More 'Grimmjow acting like a kid that doesn't have his way', anyone?

Ichi-p.o.v.

The dash back to Las Noches was a tad awkward, what with Ichigo carrying Nell on his back side by side with Grimmjow. Ichigo didn't know if he was supposed to be doing this, but what else should he do? He wanted to be sure Nelliel was really ok, and Grimmjow didn't seem to want to fight him in front of her. Which was also fishy. He didn't recall the arrancar ever being remotely respecting of anyone's will, much less someone who was not his superior, which was the case, since Nell didn't seem to be giving off a lot of reiatsu. He supposed it had something to do with her being able to maintain an adult shape, but he was not about to ask questions. This was a mortal enemy he was thinking about. A mortal enemy that was currently sonidoing alongside him. Ichigo was going insane.

The looming figure of the palace seemed so close that it could collapse on top of them, but he knew from experience that it was still a long ways away from them. Artificial sunlight, however, was already present here, so he could safely assume they were rapidly closing in on the structure.

"I see the sunlight dome is still up." Nell tightened her arms on his shoulders.

"It wasn't when we first moved back in, but it was a little depressing to not have sun after knowing what day and night were, so we ordered the remaining fraccion of the last octava to repair it." She mused in his ear. He continued to admire what was left of Las Noches, a lot still seemed to be blown to pieces since the winter war. Only two of the several tall towers were standing. He turned his head left to peek at the sexta- wait no, not sexta, now he was an effing king. Blue eyes turned quickly away from him. What was he staring at just now? Did he want to jump him that bad? He was all for fighting him, he just had to say the words.

Ichigo was still simmering over it when they stopped just inside the palace. Nell climbed down from his back and grabbed his arm in a vicious grip that made him miss her little version. "Kotchi, kotchi, Itsugo! I'll show you your way all over!" She dragged him away from a scowling Grimmjow and into a bifurcation of corridors, but he guessed he could deal with him later.

Grimm-p.o.v.

Fuckin bitch. That's what she was. That whore just came and stopped his fun short. Just when things where going to get really fun she had to go and say the word 'guest'. How had he forgotten that she was friends with the visard. This was all so unfair! She couldn't spoil all this for him. How dare she ask of him to tolerate Kurosaki's presence without constantly trying to kill him? It went totally against their relationship, never mind his personality. He growled low in his throat as he made his way to his quarters. He kicked the door down and strode aggressively in the direction of him bed, curling up for a catnap. Cruising around the dunes was some serious workout, not as good as fighting the death berry, but he guessed he would have to wait until Nell dropped her guard on him. The BITCH.

Ichi-p.o.v.

The palace had nothing to do with the Las Noches he saw when he burst in to save Inoue. Under Nelliel's orders, since she seemed to act like a mistress for what was now a household and not a HQ, it was bustling with life. Arrancars were not afraid to walk the halls less they would cross the king himself. They worked and lived in the palace with a smile on their faces, they held mock-families and befriended each other. The only thing that put an enormous gap between their way of life and that of humans and plus, would be the fact that most disagreements were solved with to-death battles. Ichigo had doubts that their numbers would remain for long if they kept going like that, but he said nothing, since Nell seemed to turn a blind eye to it. She had led him through the kitchens to the inner patio where she had a weird attempt at a garden going on. With plants she had snuck in from the real world, her quarters, where four young looking arrancar served her like she was a goddess, and some other rooms, like the throne room, which remained exactly as he remembered; white and cold. Finally she led him to an open lounge with comfortable looking cushions spread around low tables and asked a servant for some arabic brew, whatever that was. She sat across him.

"Whats an arabic brew?"

Nell smiled warmly at him and answered in her soft voice. "The only tea I'm fully able to cultivate on Hueco Mundo soils for now". Ichigo stared at his feet.

"Seems like you've been trying to bring life to this place."

"Is there anything wrong with that?" She asked, confused, she thought for sure she was doing the right thing, the thing that Ichigo would approve of.

"No, no, it's ok. It's just, this world is so... so lifeless, I'm surprised you're able to cultivate anything at all." She smiled happily, like she was about to show a trump card.

"We aren't. Not in the sands of Hueco Mundo. I had to use reiatsu to adulterate the sand into something a little more nutritious. A lot of lowly menos were hurt in the process." A shiver ran down Ichigo's spine, and like a bucket of cold water, he was suddenly reminded that Nelliel was, just like Grimmjow, a hollow. And then there was the fact that she couldn't have really meant that about using reiatsu, she barely had any... unless she was hiding it. This wasn't the young Nell he had met after all. She was an adult, and adults have the ability to lie and hide.

"I see. I like what you're doing a lot Nell." It was true, for the most part. She beamed at him. While she might be less innocent than her former self, Nelliel still held Ichigo very dear.

"I'm so Happy to hear that, Itsugo." She paused as the servant entered with a strange tea set, a very occidental styled one. Nell served the tea and passed him a cup. "So, Ichigo, may I ask you what brought you to our realm in the first place?" She asked as he inhaled the unfamiliar earthy and sweet smell.

"Did you put sugar in this?" He demanded with a weird curious face.

"No, dear. I did not. That's its natural flavour."

"Oh."

"Itsugo, are you answering my question." He seemed to step out of his own world as he faced her, and then sighed deeply.

"Something happened. I just couldn't stand being in the living world at this point in time." She sprung up at this.

"So you are staying for a while, ne?"

His eyes were wide as he considered her words, looking at her while the idea sunk in. "Stay?"

"Why not? Were you planning to go somewhere else? Seretei maybe?" Ichigo scowled very deeply at this fact. Being anywhere but here meant facing someone that would've heard about the whole Inoue fiasco. He didn't want to think what he would say should he ever face Rukia on the matter.

"No, I was not." He pointed with certainty.

"Then be our guest, it's not like we lack rooms. And Grimmjow sure looks like he could use a friend." Ichigo chocked on his tea to glare at her like she'd grown another head.

"Excuse me? A friend? More like a punching bag! Do you have any idea how many times he tried to kill me cold blooded? Do you not remember a thing from when you were a child?"

She giggled at his antics. "Maa, Itsu-chan, he won't dare touch you."

Ichigo stopped short of yelling in her face. "Why?" He ground out between his teeth, he was starting to crave some answers to what the hell was happening in here.

Nell grinned in a way that made him fear for his life and for a second there he could feel insanity radiating from her. "He would dare not go against me."

Ichigo was now sure that she was hiding a lot under her sleeve.

A/N: Yes, Nell is not as innocent as most people make her in this fic, but she does love both of them dearly.

Next chapter we get our first hints at GrimmIchi, so look out for it! * shoot *