~ Chapter 12 - White ~

It wasn't like the stories where you pass out and then end up in another, more comfortable place. No, he had out run his luck for that to happen. Ichigo's world came blurrily back in focus more and more as he tried to blink something out from his eye. His head ached from where it had hit the pavement and everything was spinning a little. He tried to move but his arms and legs wouldn't listen to his brain.

"-an you hear me?" A voice above him sounded. It perked Ichigo up a notch and the stranger saw this. "Good. Help will come." Ichigo picked up the sound of footsteps approaching in a hurry. They stopped behind him and someone kneeled to look at his bleeding head. He actually lost his concentration after that and only tried to stay awake due to pleadings that he should. Somewhere in the confusion he had been righted to sit up, but he swayed dangerously to the side making someone hold on to him so that he wouldn't tip over. The nausea worsened and he gagged. His vision was a little better and he stared one eyed at someone that was kneeling in front of him. "Szayel?" He managed to ask softly. Shortly after that he was standing with help and lead into the school building.

He was carefully sat down in a couch and the former Espada cleaned the blood from his face with a wet washcloth, enabling him to see properly again. It was cold, probably because it cleaned away blood easier, and felt good on his pounding head. Ichigo realized that they were alone, where the other person who had found him had disappeared to he never noticed. Szayel moved the cloth to where he had hit his head to the pavement and Ichigo hissed while moving away.

"Careful, you could have a concussion and I need to get a good look if you need to see a professional." Szayel separated the hair from the wound as he got rid of the blood. "It's not that bad, I could saw the gash up and then we we'll cool it down to reduce the swelling of the bump that's forming."

"Should you really…" Ichigo hesitated to let anyone other than a licensed doctor play with needles and thread in the skin of his head.

"Are you questioning my competence as a doctor to be?" Szayel said sounding offended.

"Ehm, no but-"

"Good, hush and let me sew this shut." Was the order and the pinkette moved to get a few things. A water bottle was given to Ichigo, who held it in his hands instead of drinking it. He still felt a little nauseas and knowing that he was going to get stitches without anesthesia didn't make it better. Szayel held up the needle in front of his face to try and calm him down. It didn't. Nevertheless, the man moved on undisturbed and began closing the wound up. The first time the needle went in his skin it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Probably because his head was messed up from the whole ordeal still. Then it was over in a heartbeat.

"Keep it cool for now," Szayel gave him an ice pack to put against his bump. "don't fall asleep for the next hour or you might slip in to a coma. I need to go, but you can stay here as long as you need to." Ichigo sat there, holding the pack against his head and watched how Szayel walked out briskly. Then he realized that he had no idea where he was or how he would take himself home. Everything had been hazy until now when his head were beginning to clear a bit. It made him look around in the room. Besides the couch there was a table with a few chairs and a laptop was resting on top of it. There also was a fridge and a microwave in a corner that served as a mini kitchen. The room looked more than a simple one on the school almost as if it was- wait, Szayel had access here then it must mean… Ichigo stood up in shock; the water bottle fell to the floor and rolled away until it stopped by a pair of feet.

"'Ello. I heard from one of my fracción that he an' Szayel had found ya passed out on the ground."

Ichigo swayed from the sudden rise from the couch and the man in front of him helped him down on it. He moved away the hand holding the ice pack to look at the stitched wound. "Ya hit yer head good."

"Y-yeah."

"I'm Shirosaki by the way, but I'm sure that you already had that figured out. Yers?" Shirosaki said and opened the water bottle and gave it to Ichigo to actually drink it this time. He took a sip. "Ichigo." He said and got eye contact with those cold yellow eyes he had experienced before.

"Nice ta meet ya. So, what made you end up cracking yer head against the pavement?"

Ichigo stared in front of himself feeling that he really didn't want to have this conversation at all. He wanted to go home to be honest, sitting in this room made him feel uneasy. It was ironic that he had ended up at the rival fraternity to the Espada, he almost wanted to laugh. Almost.

"Not a talker I see." Shirosaki smirked when Ichigo never answered his question. Ichigo took away the ice pack from his head and held it out for Shirosaki to take. "Let Szayel know that I appreciate the help and thanks for taking me in, but," He rose again, steady on his feet. "I'll be on my way."

"Okay, yer decicion. Though ya look a lil' pale to be wandering off by yer own."

At that exact moment, Ichigo's stomach made a hungry noise and he blushed. The fraternity leader smiled knowingly and went to open the fridge. "Eat something an' then I'll drive ya home."

"I'm good." Ichigo stubbornly refused. Shirosaki sighed and walked to the fridge where he took out a store bought sandwich. He then walked to the door which he opened and showed Ichigo to walk out with the food. He took it from Shirosaki and followed after him to his car.

The ride had been silent with Ichigo looking out through the window all the way. His head wasn't hurting anymore, but he didn't feel to strike up a conversation with the Slayer's leader. After spending time with Grimmjow it somehow was imprinted that he wasn't supposed to hang with Shirosaki. He was the bad guy, though right now it felt like that he had more against Grimmjow than Shirosaki. The man had been nice to him and what Ichigo understood, the fraternity rooms were for leaders and fracción only. Which didn't make Shirosaki look like a bad guy at all at the moment. He had even driven him home.

Ichigo ate the sandwich and felt much better with some rest and food. The calm he had found was broken by his door bell. He walked up to it and saw that it was Grimmjow standing on the other side in a simple tee and gym shorts. His heart flew up to his throat. Grimmjow pressed the bell again and pounded on the door as he yelled Ichigo's name.

"I know you're in there. Open, we need to talk."

Ichigo's legs felt like wet noodles. This wasn't happening, not right now and not today. He stood by the door and hoped that Grimmjow would go away. He was shouted at again and with a final bang Grimmjow walked away. Ichigo breathed out, his heart still beat hard in his chest. It made his head ache all over again.

Then out of nowhere there was a noise outside his window. Ichigo turned his head around, only to meet Grimmjow's blue gaze. He had climbed over to his balcony and opened the door easily. Ichigo cursed mentally that he hadn't locked it.

"Go away or I'll call the cops." He bravely said. Grimmjow looked a little hurt by the comment but it didn't halter him to walk further inside.

"I just want to talk." He said calmly.

"We have nothing to talk about." Ichigo took a step back when Grimmjow came closer.

"Oh yes we do. What about we start with you ignoring my ass off and then one day gets a lift home from that man? Huh?" Grimmjow frowned angrily, an expression Ichigo never thought he would see on his face.

"This is my fault?" He hissed, offended that Grimmjow had turned everything against him.

"You were the one to break the contact so I'd say that yeah."

"Get the fuck out." Ichigo spoke quietly. Grimmjow made no gesture to move and stood there in silence. It made him even angrier; this was his apartment and sanctuary from everything happening around him. Grimmjow had easily destroyed that by entering without permission. "I said, get the. fuck. out." He talked louder this time and shortened the distance between them. "I don't want to see you or talk to you."

Grimmjow walked forward and stopped in front of Ichigo and bent down a little to speak in his ear. "You don't mean it. I know you, you wouldn't say that."

"You don't know me and I certainly don't know you. Leave." Ichigo tried to suppress the shudder traveling through him caused by the hot breath puffing against the shell of his ear. Grimmjow smelled good too on top of it all. He felt torn between throwing him out over the balcony or open up his arms and-

"What happened to your head? Was it him?" Grimmjow said icily, reaching out to touch the wound. It broke Ichigo out from his inner conflict and he flinched away from Grimmjow's arm. Soon after, he was staring up blurrily at the bluenette with a new pain in his head. He turned it to the side and threw up what little content he had in his stomach. Everything was spinning again and he gagged as he tried to focus.

"Ichigo!" Grimmjow called in alarm of what had just happened. He moved him away from the pile of puke and found something to wipe his mouth with. Ichigo was experiencing everything all over again and knew that this wasn't good. "Ambulance." He gritted out and gagged. Grimmjow did as he was told and called 911. Unconsciously throughout the entire call, he rubbed Ichigo's back to soothe him. The gesture was very comforting and made the whole thing a little easier. He also got a blanket after the call, laid over his body to not get cold.

"They will be here soon." Grimmjow promised.

As if on cue, sirens where heard in the distance and Grimmjow ran down to guide them up to the apartment. Two paramedics and a stretcher entered followed by Grimmjow, hot on their heels. Ichigo was quickly examined in the head and they hoisted him up on the gurney to rush him to the hospital. He closed his eyes as they pushed him out through the front door. If there were any spectators he didn't want to meet their eyes. This was so embarrassing. Just as he was about to be pushed inside the ambulance, Shinji came running.

"What the hell happened?!" He shouted.

"Concussion." A paramedic answered for him when he couldn't find energy to give one himself.

"Can I come with you?" Shinji wondered and Ichigo whispered a 'yeah'. He wasn't keen on to bring the eccentric blonde, but anything was better than Grimmjow. His body didn't let him think about it further and he almost chocked on his own vomit. The person with him in the back was quick to let him do it in something.

The doctor only told him things that he already knew. Head trauma, dehydration and lack of nutrients. After a bag of fluids and some food he was sent home with the order to take it easy to not worsen the concussion. He looked at the white paper containing the costs of his hospital visit; only the ambulance ride had been ridiculously expensive. What annoyed him the most was that he had brought it all upon himself.

Shinji was sitting next to him on the sofa in which he had lied down in. Ichigo had been afraid that Grimmjow would pounce on him straight away when coming home and asked if Shinji could go with him. The blonde thought it was a good idea and reasoned that he shouldn't be left alone in case he felt dizzy again. He also promised to make something to eat to Ichigo's horror. The paper in his hands where taken by Shinji who put it upside down on the coffee table.

"Don't worry about that now. You don't want another." Shinji tried to joke.

"Funny." Ichigo said half heartedly.

"Well, I'm serious."

"I know." Ichigo sighed quietly. "Thank you."

"How about that fo-"

A knock on the door cut Shinji off and Ichigo's stomach turned cold. Shinji could of course not read him and went to open it. 'To be nice to the sick' as he expressed. It was the complete opposite though. "Oh, Grimmjow! Come on in. Ichigo is resting, but I'm sure he wants to meet his hero." Shinji hadn't been filled in on anything Ichigo realized a bit too late. Thinking fast, he turned around in the couch and curled deep into a blanket.

"Ichigo?" Shinji wondered when he saw that he didn't acknowledge the new guest in the room.

"I don't want him here." He spoke from the couch.

"Isn't that a little rude when he cleaned up while you were passed out?"

"Me, rude?" Ichigo shot up in the couch in anger. He clutched his head immediately from the sudden rush of blood to it. Grimmjow stood silent next to Shinji and Ichigo accidentally got eye contact. "I'm not the rude one here, he are." He said while staring Grimmjow head on.

"What are you talking about?" Shinji said confused.

"He was the one to break in and make me decorate the floor with my innards."

"You did what?!" Shinji turned to Grimmjow, furious. During all this time the fraternity leader hadn't said a word or shown any emotions. It hurt Ichigo even more.

"I may have…forced my way in but he was injured already when I did." Grimmjow clenched his jaw. "I never got my answer, was he the one to hurt you?"

"No it was you."

"Come on, stop with this bullshit. I don't get what you are aiming at and it's starting to get a little tiring."

"I-," Ichigo begun, but as a tear managed to escape from his right eye he got silent. He didn't know how to continue without choking.

"You made him cry." Shinji hissed. "Get out."

"This is just fucking perfect. Loose my number." Grimmjow growled, turned around and walked out through the front door. When it clicked shut and the apartment got silent, Ichigo took a deep breath in a fruitless attempt to keep his emotions in check. Quickly, Shinji's arms where around him to comfort and he only cried harder. He felt crushed and betrayed. That Grimmjow could turn into that was something he never could imagine. His head was throbbing viscously and he almost wanted to throw up again. As Shinji felt him tense up against it, he gently laid him down and promised to make food.

He must have dosed off because when he opened his eyes again, there was warm food on the coffee table. Curled up in the blanket he ate slowly with no appetite. He only did it to not end up at the hospital again. The food quickly felt like gravel in his mouth making him only finish half of it. Shinji looked worriedly at him when he saw that he didn't eat it all.

"It was good, don't worry." Ichigo smiled weakly.

"Will you be okay on your own? I get company soon but I don't want to leave you."

No, not really. Was what Ichigo wanted to say, though he knew it probably was Nnoitra visiting, he couldn't stop his friend from going. It was unavoidable to cut every connection to the fraternity leader he realized bitterly. "I'll be okay." He lied.

Shinji perked up like a love sick puppy. "You sure?"

"I'll only sleep anyway." He reasoned. If he could that is.

Too soon, in Ichigo's opinion, Shinji left him. The apartment was dead silent and that familiar feeling of something heavy in his chest spread quickly. He'd forgotten how it felt to be drowning in anxiety. In this moment, it felt like someone was kicking when he already was lying down.

Despite having an awful day, he woke up twelve hours later in his bed. He didn't feel rested at all.

Taking a shower to wake up more was a challenge. His hair was greasy and he tried to avoid his bump as much as he could while washing it, but it was almost impossible. He stayed as long as possible in the hot spray, already feeling a little bit better. After taking his medication, he curled up in the couch with a cup of steaming hot tea. He wondered if he should go to school or try to cope at home meanwhile he mended. It was his heart that would require a lot of mending, his head just a little.

His phone alerted him of a new message and Ichigo picked it up from beside him in the couch. Shinji wondered how he was feeling, he typed a standard answer that he was ok and that the blonde shouldn't worry about him. The sound of a door closing harshly made him flinch, almost spilling tea in his lap. Then, music poured through the walls with a heavy bass sound. It could only mean one thing, Grimmjow was having a party.

Three hours later, the party was in full swing. Ichigo had tried to isolate himself in the comfort of his own bed. It had been a futile attempt, making him listen to everyone's drunken sing a longs and loud voices. Grimmjow's guests seemed to smoke as much as they drank if Ichigo could judge his sense of smell right. He wondered if it would be cruel to call the surveillance company and complain about the high noise. It wasn't that late and hopefully the crowd would move to a night club later.

He wasn't that lucky, it seemed that Grimmjow planned to party all night. Something shattered on his balcony and by now Ichigo had enough. He peeked through the drawn curtains so see how a half empty beer bottle had been thrown over to his side. Beer and broken glass was everywhere on the balcony floor. Now it almost was a matter for the police, but he wanted to do this anonymously and if he called the police he would be forced to file a complaint against Grimmjow. No, the other option was much better since it could have been anyone in the building.

Ichigo made the call and lay low. The music next door was cut off abruptly after awhile and the silence was welcome. Heavy banging on his front door made him jump a little.

"Ichigo!" A drunken voice shouted. "I hope that you are happy now!"

He actually was and he finally could sleep where he hopefully could escape all the drama for a little while.

TBC

AN: Life is a bitch but here I am. I hope you liked it! ~BIAE