Her feet felt like lead weights, aching and dragging. "Why does my apartment have to be three floors up?" She half wondered if she was wearing out her gigai or just getting more and more out of shape. There was only so much training she could do while working full time and trying to stay off the grid. She would use Urahara's training ground if there wasn't such a high risk someone would stumble upon her. He had a tendency to take in a lot of freeloaders.

When she finally made it to her door, she pressed her tired face against the cool surface. It felt refreshing against the stifling apartment building air. After a moment or two, she pulled her keys free from her scrub pocket and found the one to her door. She pressed it in and turned, immediately pausing as her stomach twisted with anxiety. "Did I forget to lock the door?"

It was possible, seeing as she had left half asleep at three in the morning. Something didn't feel right. She kept her hand on the door handle as her eyelids lowered and she reached out, feeling for reishi. There were two, one sneaky presence lounging on her couch and another vibrant blue ransacking her kitchen. It was the second one that had her heart leaping into her throat.

She flung open the door and stomped into her living room. "Urahara!"

"My, my, Akiyama-chan, you're so noisy at this hour." He was laying on his back with his hat on his face. "You sure do work long hours."

"What is going on?" Haruka was in a near panic. "What is he doing here!?" She pointed towards the kitchen where a certain blue-haired Espada, or ex-Espada, stood leaning against the door frame.

"Oi, you got nothing to eat in this joint." He mentioned as if this was all so ordinary.

"Urahara, if you are doing what I think you are doing…"

"Now, now, Akiyama-san, don't be so serious." Urahara half-laughed as he got to his feet, his clogs clanking against the wood floors.

"I am not housing him here!"

"Tch, if she's going to be this bitchy then I'll find my own place." Grimmjow shrugged.

"Good, go. I'm not living with one of Aizen's Espada." She crossed her arms in a huff.

"I ain't one of Aizen's!" Grimmjow growled.

"Wait a minute, now." Urahara moved in front of Grimmjow causing an irritated grimace to form. "Akiyama-san, I thought that this would be a good match. You two both hate Aizen. There's something in common." Haruka's eyes shifted to the wall and her demeanor fell slightly. "And I am asking this as a favor. I think you could spare this one little inconvenience. Afterall, I did provide you a rent free apartment for six months, a free gigai, a job interview…"

"Ok, ok." Haruka sighed. "I get it. I owe you a lot. Fine, but he sleeps on the couch!"

"Wonderful!" Urahara exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. Grimmjow's irritation faded and boredom quickly replaced it. That man couldn't just sit still and lie low. What was Urahara thinking?

"How long is this arrangement supposed to last?" She asked as the sneaky shop owner moved to the door.

"I'll be in touch." He smiled. It was an expression she was well acquainted with by now. It meant he had no idea. "Sayonara!"

The door slammed shut and all that remained were an exiled shinigami and a former Espada staring at one another.

The electric blue stare washed over Haruka and caused goosebumps to unintentionally erupt along her skin. He was as she remembered him, tall and intimidating. His defining muscle mass was easily distinguishable through his black tee-shirt. His strength rivaled that of his attitude. She remembered him from back then. She remembered how Aizen used to taunt him and he was powerless against it. It must have infuriated him.

"You were Aizen's pet healer." He mentioned, finally breaking the silence. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, the only thing missing from his familiar ensemble being that mask fragment on his face.

She sneered at his comment. She chose to ignore it. "Urahara gave you a gigai?"

"What's it to you?" A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Do you choose to be an asshole or is it just a permanent part of your personality?" She scoffed while moving into the living room.

The air shifted and so did she. She found herself pinned against a wall with a very powerful Arrancar inches from her face. "Don't forget who you're talking to." He growled.

She swallowed hard while attempting to push away her fear. An image flashed in her mind of Grimmjow's arm impaled through Luppi. She remembered watching Orihime Inoue's introduction, unable to resist her curiosity before fleeing from Las Noches. She had healed Grimmjow's destroyed arm. It was an ability no shinigami should have, let alone a human. It was then Haruka knew she would not be able to compete.

She continued to glare at him with those bright violet pools. His sapphire gaze held such a deadly intent. He was reckless and very dangerous. Yet, she was as stubborn as they came. She would not back down. But, he had to know she was afraid. If her silence didn't speak it, her trembling certainly did.

Suddenly, his displeased frown pulled into an amused grin. "You're a brave little kitten." His hand slid up her arm, calloused fingers scraping along her delicate skin. They brushed along her shoulder, causing her to tense up before he pulled at a loose strand of hair. He moved his head closer, his lips a mere whisper from her ear. "But I can still feel you tremble."

A strange mixture of utter terror and excitement ran down her spine. He was intoxicating, an overwhelming presence that she was completely unprepared for. She had to do something before he swallowed her whole.

"I'm not your toy to play with, Grimmjow." She scowled and he pulled back, amusement still lighting his features. It was quite obvious that he disagreed, but surprisingly, he relented. He stuffed his hands back in his pockets before turning and moving towards the window.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"To find something to eat." He responded, boredom apparent in his tone.

"You can't just leap out of the window, Grimmjow, you're going to attract attention to yourself!" She ran up and grasped his arm, pulling him back into the apartment which he very obviously allowed. "And how are you going to pay for food? Did Urahara give you money?"

"Money?" Irritation was starting to show on his face. From what she knew about him, Grimmjow was a simple man who did what he wanted when he wanted. He didn't like playing by the rules.

"Of course he didn't." She grumbled and then sighed. "Come on, we can stop at the corner store and I'll buy you a bento box." She dragged herself back towards the door and slipped her shoes back on. "And maybe buy myself a bento box." She mumbled to herself.

"Tch, do humans make everything so complicated?" He asked while following.

"Yes." She affirmed while walking out the door.

Grimmjow's compliance was more than shocking, it was uncharacteristic. She knew there had to be something in all of this for him. Why else would he so easily follow direction from a random ex-shinigami?

"Why did you come to the World of the Living?" She asked as they walked side by side. They looked like an odd pair. Him with his powder blue hair and icy stare towering over her with her midnight locks and lavender gaze. Luckily there weren't too many people left on the streets to gawk at them.

"I was promised a rematch." He said plainly.

"A rematch?"

"Doesn't concern you, Ruka." He mentioned lazily.

Her brow furrowed. "It's Haruka- I mean Akiyama-san to you!"

He leaned forward while tilting his head to look at her, much like a cat eying up his prey. "You complain a lot, woman."

"Tsh, whatever." She grumbled while stopping at the crosswalk.

"Why are we stopping?" He asked, annoyance clearly showing on his face.

"That light up there means we can't cross because of the cars. We have to wait our turn." Haruka explained while pointing up to the crossing sign.

"I'm not waiting for a light." He pushed through the crowd and stepped into the crosswalk.

"Grimmjow, wait!" She yelled after him as he leisurely strolled across the street. When he didn't stop, she ran after him.

"Stupid Arrancar!" She thought.

At the last second, she saw the speeding car coming at her, the horn blaring and wheels screeching. Instinctively she covered her head, bracing for the impact. She heard the sounds of crushing metal, but the hit never came.

"Oi, you coming or what? I'm not waiting around for you." That obnoxious voice had her opening her eyes, a shocked expression immediately adorning her face. A single hand was outstretched into the front of the car, a cocky looking Arrancar the one responsible. It was then she noticed the gasps and whispers of those around them.

Haruka's fist clenched as she threw them at her sides in a huff. "Grimmjow!"

"What now?" He started moving across the street again and towards the corner store.

"You've been here less than an hour and you are already drawing more attention than my entire eight months here!" She shouted as she ran to catch up to him.

"And?" He drawled.

"If you keep making a scene then you will never get your rematch." She poked him in the chest twice before he grasped her wrist.

"Quit nagging me, woman." He released her and continued walking towards the little store. "This where the food is?"

She sighed. "Yes. Please let me do all the talking." He rolled his eyes. "And don't touch anything!"

"Nag, nag, nag."

"You could always go somewhere else." She offered while walking through the door of the convenience store. The cashier greeted them both, but then withdrew awkwardly as they both glared at him.

"No." He said simply while looking around the store. Haruka had a feeling it had something to do with his deal with Urahara otherwise he would have been gone by now.

She moved wearily towards the shelf with the bento boxes. She grabbed two at first, but then hesitated. She glanced over to her new roommate who was swatting at display of kids toys hanging from the shelf. She immediately grabbed a third bento box and then moved to the check out. She placed her items on the counter, noticing beads of sweat developing on the cashier's brow.

A loud crash exploded from the other end of the store. "Grimmjow!" A puddle formed at the Arrancar's feet as he lapped at his hand.

"What?" He ground out, annoyed.

"I told you not to touch anything!" Haruka sighed before putting down a few more yen in the tray to pay for the beverage. "Sorry about that."

The cashier waved his hands defensively. "I-It's not a problem! H-h-here's your change. Have a nice n-night!" The man quickly bagged up the food and handed it to Haruka.

"Thanks." She replied as Grimmjow approached her. The cashier yelped upon seeing the steely glare in his direction.

"Are we done?"

She sighed. "Yes, let's go before you make me pay for half the store." The two walked together out the swooshing doors, only to be greeted by flashing lights and sirens. "Oh no." Her stomach dropped as she saw two witnesses point them out to police officers.

"Che, what a pain." Haruka heard Grimmjow mutter before he was scooping her up over his shoulder and vanishing down the road.

"What are you doing!?" She cried out while trying to cling to her groceries. Grimmjow's hand was planted firmly on the curve of her backside causing a blush to dust her cheeks.

"Your way takes too long." He jumped up on the fire escape to her apartment and opened the window. He unceremoniously tossed her to the floor before picking up the bag she was holding.

"Ouch!" She rubbed a sore spot on her ass before pushing herself to a stand. At least they were home. "Hey, one of those is mine!"

She ran over to the crouched asshole who was shoving every last drop of food in his mouth. He didn't stop even as she jumped on his back while trying to grasp a handful of noodles. He simply shrugged her off before tossing her a near empty box with a little bit of rice left.

"You are the worst house guest." She accused as she sat on the floor, her legs tucked to either side of her and her hands on either side of the bento box. She stared helplessly at the few grains of rice and a spare noodle.

"You should have bought more." He stood up and walked over to the couch, collapsing back and closing his eyes.

"I did buy more…" She tossed the bento box in the pile with the others and pushed herself to a stand. "I'm taking a shower. Don't break anything while I'm in there." He opened one eye to glare at her before shutting it again.

Steam flowed out the top of the glass shower door and into her bathroom, filling her lungs and melting away tension. Her fingers ran through her hair as she released a sigh, little rivulets of water flowing down her curves. Her nerves settled and a subtle relaxation starting creeping into her muscles.

Right up until a tapping noise on the glass had her eyes shooting open.

"Hey, how do you work this thing?" Grimmjow stood on the other side of the glass with the TV remote in his hand. She was so wrapped up in her shower that she didn't hear him open the door.

A shrill erupted from her lips. "Grimmjow!" Her arms flew to cover various body parts. "Get out!"

He grimaced at the obnoxious noise hurting his ears. "What the fuck? I asked you a question." He demanded.

"Get out, Grimmjow! You can't just walk into the bathroom while I'm taking a shower!" She continued to shout.

"Why? You ain't got nothing I haven't seen before." He said matter of factly.

"Out! Now. I will help you with the TV when I'm done!"

He sneered at her before turning to leave. "Well hurry up. I'm fucking bored."

Her body sagged as the door to the bathroom shut. She grasped the glass door handle and leaned against it, her head falling. "So much for a nice relaxing shower." She quickly washed up and rinsed, knowing that she couldn't leave the rowdy Arrancar for more than a few minutes before he'd get himself into trouble. She left the bathroom and to her relief, he appeared to be napping on the couch, sprawled out like a lazy house cat.

"Grimmjow." She called out gently.

"What?" He replied with only minor irritation.

"Do you want me to show you how to use the TV before I go to bed?" She meandered over to the couch, picking up the remote on her way that was no doubt dropped there in his frustration.

"No, I want you to stand around looking stupid for twenty more minutes." He replied sarcastically.

Her face deteriorated into a scowl before tossing the remote at him. "Fine, figure it out yourself. I'm going to bed."

"Oi, come back here or I'll break down your door and take your bed for myself." He warned.

"You are so lucky I owe Urahara." She spat before stomping her way back to the couch. She ripped the remote from his hand while glaring at his smug little expression. "You press this one to turn it on and this one brings up the guide to tell you whats on. You can go through the channels with this one." She explained quickly before passing it to him. "Oh and these control the volume. Please keep it down. I want to actually get some sleep tonight." She said as she pointed to the specific buttons on the remote.

"Tch, don't tell me what to do, woman." He returned before focusing on the TV.

She didn't bother with a response, opting for a condescending head shake before moving to her room. She slipped into bed and reveled in the soft comfort of her covers for several minutes before feeling exhaustion start to overtake her.

And then, obnoxious noise started filtering under her door.

"What the hell?" She pushed herself out of bed, passing a longing glance to the red numbers blaring 22:00 at her. As soon as she opened the door she could hear the obsene grunts and moans blaring from the TV, horrifying her instantly. "What are you watching!?" She shouted as she ran over and pulled the remote from his hand and changing the channel.

"What? It was the only thing good on."

"Only thing good on? You know I have to pay extra for that channel! Not to mention who else could have heard. My neighbors are going to think I'm a pervert!" She shrieked.

"So? Who cares?" He drawled.

"You are infuriating. Here, watch this." She said as she changed to the sports channel where the kickboxing tournament was on. "And don't change it. Good night."

"Tch." He glared at the back of her head while she made her way back to her room to finally escape into a blissful sleep.