Right I thought I was done with the story for good but an angel gave me some help and here I am, and I'm back with a revised story. I just hope the new story is better than the last (crosses fingers in hope).

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Chapter 1

Ggio Vega loved Apache. Deeply. Passionately.

He had other things in his mind that he cared for, of course. His duties to his Espada, his friends and rivals. But, for a long time, love had never even crossed his mind. Ggio was, after all, an Arrancar. "Love" just wasn't something Arrancar did or even thought about too often, if at all. And even then, he certainty never thought he would fall for the tomboyish Fracción. After all, he'd known her for quite some time; they'd trained together, usually straight into the ground; they'd been there to patch each other up and stagger home from the training compound leaning on each other for support. They'd been more like old friends for a long, long time.

But there was no denying that Ggio loved her. He was far, far past friendship by now.

What was it about Apache that Ggio loved?

It was nearly everything about her that he loved. The way she walked, spoke, dressed. Her dark blue hair like the most perfect night skies here at home, her shimmering sapphire-topaz eyes… her smile… her mind, body, heart and soul. Everything.

He took a moment to contemplate those eyes. Sapphire blue, like the stillest waters on Earth, representing the rare moments of calm her nature allowed. The fiery gold, like a raging fire, spoke easily of her more regular personality: impulsive and high-spirited, quick to act. There were several people who noticed that, he mused, his thoughts becoming quieter, deeper. He, however, believed that the blue symbolized ocean, fast-moving, ever-changing water. The yellow, its constant opposite, the sun.

She was part doe, Ggio thought to himself, and does are supposed to be beautiful and graceful, admired for such qualities as well as their resilience and agile, never-tiring speed. Not to say that there was no one in Las Noches who was more beautiful. Surely there were a few, at least.

But in his eyes, Apache was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, the most perfect person in the world; and she
became even more beautiful when she activated her resurrection. Every time he saw her, his heart skipped two beats just to stare.

Yes, Ggio loved Apache. Deeply, madly, passionately, and to the exclusion of all else at some times. But, at the same time, he also hated her with an almost equal passion. No matter how beautiful, intelligent, or powerful, there was something about that he hated so bitterly it choked him to even think about it, made him so angry he could barely see.

He hated her for the fact that she chose Grimmjow instead of him.

He had never gotten along with the Sexta Espada during the time he knew him. Grimmjow was arrogant, perverted and rude, and nobody ever stood up to him because of his rank. Even Aizen wasn't much help, always just saying "panthers will be panthers," and that he'd "eventually grow out of it." Yeah. Right.

He had heard from Tesla that Grimmjow had taken his beloved Apache as his girl. Of course he didn't believe it, thought he was being screwed with. Surely not…? So Ggio had gone to Apache's quarters to ask, just to make sure. Maybe now he could work up the courage to as her himself? But on his way there he saw that Tesla had been telling the truth.

He saw that Grimmjow had Apache pinned against the wall and they were kissing, heedless of who saw them and completely lost in the moment. To his shock and horror he saw that Apache was kissing Grimmjow back with the same ferocity. Ggio felt himself getting psychically ill and slunk away, sliding down against a wall and shaking his head in consternation.

His first thought when he saw the two together was to go over there and beat the living crap out of Grimmjow for kissing Apache. His Apache. But he knew he couldn't do that; never mind that Grimmjow was stronger than him so he had no chance against the bastard. He'd never so much as kissed Apache; how was he supposed to "defend her honor" when—though it pained him to admit this—that honor wasn't, never had been his to defend?

His heart had shattered like glass at that thought, settling in the bottoms of his lungs so that he couldn't breathe without a tearing, stinging pain. Not only was she giving herself to someone that was not him, he couldn't do anything about it, because he'd been too afraid to approach her about becoming his, in the first place!

Over time, his feelings toward Grimmjow had grown ever stronger until he started to develop an intense hatred for Apache, as well. After all, it wasn't long until his hurting and broken heart turned against her, guilty by association for taking his happiness away.

After that fateful moment Ggio had completely avoided Apache; he did not want her to see the pain and sorrow she had caused him, even though it stung a little that now he couldn't see her at all; even if she did belong to someone else, it still made him happy to see her sometimes. But there were other, deeper reasons that Ggio couldn't spend any time around her at all. They'd known each other for so long, it was easy for Apache to read him like an open book. He did not want her to see the tears that he was still crying; his pain and sorrow, no matter the cause, were his and his alone to bear.

Sometimes, he would daydream about what it would be like if Apache had chosen him
instead of Grimmjow. How happy they would have been together, and how much better suited they were for eachother.

Despite his bitter feelings toward Apache, he couldn't stop loving her and he would go to any length to see her happy… even if it was with that sadistic bastard, who didn't deserve her, and was cruel, and crude, and had probably already taken her back to his domain and—Ggio groaned aloud. He wasn't getting anywhere with those thoughts.

As long she was happy, then Ggio was happy, too.

If Grimmjow ever hurt Apache… he hoped that would never happen, for he knew that if it ever did then he would personally kill Grimmjow himself; he would die trying, just to make that bastard feel even a fraction of the pain dealt to his beloved. His beloved who he could never love, was doomed to hate bitterly because of what she'd done. What he'd made her do.

Ggio would always loved and hate Apache until the day he died.

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