did he have to go and say that?! The blonde probably wasn’t even interested. As Grimmjow stared at him stupidly, Ichigo’s face flushed a dark red in embarrassment and looked off to the side. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to- Forget I ever said that. Just... God.”
Grimmjow blinked repeatedly. Had the young man really just asked that? He was surprised at the man’s openness but wasn’t all that opposed to the idea. It was rather reasonable and Grimmjow actually felt a small bit of attraction towards the young orange haired man, which for him was very rare. He watched as the young man gained a mortified look after saying what he had said, a smile of amusement tugging at his lips. As the young man turned away, Grimmjow’s eyes lit up with an old fire that he hadn’t felt in years, the urge to tease someone playfully. He let his hand rest on the door handle. “Tomorrow is good for me.” The reply was nonchalant and slightly sly.
Ichigo opened his mouth to respond before he registered the response he was given and his head shot up. He stared in surprise that the blonde was actually considering it. He then thought through the blonde’s response once more and realized that he was actually flirting with him subtly, and he had been doing so most of the ride while Ichigo had fished for information. Ichigo’s blush toned down but was still visible. “T-tomorrow’s good for me as well.” He couldn’t stop the stutter of nervousness and light excitement in his voice.
Grimmjow smirked lightly in amusement as he dug a piece of paper out of his bag, scribbled something on it, and handed it to Ichigo before opening the car door and slipping out. He walked over to the driver’s side and Ichigo rolled down the window. “I get a break at eleven thirty. Perhaps about then?” Amusement filled his eyes as the orange haired man nodded quickly. “Where should we meet, then?”
Ichigo thought for a moment, looking up in thought. “There’s a café about two blocks down from here that is more decent than anything else nearby that I always eat at. Shall we meet there?”
“Sounds great.” Grimmjow smirked as he waved idly. “I’ll let you head off then. See you tomorrow, then.” The orange haired man simply nodded before driving off. As the car disappeared from sight, whatever high Grimmjow had been on suddenly wore off and he felt almost mortified. Had he seriously just done that?! Oh god, he thought putting a hand over his quickly reddening face. He had just done that. He had agreed to go on a date. Great, now Nnoitora and Szayel would be hounding his a** for it. He was so not going to tell them. “s**t!” Grimmjow ran inside the building, once again remembering he was incredibly late and most likely bound to get his a** chewed out for it.
---
Szayel and Nnoitora traded glances once again as they looked at the empty cubicle that normally held their blonde friend. It was now ten thirty and the blonde still was no where to be found. He wasn’t answering a single call and now the two were fearing the worst. Grimmjow was not a person that would just disappear without a word. Both heads shot up as the door opened and shut quickly. Szayel sighed in what seemed to be relief while Nnoitora’s shoulders untensed themselves as Grimmjow quickly rushed inside and over to his cubicle. The blonde sat down quickly and pulled out his papers and set them on the desk.
“Is there a reason ya’ haven’t answered yer phone all mornin’”, Nnoitora drawled in irritation as he glared at the blonde in irritation, “Cause ya’ have no idea how many times I called yer damn phone t’ get yer stupid a** up.” Nnoitora wouldn’t admit that he was worried, even though he’d been damn terrified, so he covered it with annoyance and sarcasm like he always did.
“I... don’t know why I didn’t get up”, Grimmjow said as he looked down at his desk with a frown. “I can’t remember anything of last night either... I.. don’t even have the slightest clue. It’s like a while piece of my memory is completely gone.” He ran his fingers through his hair, not noticing the glances Szayel and Nnoitora sent to each other.
Nnoitora opened his mouth to comment before he paused, staring at Grimmjow’s hair curiously. “Oi, Grimm, were ya’ paintin’”, he asked suddenly.
“What”, Grimmjow asked in confusion as he brought his head up, moving his hands to his sides, “No. I haven’t been painting. Why?”
“Ya’ musta’ slept on a palate again”, Nnoitora drawled with a smirk of amusement, “Ya’ve got blue in yer hair.”
Grimmjow’s head snapped up and his body went rigid. He glanced at Nnoitora and then at Szayel. “B-blue?!” Szayel handed him a mirror he kept for strange reasons in his cubicle. Sure enough, there were patches of blue in his hair. Grimmjow reached up, cussing inside his head at the horrible timing of this to happen. His back went rigid as he heard the door swing open again. He turned his head lightly and cringed on the inside as his ever loving a*****e of a boss walked into the room.
Aizen walked swiftly over to Grimmjow, eyes narrowed massively. “Jeaggerjaques”, he said in a clipped voice, “Where are the sketches you were supposed to redo for me? And why were they not in my office last night?”
Grimmjow had his back turned towards his boss. “I do not know”, he said quietly, “I forgot.”
“You forgot?” The tone from the brunette man was dangerous and low. One could tell he was upset quite easily. He soon enough went into a tirade how useless his employees were, pacing about in front of the blonde’s cubicle. He ranted for a good five to ten minutes before he looked over at the blonde, only to notice he was no paying any attention and doodling on a piece of paper. “Jeaggerjaques, are you even listening to me?”
Grimmjow blinked lazily, turning around and looking at the brown haired man with a bored look on his face. He shook his head no. He could hear the gasps of shock and knew people had appalled looks on their faces. He could hear Nnoitora trying to stifle his laughter. Szayel, he noticed, was trying to keep a straight face as he watched.
Aizen grit his teeth. “You are the most incompetent man I have ever hired”, he griped in irritation, “I am beginning to be sorry I ever hired you.” He spun on his heel and made to walk away from the blonde.
Grimmjow turned and looked down at his drawing with a snort. “I’m sorry too”, he said quietly beginning to doodle again.
Aizen paused in his steps, turning his head slowly and then turning his body fully around. Almost every person on the floor took an unconscious step back away from the two men. “Excuse me?” Aizen’s tone was low and while calm, it held a very dangerous undertone. “What did you just say?”
Grimmjow’s head lifted, eyes narrowed in irritation before he rose from his chair and turned to fully face his boss. “I said I’m sorry as well,” Grimmjow said boldly as he stood in front of Aizen, “I’m sorry I ever agreed to work for untalented, unethical, snobby b*****d, that doesn’t know the meaning of giving a compliment even if his life depended on it!” With each word he walked over to Aizen with a sneer on his face, getting in his face at the last bit.
Aizen’s eyes narrowed as he stared into defiant blue eyes that had caused him so much trouble. “My office.” He turned on his heel and swept towards the door. “NOW.” With that, he slammed the door behind himself as he left.
As he watched his boss leave, Grimmjow snapped back to normal and he again gained a mortified look as he realized what he had just done. He’d basically just told his boss to ******** off. Oh god. He stared up at Nnoitora with an alarmed look. “Please tell I did not just do that.”
“Can’t do that”, Nnoitora said with a growing grin of awe as he stared at where Aizen was before looking back down at Grimmjow again, “Can I go completely out of character and hug you, calling you our hero?”
“... Sure?”
Both Nnoitora and Szayel latched onto the blonde, chanting over and over that he was their hero. Many of his co-workers patted Grimmjow on the back with words of encouragement. Everyone was immensely surprised that the blonde had actually gotten the guts to stand up to their boss in such a manner, but all of them were happy he had done so and said everyone’s thoughts on the man. There was only one problem with it all.
“I’m so ******** fired.” Grimmjow said as he deflated in his seat. He’d mouthed off to his boss, so he was so fired.
“Even if you are, for that display, I’ll help you find a place to stay and help you find a new job”, Nnoitora said with a grin of amusement.
“Both of us will”, Szayel added on, “Now, get going, Aizen isn’t going to wait long.”
Grimmjow almost whined as he got up and walked solemnly to the door. He walked the familiar path to Aizen’s office and entered said office and sat in the chair in front of his boss’s desk. Aizen turned his seat around and faced the blonde with a blank expression. “I’m fairly disappointed, Grimmjow.” He paused for a moment in which the blonde made a move to open his mouth to say something in his defense before the next phrase stopped him. “In myself.” Grimmjow blinked quite a few times in confusion. Aizen smiled lightly and continued. “See, when I find employees I like, I like to play with them before I fully accept their work. And when they have true potential, I push them past normal limits to test how much they’ll improve to reach beyond my standards. I also like to see how many buttons I can push before a person snaps.”
Aizen smirked in amusement as he leaned back in his chair, studying the blonde before him. While he had acted in a hateful manner, he had been testing Grimmjow one final time before he accepted him into the company. “Welcome, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, to my company. From the beginning, I have been quite impressed by your work and have only been even more surprised and impressed the more work I have seen. Each sketch or drawing is better than the last. And that, is why I am promoting you.”
Grimmjow’s jaw went slack and he blinked repeatedly. He stared at Sosuke Aizen for a few moments in surprise. Did he seriously just hear all that right? “P-pardon me?”
“I am promoting you.” Aizen smiled lightly. “Your drawings are top quality. Besides, we have a spot opening in the Espada. Our second artist, Baraggan Luisenbarn, is leaving us. He is retiring finally and we need an artist competent enough to fill his place. And, I think you would be excellent for the job. Your salary will be tripled what it was and you’ll get Baraggan’s old office all to yourself... You start tomorrow. Any questions or comments?”
There was a brief pause. “Why me?”
Aizen smiled coolly. “Because from the moment I hired you, I knew you would be someone great in this company. So, I’m giving you the opportunity you deserve.” He waved his hand idly. “Now, off with you.. Pack up the things at your cubicle and I’ll send someone to fetch them later this afternoon.” As Grimmjow nodded lightly, Aizen looked at him curiously. “Though, one question out of curiosity, why were you late this morning?”
Grimmjow looked down at the ground by his feet. “I woke up late and with no recollection of last night. A piece of my memory is completely gone. The last thing I remember is yelling over the phone at either Ilforte or Di-Roy to come pick up some sketches and then nothing.” He ran his fingers through his hair once more. “I don’t even know where they are now.”
“They’re right ‘ere.” Grimmjow’s head shot up at the voice of Gin, as the silver haired fox sauntered into the room. He held up the capsule Grimmjow always carried around. “Ya’ brought ‘em t’ the factory last night an’ I said I’d give ‘em to Sosuke fer ya’. Musta’ slipped mah mind.” His grinned creepily as always, somehow creeping out the blonde more so than usual. Grimmjow blinked a few times in confusion before nodding and going along with what the silver haired man had said.
Aizen shook his head in exasperation. “Hand them over Gin”, he said before motioning Grimmjow out, “You are dismissed.” Grimmjow nodded and disappeared out the door, shutting it behind him. Aizen looked over at Gin with a look of amusement. “A very convincing story. Nicely plain, my love.”
Gin’s grin widened even more so than usual. “Juss’ doin’ mah part.” His eyes opened just a fraction. “’Sides, can’t ‘ave ‘im knowin’ th’ truth, now can we?”
“No, we can not.” Aizen smirked lightly. “The cat was too late. He is one of us now.” Oh but how wrong he was.
