Second Chance

Renji woke up with a start, eyes flashing open as something cold and wet splashed across his face. Urahara was standing above him and grinning, an empty glass in his hand.

"I thought you could use some water," Urahara said, "especially since you went through some of my best sake bottles last night."

Renji froze. That was definitely not all Urahara had in his dark, twisted mind for punishment. No doubt he was pissed about the missing alcohol and would exact his revenge some other way when Renji was least expecting it. Well, Renji thought, relaxing, he'd just have to deal with it when it happened. But then he froze again, remembering what he had done last night immediately after drinking all that sake. He looked down, relieved to see that his pants were on. At least no one had seen. . . "Where's Ichigo?"

"He went back inside to get some more sleep. It seems you two had a long night."

If there was some kind of connotation in those words, Renji sure as hell couldn't tell. He sprung up off the porch and made his way inside to the room, relieved to see that every one else was awake and going about their daily business. At least then he and Ichigo would have the room to themselves.

He bounded through the door, immediately going to Ichigo's body and grabbing the boy's shoulders. He lifted him up, shaking.

"Mmm. . . Renji. . . what the hell?" Ichigo blinked open his eyes and swatted Renji's hands away.

"Ichigo, man, I'm so sorry."

"What? What are you talking about?" Was Renji kneeling?

"It was all my fault! I totally took advantage of you while we were drunk yesterday, it never should've happened, and I feel real bad-"

"Renji," Ichigo said, scowling. He didn't need Renji to go off on some ridiculous rant, especially not this early in the morning. If Renji wasn't waking him up for sex, then Ichigo just wanted to go back to sleep. . . well, there was an idea. "I guess you should take responsibility, then."

Renji blinked at him, obviously confused. He looked even more confused when Ichigo grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.

Ichigo pressed against and sucked on Renji's lips, a little disheartened when they didn't respond at all. It was entirely possible that he was doing something wrong. . . it's not like he had ever done anything with anyone before. He had figured that a benefit of dating Renji would be the fact that the redhead had much more experience, but that didn't help when he was so unwilling to teach Ichigo anything. It also didn't help when Renji tried to actually talk during the kisses, mumbling against Ichigo's lips.

"I don't. . . think. . . this is. . . taking. . . responsi. . . bility."

Ichigo's scowl only deepened as he pulled away, but this time it was partly affected. "So you're just going to have sex with me and run off?"

"Huh?"

"Was this just a cheap one-night stand to you?"

"Of course not!" Renji said. He looked like he was short-circuiting, and Ichigo was glad that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Renji was smart of course, in certain arenas, but those arenas didn't include things like logic and manipulation.

"Then the only other option is for us to date." Ichigo pressed a hand against Renji's groin, glad that his kisses had an effect after all. "Besides, you're already hard."

Ichigo flipped them over so that he was straddling Renji's stomach. The movement hit Renji's head against the wooden floor with a loud bang, and Ichigo cringed at the noise. He really had to watch his strength sometimes. He leaned down and started kissing Renji again, but this time Renji actually kissed back.

Ichigo pulled his mouth away, loath to do it but wanting to make sure. "Is this okay with you?"

"My head hurts," Renji muttered, before pulling Ichigo down for another kiss.

Ichigo guessed that was a yes. He moved down a little, enough that their groins could rub against each other. He rubbed them together through their clothes for awhile, just enjoying the sensations. Renji's hands came up to rub and knead his ass, then moved to his waistband to fumble with his zipper. Ichigo took the hint, and he maneuvered himself enough that he could take off his pants in the least possible number of moves. Afterward he crept back onto Renji and unzipped the other man's zipper, pulling his cock out from that nest of red curls. He pressed them together and stroked, leaning down to resume their kissing. Renji's hands resumed their fondling, but the touch of Renji's hands on his bare skin was different. . . more intimate.

Ichigo felt nerves flutter in his stomach. But then Renji's fingers ghosted against his hole. It was more an accidental brush then anything else, but it sent a jolt through Ichigo big enough that he stopped the kiss. They were both breathing heavily, but Renji's eyes looked confused in addition to being glazed over with lust.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

". . . I don't know if you remember, but I'm not ready for that yet."

"Oh," Renji said. He didn't seem disappointed or anything, and for that Ichigo was glad. "Do you want to do me, then?"

Ichigo blushed. He didn't think he was quite ready for that yet, either. He wouldn't know what to do. He wondered why they couldn't just jerk each other off and be done with it. Or move on to blow jobs. Maybe.

"Okay," Renji said, reading Ichigo's mood, "that's fine. Let's do this instead. . . lay down on your side."

Ichigo frowned, but did what he was told. His stomach fluttered even more as Renji laid down behind him, spooning. One of Renji's hands came around to wrap around his cock, eliciting a small moan from Ichigo, and Renji's lips came down to press a kiss against Ichigo's neck.

"Keep your legs pressed together as tight as you can. Don't worry, I'll only use your thighs."

Ichigo wasn't sure what Renji meant, but than he felt the head of Renji's cock press between his legs and slide through them. He blushed even harder, looking down to see a bulbous head stick out through the front of his legs. He didn't even know that this was a thing. Renji moaned behind him, then started sliding his cock back and forth through Ichigo's tightly pressed thighs.

Ichigo wasn't sure he could get any redder. It felt odd, having someone use his thighs like this, but he guessed that if he was making Renji feel good than it was alright. He twisted his head back so that they could kiss, and concentrating on the way Renji's hand felt on his cock.

He was the first one to come, moaning his climax into Renji's mouth. His whole body shuddered, and his cock jerked in Renji's grip. It shot out a few strands of semen, coating Renji's fingers and dripping down onto the floor. Renji picked up his pace and came a few moments later, shooting sticky cum out onto Ichigo's thighs. After that Renji wrapped his arms around Ichigo, and pressed a kiss against the back of Ichigo's head.

"I guess I should just give up," he said. "I could never win against you, anyway."

Ichigo smiled in self-satisfaction.

* * *

"I'm here to see Ishida Ryuken."

Grimmjow stuffed his fists into his jacket pockets, a little bit agitated as he looked around. Karakura hospital was all beige and grey, a dull place filled with all manner of noises as people ran to and fro. It also stunk of stale air and disease, and Grimmjow decided that he really hated hospitals.

"The director?" the receptionist asked, giving him a suspicious look. "He's too busy-"

"I've got an appointment," Grimmjow spit out, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

The receptionist still didn't look like she believed him, but she picked up her phone and pushed a button.

"A young man is here to see Dr. Ishida."

A pause, and then Grimmjow could hear a faint female voice come through the other end. "Send him up."

The receptionist hung up, looking a little put out.

"Second floor," she said, in clipped, precise syllables, "room 205."

Grimmjow turned without thanking her and made his way to the staircase. He entered room 205 to find a desk with a young, slim woman sitting behind him.

"Go on in," she said, gesturing to the door behind her.

Grimmjow let himself in, into a moderately sized office lined with bookshelves. A large window took up most of one wall, offering views of the hospital parking lot and houses beyond that.

"You must be Grimmjow," said a voice, and Grimmjow saw for the first time a white-haired man sitting at the desk, a rather smug expression on his face. For some reason Grimmjow hated him instantly. "Isshin's little kept boy."

Grimmjow snarled at that, but knew he couldn't really do anything about it. This Ryuuken guy looked almost exactly like Ichigo's skinny archer friend, and he figured Ryuuken was a Quincy as well. Still, he wanted to wipe that arrogant smile off his face. What did Ryuuken care about Isshin was doing with Grimmjow, anyway? Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. What exactly was Ryuuken's relationship with Isshin? But then a book was thrown onto the desk between them, effectively distracting him.

"Why don't you have a seat?"

Grimmjow grudgingly did so, moving to pick up the book on his way down. He looked over at Ryuken as he did it, but the other man didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, you can have it," Ryuken said, "I've already placed an order for the new printing. It's actually a very outdated book, but there are a few concepts in it that apply to modern medicine."

"I didn't ask," Grimmjow said, opening the book up. It was obviously old. The leather of the cover was peeling away, and the pages were yellow. The book's pages weren't even flat, they were bent like a sine curve along the spine. He flipped through the pages, looking for anything out of the ordinary, when he finally came to the last page of the book. Irokawa University was a red stamp across the top of the page.

Grimmjow couldn't believe how lucky he was. Of all the coincidences, this one seemed a little too much. Or maybe it was just fate that he was supposed to find this book.

"Where did you buy this?" he asked.

"At a garage sale, believe it or not, on the outskirts of Irokawa. But I don't remember where the house was or even the name of the family that sold it to me. I doubt you'd be able to find it."

"You're a real big help," Grimmjow sneered, but Ryuken only smiled back at him.

"My pleasure."

Grimmjow left with the book in his hands, thumbing through the pages as he walked back to the Kurosaki clinic. He had found the book, but it was a dead end. Once he got to the clinic he saw Isshin sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork. He walked towards him and leaned against the desk, tossing the book onto the papers that covered the surface.

"It's the book."

Isshin looked up, then put down his pen and the papers he was holding in his hands. "You don't sound too happy about it."

"It's also a dead end."

"Is it really that important to you to find out what happened?"

Grimmjow shrugged at the question. He leaned further onto the desk, effectively coming to sit on its edge. "I guess not. It just makes me sore, thinkin' 'bout the way some one got a one up on me. How my body was probably never even discovered, just sitting around God knows where wasting away."

"What do you think of the name Yamaguchi Taiki?"

Grimmjow blinked at the non sequitor. "Why?"

Isshin leaned over to open a drawer and pulled out a birth certificate and id. "It's an identity that Urahara was able to find. High school graduate with no family. Believed to be missing, but maybe you were just in a coma here in Karakura Town. If you can pass an entrance exam somewhere, you can go to college. Start a new life."

Their fingers brushed as Isshin handed Grimmjow the laminated sheet of paper. Grimmjow stared at it, tracing the letters of the name with his eyes. A second chance. All those years in the desolate wasteland known as Hueco Mundo, and now he was practically human again.

"I'd like that," he finally said. If he couldn't have an ending, he'd settle for a new beginning.

In their conversation Isshin had come to be sitting in between Grimmjow's legs. Isshin's hand was resting on Grimmjow's thigh, a position that had seemed innocent enough when he had moved it there, but was quickly coming to take on more meaning as the silence stretched between them.

Grimmjow spread his legs just a little bit wider, leaned back just a little bit farther. "When's your next patient?"

"Why?" Isshin asked, but he was already seeing the familiar glazed expression work itself into Grimmjow's eyes.

"You should cheer me up," Grimmjow said, sliding down to straddle Isshin's lap in the chair. "I'm kind of depressed over this whole thing."

"Really," Isshin started, but before he could say anything else Grimmjow was claiming his mouth in a kiss.

As Grimmjow bit and sucked at his lips, Isshin's hands wondered up Grimmjow's sides. Even after all they had done, he couldn't get enough of touching Grimmjow, of touching those lean, hard muscles. He pulled Grimmjow's hips farther into his lap, groaning a little bit when their groins met. They were both rock hard underneath their jeans, and at the first contact Grimmjow started grinding against him in small, circular movements. It felt so good, but they were both ready to feel something better.

Papers scattered to the floor as Isshin lifted Grimmjow back onto the desk. Grimmjow leaned back on his forearms, and Isshin quickly unzipped and pulled Grimmjow's pants and boxers off. Once they were gone Isshin moved between Grimmjow's legs and sucked Grimmjow's cock into his mouth.

Grimmjow almost purred as he was surrounding by wet heat. He watched as his cock disappeared into Isshin's mouth, enjoying the sight as much as the physical sensation. Then two fingers were pushing their way into his asshole, and he threw his head back in pleasure. Grimmjow had quickly learned that there was nothing he liked more than something hard thrusting into his hole, and knew it was something Isshin was more than willing to give him. He collapsed completely back on the desk, moaning as Isshin finger fucked him, never wanting it to stop but wanting something bigger too.

"Stop," Grimmjow finally said, though it came out more as a pant, "hurry up and stick it in already."

Isshin frowned, wondering why Grimmjow had to be so vulgar most of the time, but he had stopped being able to say no to Grimmjow awhile ago. He stood up, quickly smearing some lubrication on his cock before pulling Grimmjow to the very edge of the desk. He let Grimmjow's legs fall over his shoulders as he positioned himself, and then he was pushing his cock into that little hole.

Grimmjow was always so hot and tight, almost to the point of pain. But it always felt so amazing, fucking him, especially with the delicious moans and pants Grimmjow always made.

"Harder," Grimmjow managed to breath out, "fuck me harder."

Isshin complied, quickening his pace as he thrust in and out of Grimmjow's ass. He grabbed onto Grimmjow's hips, so hard he wouldn't be surprised if they bruised, and started pulling Grimmjow's body back and forth to meet each thrust. He looked down at where his cock was disappearing into Grimmjow's hole and felt a familiar crescendo build up at the sight.

"I'm coming," he mumbled, feeling his pace become erratic.

"Come inside me," Grimmjow panted. "I want to feel your cum in my ass."

Isshin came, hard, feeling lightheaded and dizzy as he did so. He was vaguely aware of Grimmjow's cum spilling in between their bodies, but then he was slumping forward as Grimmjow was sitting up. When his lucidity returned his head was on Grimmjow's shoulder and the other man was nuzzling against his jaw.

"Oh my god!" came an angry voice. "Why don't you two ever lock the door?"

Isshin snapped up as he heard the door slam, cringing when his cock pulled a little too quickly out of Grimmjow's ass.

A few minutes later Grimmjow came out of the clinic and into the kitchen, where Ichigo seemed to be attacking a stack of pancakes.

"What the fuck, man?" Ichigo asked, not even looking up at him. "In the middle of the day? In the clinic?"

Grimmjow decided to ignore Ichigo's ramblings for now, instead throwing the book onto the table.

"Found it," he said, "but there's no way to trace it back."

Momentarily distracted from his irritation and disgust, Ichigo picked up the book and started thumbing through it.

"Did Renji put out that s.o.s. in Soul Society?"

"Yeah, but, it's not leading anywhere. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Yeah, figured."

Grimmjow watched as Ichigo flipped through the pages. Ichigo's eyebrows were screwed up in concentration, mouth set in his default scowl.

"Do you see how the pages are all bent and warped?" Ichigo asked. "And how the ink is blurry everywhere?"

"Yeah," Grimmjow answered, even though he hadn't noticed about the ink. "What of it?"

"It's water damage," Ichigo replied. He looked up from the book, staring into space. Grimmjow could practically see the gears in his head turning. "I was thinking, about what we talked about earlier. I think you must have had the book when you left the room that night, because it wouldn't make sense for someone to come back to get it. It would be too incriminating. . . some one might see. Plus, why go through that trouble for a book?

"So, for whatever reason, you had the book with you. And then you bump into someone. Not necessarily some one you know, but some one you don't have any reason to mistrust. Because there was no sign of a struggle. Maybe it was a scorned lover, but it could have just as easily been a psychotic staff member. Let's say that, whoever it was led you somewhere under false pretenses and killed you. They'd get rid of the body. And if they want to make the body harder to identify, they'd get rid of anything it was carrying too."

"So they take the book," Grimmjow said. "But how does that help us? If the book was just something I was accidentally carrying around, than it doesn't really have anything to do with anything. It was just a waste of time to began with."

"That's what I was thinking," Ichigo admitted, "until we actually got ahold of it. This is just a hunch, but let's go with it. . . let's say this book was damaged the night you were killed. Looking at it, it's not damaged from rain or anything that casual. It looks like it was submerged in water. Not so long to cause a large amount of damage, but long enough to do this. Like maybe the murderer was wading through water at some point."

"So," Grimmjow said, "a body of water."

"Yeah, well. I was thinking, where would you go to get rid of a corpse in a hurry that has a lot of water in it? And I remembered there was a manhole right at the side of the dormitory. The sewer beneath campus. The question is, is it even worth it to go explore?"

Grimmjow had to pause at the question and run it through his head a few times. Images of his body at the bottom of some sewer filled his head. Alone and forgotten. At the very least. . .

"At the very least," he said, voice uncharacteristically subdued, "I'd like to give my body a burial."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "Let's check it out this weekend then."