Author's Note: I've decided to make this a Grimm/Rukia fic, because well I love that pairing. Anyway, on with the show, please read and review to let me know what you think.

Chapter 3

Rukia couldn't help but smirk as the door slammed in front of her, resounding in an echoing bang that bounced off the walls.

She wasn't 100% sure why she acted the way she did around him, but it just felt so natural that she couldn't deny it. It was odd from her perspective, especially judging from the blue-haired Espada's attitude; he wasn't someone to be taken lightly, nor someone to rub the wrong way.

And yet, she still found herself intently exploring the depths of his patience, which she immediately discovered, didn't run very deep. He actually looked like he was about to explode at her last remark about being a kitty, alas he managed to contain himself and just stormed out instead.

Not before giving her his name though….Grimmjow Jaggerjaques… she sniggered to herself quietly…his actual name still reminded her of a kitty.

What was the other thing he said?

Oh, right, a meeting with this Aizen. It sounded interesting, especially from the rather…colorful language Grimmjow used to describe him.

She instantly picked up that he didn't 'like' him parse, nor did he enjoy the idea of having a shinigami rule over Hueco Mundo, and yet he appeared to respect him none the less. Rukia reasoned it was either respect, or just plain fear seeing that this shinigami seemed to hold the whole world in the palm of his hand.

Yes…this 'meeting' would be interesting indeed.

Realizing she had been sitting on her bed for almost 10 minutes without doing anything, which would undeniably enrage the blue-haired Espada given the job of escorting her, she decided it would be best to get on her way.

She stood up briskly, striding towards the larger doors as she remembered that Grimmjow also mentioned something else… 'Get changed?' what did that mean?

Frowning, she walked over to the other set of doors, determined to find the meaning of that word. She opened them cautiously, and was not too surprised to find a plain white bathroom on the other side. It was simple, but she liked it.

It consisted of one toilet and sink, as well as a small shower on the other side. The sink had a large mirror hanging above it, as well as a small bench below it that appeared to be covered in….something.

Curiosity got the better of her as she pondered over, reaching out to the strange object on said bench. She slowly pulled whatever it was up as it unfolded as it fell to the ground beneath her. She eyed it intently, wary of any possible dangers, yet she quickly came to the conclusion there was nothing to worry about.

She picked up the white fabric one more, noticing it actually had a shape….sort-of, along with blank linings.

She gasped as her vision trailed back to her hands, observing tattered black cloth that could have been the remnants of a robe. She stood once more, clinging onto the white garment as she studied herself in the mirror for the first time.

She noticed that she was wearing a black robe, identical to the one she was in her memories, yet this time it was tattered, torn and stained with blood in multiple places.

She glanced down once more at the fabric she was holding until the realization struck that what she was holding looked almost identical to what Grimmjow had on.

So this was what she was meant to change into?

Interesting…

She ripped off the remnants of the black robe which she had been wearing while taking the time to stare at herself through the mirror. She somehow knew it was there, but it didn't stop her gasping as she slowly raised her hand to the left side of her chest.

Underneath the robe, she was covered in bandages, yet the left side of her chest, there was nothing but a hole. She eyed it closely, curious to see what it felt like.

True, Grimmjow had explained that all hollows had a hole somewhere in their body, but it didn't answer any of her questions about what it felt like. Her mind slowly drifted back to the memories she recovered earlier…the ones in particular of her pointing to the left side of her chest.

She literally didn't have a heart?..

It was…weird.

Even without that vital organ, she couldn't say she found herself devoid of emotion like she expected.

True, at first she felt completely hollow, but after meeting the blue haired Espada...it didn't feel like she was hollow in the slightest.

Hell, there were too many emotions running through her head to even count….Her mind drifted back to the memory where Kaien explained his thoughts on the 'heart', as Rukia smiled softly at the memory.

Did that mean she and Grimmjow had a bond, creating a heart between them?

Her smile widened as she found herself enjoying an emotion that was completely new to her…happiness?

She wasn't sure, but her nonexistent heart swelled at the mere thought.

Realizing she had been procrastinating once more, and probably wasted another 10 minutes doing so, she couldn't wait to see the enraged look on his face once she finished 'changing'.

Holding out the fabric in front of her, she began to find out where each piece went and so the agonizingly frustrating task of 'dressing' began.

She finished not long after, but was scowling at how uncomfortable it felt. Looking in the mirror once more, she realized why...she must have gotten the top part backwards because it felt completely wrong.

Slipping her arms inside the holes, she swiveled around popping them back out again.

There, it felt much better this time, and looked it too. She stared into the mirror studying every detail of her image with a scrutinizing eye.

The first thing she noted was that she may be considered….well, vertically challenged, seeing as she was about eye level with the base of the mirror, not improving her sour mood.

She scowled, using the sink to stand and gain a better perspective of what she was wearing. She had long, loose pants that were attached to her wait with a white sash. She was wearing black socks along with white strapping and a strong base. Her jacket left the most part of her mid-section exposed, with the exception of her upper chest where the jacket connected as the black lines ran together. It had long sleeves which snaked down past her fingers as it was slightly too long.

She then paid close attention to her face. It was harder, more mature than it appeared in the memory, obviously darkened from the horrors she had faced. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as their amethyst orbs managed to get into a starting contest with the mirror image of herself.

Lastly, she gazed up at her raven hair that was still cut into the same style as it was in the memory, if not slightly longer. Yet as she looked up, that's not where her attention was directed.

No, it was on the mask that rested on the top of her head. She beamed once she saw it; she hadn't even felt it before, as if it was a part of her. She knew that it was, but she couldn't believe how cool it looked. It appeared to be the top jaw the skull of a beast, judging by the elongated fangs that hovered in front of her forehead. Its expression seemed to be stretched into some maniac grin as its hollow eyes still managed to give the impression of insanity. She noticed it had short snout along with two small holes which she guessed were its noses.

In all, she was very impressed, as she studied the two horns that extended slightly past her forehead and ended in wicked points. She grinned at the thought of head butting something…or someone…

She really wondered what her released form would look like, as she began to ponder over it once more.

A loud banging interrupted her thoughts as she realized 'oh shit…Grimmjow still outside…'

Jumping off the sink, she sprinted towards the door barreling out, into the blue haired Espada in the process. She groaned in frustration as she rubbed her mask in an attempt to soothe the throbbing pain.

It took almost 5 seconds for the sexta Espada to realize just what the hell had happened. The damn woman had taken long enough, as he finally lost his patience; he decided to drag her out.

He only had the time to knock twice, before she barreled out the door, head butting him in the process. Now, usually a head butt wouldn't be much of a problem, but because of her mask, and the very sharp horns, it goddamn hurt!

He growled, prying her off his person as they both stood shakily.

Luckily for him, she had at least worked out how to change clothes, and he had to admit, they looked a lot better on her than she did in that shinigami outfit. Grimmjow, fed up from waiting for the newbie, stalked off towards the meeting hall.

She followed immediately with hundreds of thoughts running through her mind.

"Hey, Kit-" before she could finish his nickname, he had whipped around holding his fist in the air as his scowl deepened. She responded by waving her arms in the air innocently and sniggering. He just didn't get this girl, any other arrancar would be running like hell or pleading for dear life, yet she stood in front of him, completely unphased by his death threat.

"Okay, Grimmjow then. Yeesh, don't have to get so riled up when I call you Kitty." She smirked as he shuddered at the nickname. A low growl escaped his throat which managed to send her into a fit of laughter.

"You just growled! How can you deny being at least related to a kitten! Next thing you know, you'll be hissing!"

Okay.

Screw the mission, she was going to die!

He lunged at her as she dodged just as swiftly, jumping to the side to avoid the blow. He snarled, but didn't attempt again.

His eyes widened slightly as he remembered her and the orange haired shinigami arguing…yes, if he remembered correctly, she had a short fuse when it came to remarks directed at her height..

"Whatever, let's just get to the meeting…midget." That comment hit hard as she growled back at his with her fists clenched. Her eyes flared with rage as he ran off towards the meeting.

Sure, he wasn't even running half of what he was capable of, but he knew the look in her eyes promised a painful death if she caught up.

Eventually, he came to a halt in front of the arched doorway that lead to Aizen's 'throne'. She arrived short after, glaring at him but then focusing her attention on the doorway.

"I'm not short, kitty." She snarled as he sighed in mock frustration.

"It's not my fault you're not tall enough to see that I'm not a kitten."

She lunged once more, but he was quick to push open the doors into a pitch black room, where the only light source was a man sitting on a large white chair in the centre. Rukia couldn't help but gasp; it looked magnificent as she began to wonder in the room, unaware of where here feet were taking her.

Grimmjow allowed the doorway to close in front of him as he sighed and slumped against the white hallway walls. He had to wait for that damn brat to come back, so he could take her to her room. The worst part was he could actually feeling himself drawn to the damn midget. It wasn't like he enjoyed her company in the slightest, right? Sighing, he placed his head in his hands and allowed his thoughts to travel elsewhere, yet the raven haired Espada's image never left his mind.

The man that sat in front of her was intimidating, to say the least. Behind his kind smile and caring eyes, she could see cold emptiness that she had only seen before in hollows. He had simple brown hair and was wearing a white uniform similar to the other arrancar, at first glance, he could be considered somewhere along the lines of 'normal'.

Hell, who was she kidding?

If one couldn't see past his eyes, this man could have defined the word 'normal'.

Coming from a world where hollows were a common occurrence, shinigami's also had their own definition of the word, and yet this man belonged to both worlds and still fit the description perfectly.

"A-Aizen." She stuttered, aware of how pathetic it sounded.

"Kuchiki Rukia." He replied in a hauntingly calm voice, as his smile widened slightly.

"What do you require of me?" she asked, digging straight to the point. The company of this man was not something she sought, as she actually found herself wishing Grimmjow was still with her.

"I was just going to ask you a simple question Rukia-chan." She despised the name rolled of his lips as it sent shivers down her spine.

"Well? Go ahead, ask it?" She knew she probably shouldn't be treating this man so rudely, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to even try to be polite with him.

"Would you like…to see your past?" She gaped; sure she had suspicions of what she used to be, but him actually offering her to see it?

Was she dreaming?

She bit her lip fiercely to test, but she quickly determined that it was indeed reality when she felt a sharp pain and a metallic liquid fill her mouth.

She nodded shakily as he gestured her to move to where he was sitting.

She did as she was told, taking one step at a time towards where he was sitting. Once she was only a step away, he held up is hand, gesturing for her to stop. He then began fumbling around for something, until he pulled what looked like a glowing cube from his robe.

"Place your hand on this, and you will remember everything." He muttered as she drew her hand closer and closer to the object. Eventually, her fingertips brushed it as she was dragged from the room, and turning into a hovering spirit.

She watched as the child version of her lived in poverty.

She watched the beatings of her childhood and her hopeless life until she met Renji.

She watched as the friends she made began to die one by one.

She watched as she joined the shinigami academy and began to work towards becoming useful.

She watched as she was adopted into the Kuchiki family leaving Renji behind.

She watched as the rumors spread and the hateful discussions behind her back raged on without halt.

She watched as she made it into the 13 Protective Squads, and was placed under Shiba Kaien.

She watched as the admiration grew for her superior.

She watched as her heart was shattered the night he was forced to slay him.

She watched as her heart never mended and the guilt rampaged inside her unchecked, as more rumors spread.

She watched as she left for the living world, and met the orange haired human boy who resembled her lost vice captain.

She watched herself bicker with him, and eventually form an unbreakable bond.

She watched the same boy fight the Grand fisher and live, as the heavens split open in mourning.

She watched as she was taken back to soul society as once again, the rain poured down.

She watched herself sit in the execution tower, waiting patiently for death.

She watched as mere days before her execution, two people appeared to save her.

She watched as one accused her of murdering his brother, which in truth, she had.

She watched herself lose the will to live.

She watched the flames of the phoenix threaten to erase her existence.

She watched as the carrot-top intercepted the blow and saved her.

She watched as he left with the rest of his friends back to the living world.

She watched as information regarding the arrancar was passed out as she returned back to the boy with the orange hair.

She watched him lose the will to fight, after finding out about his inner hollow.

She watched as she hardened his resolve to protect.

She watched as she battled that arrancar that faithful night with the blue haired Espada lurking in the shadows.

She watched as her beating heart was ripped from her chest, as she was slung over the Espada's retreating shoulders.

She watched Aizen appear and activate his shikai on the whole town.

She watched once again, as the heavens split open in sorrow.

She drew back, panting heavily at all the memories she had just witnessed. It was raining…always raining…..Even after seeing her memories…she felt nothing.

She had watched her life fly by, but she didn't feel anything.

Did the removal of her heart break the bonds she shared towards those people?

Why…why didn't she feel for them?

She felt a wet substance trickle down her cheeks….Tears?

'I think we cry when we lose a piece of our heart'.

Did she lose a piece of her heart?

Is that why they streamed down her cheek?

She wasn't sure… "Why….why would you show me?" she muttered to the extravagant form of Aizen.

"So you can see, what you are, what you used to be….and now…I'll show you, what you're going to become."

She nodded mutely, somehow, the only emotions she retained were those connected to a certain Blue haired Espada…

Even after seeing what he did, she knew she should be angry, she should hate the bastard!

And yet….she didn't.

She wasn't even angry towards him….is this what it felt like to lose your heart?

Was it because…the only heart she had left was the bond between her and him?

She didn't know…. She just prayed that it was never broken, because without that…she was sure she would lose the last piece of who she was.

"Who I'll become?" she sputtered weakly, on her hands and knees due to the memories.

He nodded before to her surprise, handing her the hogyoku. She watched as it slipped slowly into her hand and began to once again, return to its previous resting place within her soul.

"Why…" she managed to croak, as the process was draining her energy considerably.

"Simple. It only has one master, the one who bonded with it first, which is you. If you were to die, it would not simple bond with a new master, but go on a rampage. You are the only one to control it." She nodded weekly, though his explanation made no sense.

"Why…why would you trust me with it? Why would you openly give it away?" He chuckled at her response.

"It's simple…you can see it to…Even if you betray me and run off, it will do nothing. You are an arrancar, and returning to Soul Society would only get you killed. Shinigami's exist to 'save' hollows do they not? So tell me, Rukia. Do you 'want' to be saved?"

Realization struck and it struck hard…All those years ago, Kaien had taught her an important lesson which she had rejected because that was what she was taught to believe by the acadamy.

'Hollows were evil.'

'Hollows were just animals that existed to devour souls.'

'Hollows…couldn't feel….'

All of her assumptions had been dead wrong…even if they didn't possess a heart, much like she didn't now…it didn't mean they couldn't feel.

One doesn't require a heart to feel…maybe some chose not to feel because it would bring to much pain… it was a tough realization to accept, but it began to sink in. She stood shakily and began to wander out of the dark.

A faint "Thank you, Aizen…" echoed throughout the room as said man smirked to himself.