Oh my god people...we've hit the 30th chapter and with such a lovely way to hit it ;) Damn...just...wow. My longest running fanfiction ever written and also my first AU (alternative universe). I definitely feel accomplished as this story is in its finalizing stages, but it still has quite a few chapters to go, probably 10+ more before it hits the final chapter. So don't worry there's still plenty to cover over not to mention more moments between Ichigo and Grimmjow.

I'd like to take this moment and thank each and every one of you who has given the story a chance, left incredible continuing reviews, and has stuck with it since the beginning. The reviews mean all the world to me, so thank you! Also I'd like to welcome any newcomer to the story! The more love the merrier!

Another Part of Me

After Nelliel had finished patching the boys up she left the room to attend to Grimmjow's
men to make sure that they were fed and had a chance to use the facilities. It was also to give the boys a chance to rest and have time alone together. Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow to find the man still passed out thanks to the morphine. Who would have thought that such a stiff hardened general could look so peaceful. It helped the orangenette to be calm knowing the General was finally at a well deserved peace. Finally closing his eyes, the lad too soon fell asleep.

Blood curdling screams... smoke in the air...burning, burning goes the tower...bang, bang the guns sang in unison...running...must get away...can't escape...cornered and trapped...then suddenly...

"...Ah!" Ichigo blurted out lightly as his eyes shot open, his breath a little unsteady, his heart beat a little raced and his body a little flustered. A sudden soothing warmth could be felt, stroking gently yet firmly back and forth as the motion calmed him down.

"G-Grimmjow?" He stammered lightly as his gaze was caught within those electric blue eyes that stared back at him with a solemn emotionless expression. The General was laying on his right side, facing Ichigo's way with his head propped up by his hand.

"Are...a-are you alright?" the orangenette asked as Grimmjow answered back simply in a low tone, "I'm fine."

"D...Does it hurt?"

Grimmjow paused again as he took in a slow deep breath, casting his gaze away for a moment before bringing them back upon Ichigo as he answered, "Stiff, sore and sensitive to movement, but I'll live."

It was so quiet in the room as well as the house itself. Light outside shone in through the window, making Ichigo wonder how long they had been asleep. "What time is it?" he asked as Grimmjow answered, "Nearly noon. We slept a good while."

"Is Nell here?" Ichigo continued to ask more questions out of curiosity as if trying to get a bearing on things around him. He had gotten sleep, but his mind was still in a heavy fog that made it difficult to touch basis with reality. Grimmjow was no stranger to these symptoms that Ichigo displayed as he too had felt such things in his lifetime, either through great moments of suffering or simply trying to survive. So it didn't really bother him that the lad was asking so many trivial questions at once, of course Ichigo was an exception to this as this would normally on a general basis annoy the General.

"She's at my office, probably filling in your friend on what's happened as well as doing some paperwork."

"I see..." the orangenette paused off in thought before finishing with "...so what now?"

Grimmjow took in another deep breath as he tossed his gaze away, thinking of what to say before he answered, "Well...the most difficult parts are over. So now it's just a matter of establishing your job, title and various paperwork. Then somewhere along the line we'll find a way to get out of the country."

"What about Uryuu?"

"What about him?"

"Are you going to put him in the same job as me?"

"No. Since no one has stopped him or brought him in for interrogation, I think it's safe to say that he can keep parading around in disguise doing whatever it is he needs to do. If the public already recognizes him as an officer, then it would only lead to suspicion if he's suddenly seen in Jewish attire."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I'm just a bit tired and..." suddenly interrupted by his stomach growling quite audibly "...and...hungry...I-I uh...I'll get us something to eat," he stated as Ichigo began to get out of bed.

"Don't worry abo—"

"—no, no I got it. You shouldn't be moving around until that wound heals up at least for another day. I'll be right back okay?"

Grimmjow just merely smirked as he watched the carrot top slowly get up from the bed in slight body ache. "Nngh...man I guess I'm a little sore myself," he commented, looking down at his officer pants that were the only article of clothing covering his body. "This is going to sound strange, but I'm going to kind of miss wearing this uniform."

The bluenette cocked an eyebrow as he commented back, "Now there's something you don't hear everyday."

"Well, I guess because, even as a disguise I didn't feel as vulnerable. People would look at me without staring like I'm some piece of trash. They actually were respectful and didn't question anything I did. It was...almost liberating and made me feel free."

It wasn't until Ichigo had stated those words that Grimmjow was reminded of how much freedom his uniform actually gave him. He didn't have to worry about being stopped randomly and asked for papers. He didn't have to answer to anyone but himself. So yes, in a sense, being a Nazi was liberating in many ways and provided interesting freedoms that any regular citizen didn't get the privilege to have. However, it was only a privilege and nothing more. The uniform and title was equally liberating as it was restricting, stuck under the constant watch and rule of a tyrant. There truly was no middle ground to walk on. It was a trap no matter how you looked at it. With his stomach growling again, Ichigo quickly made his way to the kitchen as the General watched him walk away, eyeballing the young man's physique that was ever so tasteful and had yet to be fully explored. And then a silent smirk creased across the General's face.

Rummaging through the kitchen, Ichigo picked up various things he thought both him and Grimmjow could enjoy; some bread and butter, fruit, slices of meat for the General, a few crackers, and various other knick knacks. The lad was rather hungry as he now had a full tray of lunch prepared, but just as he was going to pick up the tray and bring it to the bedroom, he suddenly felt strong warm hands reach from behind and wrap around to his front as his chest was caressed within them.

"Nnn," he shuddered, taken by surprise as the hands pulled him back into a muscularly defined chest. Then without hesitation Ichigo felt a hot breath upon the left side of his neck followed by the moist licking of a tongue.

"N...N-No! You should be laying down damn it!" Ichigo blurted in a frustrated fluster as he quickly got out of Grimmjow's grasp, turning rapidly around as he looked up into those blue defiant eyes, but then his eyes looked down upon the patched up injury that covered most of the General's left side, signs of blood slightly bled through the bandaging.

"You...You're bleeding through."

Grimmjow smirked again, "Just from moving around last night while sleeping. The blood is dried."

"Yeah, but it still needs to be changed otherwise the bandaging will stick too much to the dried blood."

And without given permission, Ichigo gently grabbed Grimmjow's wrist and tugged him along down the hallway. He didn't even really realize he was doing it as his mind was stuck on just changing the bandaging. Grimmjow smirked again as he remarked, "Since when did you become a nurse?" as Ichigo replied informatively, "My dad's a doctor so over the years I learned a few things."

The General could only gain amusement from this, allowing Ichigo to be more physical with him whether the notions were sexual intentions or not. The more he allowed the orangenette to do, the more he hoped it would naturally help the young man to become more comfortable. Pulled back into the bedroom, Ichigo had Grimmjow lay on his back again as the orangenette went to the bathroom for medical supplies to conveniently find fresh bandaging and ointment ready to be used and sitting in an organized fashion by the sink on the counter. It seems Nelliel had preplanned the fact that Ichigo and especially Grimmjow would need new bandages. She knew she would be gone for a long while and wouldn't be able to be there to take care of it, so she left the supplies out ready to go just in case. Putting all the items within his hands, he carried it over to the bedside, placing them on the nearby night stand. Grimmjow seemed rather relaxed with his arms reached up and crossed behind his head, smirking at the carrot top. The expression didn't amuse Ichigo in the least, leaving the boy with a slight scowl as he cocked an eyebrow at the General with his hands on his hips.

"And what the hell are you smirking at?"

Grimmjow chuckled in reply, "Well what do you think."

Cocking his eyebrow further Ichigo retorted, "I'm not your personal maid just so we're clear. I'm just going to re-bandage you and that's it."

The General's chuckle deepened as he replied, "Well you're no fun."

Ignoring the bluenette for the moment, Ichigo sat on the edge of the bed as he took the medical scissors and cut part of the wrappings so he could pull it away for now. Just as he thought, the blood had dried onto the bandaging overnight and he couldn't pull it away. Leaving momentarily, Ichigo grabbed a wash cloth and ran it through warm water in the sink until it was fully soaked. Then he rang it out to get rid of the excess water, returning to Grimmjow who was still smirking. Ichigo just shook his head and rolled his eyes as he knelt upon his knees so he could be at eye level when dealing with the wound. Carefully the orangenette dabbed the warm cloth upon the areas that were sticking, causing the General's smirk to fade as he winced.

"Sorry, is the rag too hot to the touch?"

"No, its fine," the General replied.

The orangenette then continued to dab the rag gently until the wrappings finally began to loosen from the dried coagulated blood until they were fully removable. Once the wrappings were pulled to the side, it allowed Ichigo to then remove the gauze pad, revealing the freshly stitched up flesh wound. Normally Ichigo wasn't the queasy type, but seeing the wound in the fresh condition it was in, it triggered memories…unpleasant memories. Ichigo quickly turned his head away as he shuddered, taking in a deep breath.

"Heh, I didn't take you for the queasy type."

"That's not it..." Ichigo began in reply as he brought his attention back over to the bedside "...it's just...I keep hearing the gunshots in my head. First my leg, then Dordoni, and now you. I can't get the images out. It just keeps playing over and over. I...I should have been more convincing to Aizen."

"Hey..." getting the boy's attention as their eyes locked gazes "...this is the Fuhrer we're talking about. It takes a miracle to fool a guy like that. He can practically see through anything. There's nothing you could have said in any other way that would have made a difference."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So stop worrying about it. What's done is done. It's time to move on."

There it was, that same familiar coldness in Grimmjow's attitude. Normally it would rub others the wrong way, but it was actually refreshing to Ichigo to hear that hardened resolve, that unrelenting tone. It was one of many qualities that helped Ichigo to not worry about the man, knowing that he could just take care of himself without much of any help.

"Alright...thanks. I guess...I just needed to hear that."

Continuing where he left off, the orangenette took the cloth and began to attempt at wiping the dried blood away. On rarest of occasion, Isshin would ask for Ichigo's help at the clinic, so Ichigo had actually seen worse than this, making it a bit easier to deal with when looking straight at the wound. The only thing that made it difficult was knowing that this wound wasn't just on any stranger's body, it was on someone he cared about. This very thought made Ichigo pause for a moment. Grimmjow watched the lad intently, obviously something on Ichigo's mind.

"I don't think...I've ever properly thanked you."

The two then locked gazes again, Grimmjow's expression solemn and calm, but still piercing with a quiet solidarity.

"Thank you...for risking your life for me...for…for everything."

There was a silent pause between the two as Grimmjow stared into those stubborn yet soft golden brown eyes before he replied, "You're welcome."

Turning his attention back to the wound, the lad began to place ointment and then a new gauze pad.

"Okay I need you to sit up so I can wrap your sides."

With careful movement, Grimmjow slowly sat up with his legs over the edge of the bed as his feet planted upon the floor. Ichigo was still kneeling upon the ground as he realized that the easiest way to wrap that wound was if he knelt between Grimmjow's legs at eye level versus sitting on the bed next to him and wrapping it like that. Not saying anything, Ichigo lightly spread the General's legs to give him some space to move in as Grimmjow sarcastically remarked, "Well now aren't we ambitious."

Giving Grimmjow a glare the lad replied in a low growl, "Just hold still" moving in a bit closer now as his face became a bit flushed with red in his cheeks. Grimmjow grinned, finding the boy's dissonance entertaining as Ichigo began to wrap his wound. It didn't take long before he finished.

"Alright, that should do it," Ichigo exclaimed as he stood to his feet and was going to put the remaining supplies back into the bathroom, but the General grabbed the orangenette's left forearm before the carrot top could grab the supplies, refusing to let him move as Ichigo looked back down at the bluenette, gritting his teeth a little, wondering what Grimmjow was going to do next.

"Komm her," he commanded in a German low growl, but Ichigo hesitated as he tugged back a bit with his arm. Feeling the resistance in the pull, Grimmjow took the opportunity to then yank the boy forward between his legs and over his right thigh as the boy's upper torso laid upon the bed while the lower parts hung over the General's lap. The lad's right arm stretched forward freely, but he quickly found his left arm being pinned behind him against his back, nowhere near his burn wounds of course. The General was always mindful of such things, but not too mindful or caring to ask for permission.

"Nngh…wha…HEY!" the orangenette belted as he looked over his shoulder to find an ever jeering expression on the General's face looking back down at him. The second Ichigo tried to struggle Grimmjow seemingly maneuvered his left hand around the lad's buttocks. He felt Ichigo's gluteal muscles twitch as he then trailed his fingers along the back lining in the middle of the pants as they followed downward until slipping into the deeper crevasse that touched upon the back end of the orangenette's manhood. The bluenette's hand cupped perfectly underneath between the boy's thighs, fondling lightly as Ichigo let out frustrated defiant moans while his right hand clenched upon the bed sheets.

"Nnn…no…damn it come on! You need to…ah!"

Ichigo's words were cut short under a pressured squeeze upon his under bulge, sending a shiver up his spine.

"I need to what?" the General asked in a commanding tone to know what the boy was going to say.

"You…nnnnn…st…you need to rest!"

Narrowing his gaze upon the lad the General raised his free hand and brought it down with an unforgiving smack upon Ichigo's buttocks.

"You…" smack "…need to stop…" smack "…giving a high ranking General orders!" SMACK

"Ah!" the orangenette yelped with the final smack upon his bottom, feeling an ever slight stinging sensation mixed with the fierce warmth of the General's hand resting upon his buttocks. Then with soothing motions, Grimmjow gently but firmly caressed, circled and teased his hand around the bottom he struck consecutively with playful discipline. He had been waiting quite a while for another moment like this and he wasn't going to let it go to waste with simple bed rest. The beating of Ichigo's heart quickened as he felt an ever familiar throb in his nether regions. His mouth stayed open with light yet heavy pants as his arm struggled against the General's hold. Grimmjow chuckled lightly, pleased with his work in progress.

With no belt attached and the fabric rather loosened more than usual, it gave easier access for the General to then tug at the top part of the pants as he began to pull them slowly downward with each pull, the fabric inch by inch slipping over the curve of the boy's hips and then the top curve of the buttocks.

"No plea...sto…s-sto…" the boy stammered through pants from the building pressure between his legs. Grimmjow stopped for a moment, the pants still elevated a bit in a mid tug as he looked over at his captive.

"You know…" continuing to finally manage the pants past the buttocks "…you have a habit…" and then pulling them along with the underwear all the way downward until they crumpled around the lad's ankles "…of denying yourself from what you really want."

The thought sat upon Ichigo's mind as he gasped lightly, biting his lip as he felt the coolness in the air hit his now bare lower side with a tingling draft. Grimmjow was right, he couldn't deny it the fact that he truly did deny certain things from himself. There were aspects of this so called joint venture that he wanted to explore, but actively pushed himself to hold back. Maybe it was because he was vastly inexperienced and didn't want to be judged or laughed at for being a virgin. Maybe it was because he wasn't quite sure of what he honestly wanted to do and preferred someone else to just take the lead. Or maybe…

…he was afraid it would go too far…father than he was ready for it to. Once that line is crossed, there's no going back.

There was already so many other things on his mind…that clouded his mind…that he simply just didn't want to add more to his plate than was already there. He didn't want to bite off more than he could chew, and so he was stuck within a strange duality within himself; venture forward on his own terms…or…allow someone he trusted to start the journey and then just drag him along through it, hesitantly and sometimes even defiantly…but never unwillingly.

"I…I'm sorry," Ichigo murmured in mid pant without really realizing it.

Grimmjow's caressing hand stopped for a moment, resting upon the orangenette's buttocks again as he looked over at the lad that laid almost helplessly across his thigh.

"For what?" the General asked out of light irritation, wondering what the heck the lad was bugged about now, not that it bothered him too greatly especially knowing that recent events were still fresh upon his captive's mind.

"I just…" he started, clenching his fist upon the sheets with a tightened grip "…I…I don't know what to do...I…" his stammering trailing off as the orangenette dug his face into the bed.

A smirk creased across the General's face as he replied, "It's simple…" licking his fingers and moistening them with his saliva as he then slipped them between the orangenette's cheeks, seemingly digging in, causing the boy to yelp with near shock from the sensation "…you stop letting your mind focus on the rationale and instead…" digging his fingers in further as audible moans could be heard "…you let your body take over. Focus on the feeling instead of the logic of what's going on, because the more you try to think about it, the more you're going to want to forever reject it."

The lad's buttocks tensed and pressed together upon the General's hand as its fingers moved in and out, circling in a professional manner as Ichigo breathed heavily into the bed, his entire body tensing with a pleasuring throb.

"Besides, what the hell are you apologizing for? I don't give a shit on how new you are to this. Just stop trying focus on what you don't understand and just let go."

And with an even deeper fingering, Grimmjow touched upon the lad's prostate.

"AH!" Ichigo belted out a heated passionate cry, his body curling a big tighter into a fetal position as his throbbing cock hardened and rubbed against the General's thigh.

"This will never be about conscious thought of who has the upper hand. It's about breaking free from your comfort zones and discovering other aspects about yourself that you never knew was there. It's both enlightening…" inserting and pulling out his fingers in a driven motion "…and liberating," speeding up the rhythm as Ichigo arched his back, digging harder against Grimmjow's thigh as it felt like he was going to explode.

Upon letting up his grip on the boy, Grimmjow leaned over on his right side, resting upon his bent arm as his left continued to dig in and out. With both arms free, Ichigo gripped the sheets tightly, his eyes glued shut as he panted and moaned between pleasured chokes. It was then he felt a hot breath upon his back followed by a rigid sensation of teeth that nicked at his left shoulder blade, the General's hair tickling along his skin as his right hand was cupped under Grimmjow's right hand. And upon a final bite on his back with teeth nearly piercing the first layer, Ichigo let out one final groan as he released himself.

"Nnngh….ahhhhh," the lad breathed out as he felt his throbbing pressure quickly leave him, cuming against the General's thigh, part of his stomach, and part of the bed. Quickly after release, Ichigo felt his strength leaving him as well as his body giving him a satisfied sleepy haze, his clenched fists relaxed and muscles calmed. Grimmjow lightly smirked in the form of a smile as he removed his hand from the boy and then began to stroke his back with a tender movement.

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion," the General whispered into his ear."