"and that triggered my memories, I was so happy to have my panther back that I didn't even notice Uryu yelling at us, until Grimmjow mentioned it to me."

"you just about had to yell at the guy to get him to put down that bow of his."

"he can be a little stubborn. hey, you remember how we had convinced my mom to trust you way back?"

a long groan escaped the arrancar. "geez, how could I forget that? I had to 'play butler' all damn day."

"hey, in her defense she'd only met Inuyasha before, she wasn't nearly as used to demons as me."

"yeah, yeah." Grimmjow scoffed, "at least your grandpa stopped throwing those stupid sutras at me, I guess he eventually realized they did nothing."

"he did the same thing with Inuyasha when he first met him."

"yeah, the mutt had asked me about it when we returned to the feudal era, I remember that."

it was amazing, watching the couple talk about such silly memories.

"uh..excuse me, but I thought you had said only Inuyasha could come to this time era." Rukia asked.

"yeah, it'd only work if Grimmjow was holding onto me."

there was a knock on the wooden frame of the shoji door. "Grimmjow, it's time to begin the day's training."

"ah! I'm so sorry, brother!" Rukia gasped, she hadn't realized how long they'd been talking! "we were talking, and lost track of time."

"it is alright, Rukia. I was up earlier than I'd anticipated. get dressed and meet me outside the manor."

"yeah, sure.." the arrancar grumbled. "I'll see you later, Kitten."

"we'll come by at lunch time, so make sure to have some progress to impress Kagome with." Rukia added with a smile, hoping to encourage Grimmjow.

"heh, I'm gonna kiss ass today!" Grimmjow flexed his left arm, pulling a giggle from his mate.

"hmm, I overheard you have a bankai."

"yeah, all the arrancars do. but we call it ressureccĂ­on, not bankai."

"interesting, Mayuri would love to question you about the others still following Aizen."

"brother! C-Captain Kuchiki!" the two women exclaimed, knowing how the delusional Mayuri could get, especially when he got excited.

"don't worry, I'll have Renji go along, just to make sure Mayuri does not get ahead of himself."

"well...i-if there's someone with him, then I guess I don't mind... just promise me you won't cause too much of a commotion, Grimmjow, the soul reapers are still wary of you being an arrancar. please be careful." Kagome spoke worriedly.

"yes, if a fight breaks out, it could be seen as an attack. Captain kurotsuchi can certainly be...overwhelming, so try to hold back." Rukia agreed with a nod.

"geez...the guys almost sounds like he's out of his mind."

"...well...to be honest, sometimes I wonder the same thing." Rukia shrugged

"don't worry, babe, I'll behave myself." he patted her on the head then stood up to get ready for the day.

"good luck!" Kagome called out to him.

"I'll see you when it's tie for lunch, Kitten." he smirked, and with that, he was out of sight.

"geez...I can't believe he's going to be questioned by Captain Kurotsuchi...I'm just glad Renji will be there to keep both of them in check. Grimmjow can get really protective. I think everything will go fine as long as no one says anything rude about me, he can be REALLY protective. remember what he said to Renji?"

"oh yeah... 'an attack on me is an attack on her, one that's unforgivable'. yeah, I remember."

"he's always been like that since we met, well. it became MUCH MORE pronounced after we mated, but he was always very protective, that's just his nature as a demon. b-but don't misunderstand me! there were A LOT of evil demons. heh, and I was just about always getting captured by them when he came along." Kagome laughed.

"so, how exactly did you two meet? I'd love to hear the story of it!"

"sure, let's go for a walk through the gardens too." with a nod, Rukia lead Kagome out to the Kuchiki gardens. "oh, wow!" the miko exclaimed. "it's absolutely beautiful out here!" she took a deep breath, ah...such crisp clean air... "the air here is so clean...like it was in the feudal era..." the two girls made it to a clearing, and sat down on the thick soft grass. "it was just like every other night when I met Grimmjow for the first time. he was in his adjuchas form. he walked into camp while Inuyasha was away with Kikyo. huh...I forgot I met him at night...I always thought it was during the day..wow, I guess my memories of Grimmjow really were supressed. -er..a-anyway...we saw this armor plated panther walking into camp. Sango and Miroku jumped up and ran to my sides; Sango on my left, Miroku on my right. no one knew what this demon wanted, or if he was with working with Naraku."

"so what happened?" Rukia was absolutely hooked on every word Kagome spoke.

"well, he just walked into camp and sat down next to the fire. then he looked up at us, and growled, I'll never again forget those eyes of his...such a magnificent crystal blue, even in that panther form. then he spoke"

"I ain't here for a fight, calm down. geez..already had enough of that for today.." he growled, looking almost defensive.

"ah! y-you're hurt!" Kagome shouted, noticing the blood contrasting with his armor-like fur.

"Kagome! stop! we still don't know if he's with Naraku."

"Naraku..." the panther demon snarled, fully baring his fangs. "if I see that spider again, I'll rip his damn head off."

"what'd he do to you?" Kagome asked softly.

"he's a coward.. bastard snuck up behind me, didn't even sense him until he was right on top of me. then the bastard says he's taking control of my territory! bastard...I worked hard for that area." his claws dug into the earth, and a nasty snarl escaped him.

"c-can I ask you your name?" Kagome stammered,

"Grimmjow. you?"

"Kagome.." her heart began to race.

"oh boy.." Shippo groaned,

"eh? what's wrong, Shippo?" Miroku asked the kit.

"I can hear Inuyasha coming, and he sounds-"

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled, bursting through the tree-line along the edge of their camp. "I smelled blood, what hap-"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome warned. "don't you even think about attacking Grimmjow. he was ambused by Naraku in his own territory."

"he could be-" he snapped, crossing his arms.

"he wasn't lying, Inuyasha" Shippo interrupted, "he hates Naraku just as much as the rest of us."

"and he's hurt!"

"fine, but how do you know he isn't planning on taking your jewel shards after you all fall asleep?"

"you mean, after you leave them all defenseless?" Grimjow scoffed, glaring at Inuyasha. "how can you do that? with you dogs, it's all about protecting your pack! yet you had left yours defenseless. if this was my pride, I wouldn't let them out of my sight unless I knew for an ABSOLUTE FACT that they were safe!"

"...he does have a point." Sango deadpanned.

"th-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Inuyasha took a step towards Grimmjow, but recoiled when Kagome's glare hardened. he really didn't want to get sat again..

"Inuyasha! he's right, and you know it! we all saw Kikyo's soul collectors.

"and don't try to say you were patrolling around the camp. I didn't sense you anywhere near this group."

"why you-"

"INUYASHA!" Kagome snapped when he took another angry step closer to her and the panther demon sitting behind her. "don't make me say it. you know I will." at her clear threat, he took a step back, then turned and stalked off to a tree at the edge of the camp. "tch, don't think you're in the clear, cat."

"wow, didn't realize this pack had a female alpha. that's a rare sight." Grimmjow chuckled, but grimmaced as it stressed his wound.