Yay! 10th chapter! This one is a little shorter than the past few chapters, but I promise there's some good stuff in here. Let me know what you think! As always, I do not own Bleach, just my OC :)

*Sora's POV*

The train ride to my hometown was quiet and tense. Grimmjow spent most of it with his hood pulled up over his head while he slept, seemingly unphased by our sudden field trip. I was a different story. Sakurai City may have been where I was raised for a good part of my life, but it was nothing but bad memories and ghosts for me now. Speaking of ghosts, I wonder if Kimi is still there, or if she finally passed on. Kimi had been my first positive interaction with the many departed souls that lingered on our earthly plane. A lot of them were grownups or adolescents who got their kicks out of scaring the little girl who could see them. Kimi had been one of the only ghosts around my age, and she'd been more lonely than mean spirited. She's either in Soul Society or Hollow food by now. My grim thoughts added another reason for my dismal mood. It's been almost ten years after all. Sighing, I tried to distract myself from my anxiety about meeting Rena the best I could, but the memory of the last time we met kept playing over and over in my mind. It had been at Aoi's funeral. Mom and stood off to the side, still being given the cold shoulder by Rena and her husband. It was raining that day, just like it was when we'd found his body. Closing my eyes, I could see it all as clearly as if I'd never left that moment in time.

"Sora?" Suzuha questioned the little girl staring down at the small casket being lowered into the ground. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" She was worried because the little girl wasn't crying. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't doing much of anything aside from staring vacantly down at the container that held her now deceased best friend. Sora could hear her mother's voice, but it was as if she were speaking underwater. None of it made any sense. She just wanted to go home and watch movies in her blanket fort with Aoi-kun.

"He's not there." She whispered to herself. Sora knew that ghosts existed. Her friend Kimi was a ghost. She couldn't remember how she died, but she remembered her family and her friends. So even after she'd realized Aoi-kun was gone, she'd held out hope that maybe they could still be together. She'd be able to see him as a ghost, and they could play together like before. She had searched every inch of the riverbank where his body had been discovered, but there was no sign of him. She'd looked in all their favorite places, but still nothing. Now that he was being buried, it all felt so final. So real. She realized she'd never really said goodbye. The last thing she'd said to him was 'See you later, Aoi-kun.' An unfulfilled promise. Her heart hurt. Sora was scared. Aoi-kun was really, truly gone. He was dead. He wasn't a ghost. She was never going to see him again. A low keening noise erupted from the back of her throat as her heart started beating overtime and her vision blurred with tears. "Aoi-kun..." The casket was in the ground, the dirt already packed on top of it. The only people left were Sora, her mother, and Aoi's parents.

"Sora?" Her mother was kneeling beside her now, getting mud on her black dress."Come on, baby, let's go." Sora could feel the insistent pull of her mother's hands on her shoulder, but she couldn't pull herself away from the only thing left of her friend being buried beneath so much dirt. Panicking, Sora pulled away from her mother and started digging at the ground with her bare hands, sobbing as she worked.

"AOI! He can't breathe. How can he breathe in there?" She screamed as she continued to dig. The only thing that stopped her frantic attempts to save her already dead friend was a sharp, stinging slap across her right cheek that sent her reeling backwards.

"RENA!" Sora's mother cried in a mixture of outrage and horror.

"Shut the fuck up, you bitch! YOU'RE the reason he's gone! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT AOI IS DEAD! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED MY BABY!" Rena went to slap the little girl again but was restrained by her husband. She continued to struggle to get at the small weeping figure in front of her, still screaming obscenities even as Suzuha scooped the child up and ran from the cemetery.

That was the last time I ever saw Rena. Mom put in her resignation at her job and we moved to Karakura a few days after the funeral. We'd never come back. I'd wanted to a few times, just to see Aoi's grave, to talk to him, even if he wasn't there. Mom wouldn't let me though, worried about my mental state. I guess that had been fair. The whole thing had fucked me up for a good long while. Who am I kidding? I'm still as fucked up today as I was that day they put Aoi in the ground. I smiled bitterly at the thought. Years of therapy hadn't been able to heal the scars Rena had left behind with her accusations, the deep-seated guilt that ate away at me on a daily basis. And now I'm going back. I'm going to see her again. I was going to be sick. I needed something to snap me out of these poisonous memories or I was going to suffocate. Glancing over at my companion, I decided he was my best bet at a distraction.

"Hey, Grimmjow." I poked him in the face where his Hollow mask usually rested. He grunted in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes to glare at me.

"What do you want, woman?"

"Tell me about Hueco Mundo. What's it like to live there when one isn't running from scary Hollows that want to eat them?" He rolled his eyes and settled back in his seat beside me, trying to get comfortable.

"Not really in the mood for a heart-to-heart, Kitten. Take a nap or something and leave me alone." Usually, I'd do just that, put off by his bad attitude, but I needed something to take my mind off the possibly huge mistake I was about to make in returning to the place that had haunted my dreams for years. I needed to feel something other than this overwhelming fear and panic.

"Please, Grimmjow? I - I'm nervous about going back. I need to keep myself from thinking about it. I need a distraction." He peeked at me from one open eye before surprising me by pulling me by my sleeve against his chest. Settling me against his side, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes again. I thought he was going back to sleep until I felt his deep voice resonating in his chest.

"It's always like that. From the moment I was reborn as a Hollow, it was a fight for survival. Only the strong earn the right to live in that world. The goal of all Hollows back then was to become the biggest, baddest son of a bitch in Hueco Mundo, a Vasto Lorde. See, not all Hollows are the same. We evolve. Once hollowfication occurs, you're filled with this enormous hunger. Most satisfy their needs by slipping into Soul Society or the World of the Living to snack on souls. However, some develop a taste for their fellow Hollows, feeding off each other in order to evolve, become stronger. Those Hollows are what are known as Menos. Once a Hollow has consumed enough, it becomes what is known as a Gillian. From there it can evolve two more times."

"What were you, before becoming an arrancar?" His voice was calming, easing my anxiety as I listened to him.

"I was an Adjuchas."

"What did you look like as an Adjuchas? Were you like this?" I could feel him laughing. He seemed comfortable now and started running his fingers through my hair, pulling it out of the hair tie I'd used earlier.

"Hn, no. I had more of a feline form, like a panther or jaguar."

"Pantera….Jaegerjaquez. Appropriate names."

"I guess. Anyways, I was an Adjuchas, which is what Gillians evolve from. Once you become an Adjuchas, you have to continually consume other Hollows or risk devolving back into a Gillian."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"You have no idea." He snickered. "That's how I met my fraccions actually: Shawlong, Edrad, Yylfordt, Nakeem, and Di Roy. We were all fellow Adjuchas, striving to become Vasto Lordes, but no matter how many Hollows we consumed, we remained the same. They gave up. They asked me to devour parts of them so that they wouldn't devolve. It made me furious. They were giving up on our dream. They were weak. If an Adjuchas is partially devoured, he stops evolving completely, in both directions. They wouldn't devolve into Gillians, but they would never attain the form of a Vasto Lorde. So I continued my quest to become King of Hueco Mundo on my own. That is until that bastard Aizen showed up. I should have never gotten involved with that asshole, but I wanted the power. Now he expects me to lick his boots like some fucking dog. Ain't gonna happen. I don't take orders from anyone, least of all some shit eating shinigami." His fingers tightened their grip in my hair and I winced. This was obviously a sore topic for the ambitious Espada.

"Ne, Grimmjow?" I called out to him, trying to distract him from his anger. "What do you think of me?" I looked up at him coyly and smiled at him as I traced my fingers across his broad chest. "Do you still hate me?" For some reason, it had hurt when he'd said he hated me a few days ago. I mean, we'd done nothing but argue and piss each other off since the moment we'd met, so it should have been obvious. But I didn't like the thought of being despised by Grimmjow. If anything, I wanted to be his equal, someone to respect. My tactic to snap him out of his foul mood worked better than I had anticipated. His dangerous blue eyes met my own. His arm slipped from my shoulders down to my waist as he pulled me against him tightly.

"I can think of much better uses of my time than wasting it hating you, Kitten." He purred seductively, keeping eye contact as he gave me his most predatory smile. FUCK! This man is going to kill me if he keeps looking at me like that. I let out a shuddering breath as his face started getting closer to mine. I could feel his hand trying to be sneaky as he slid it past my waist before firmly squeezing my ass. The smirk he sent me was arrogant and challenging as his eyes gleamed with a devious light. "Why do you resist? I know you want me." He leaned closer, running his nose along the side of my neck, taking in my scent. "I can smell it on you." His other hand had moved from my waist and was creeping dangerously upwards. "Besides, you asked me to distract you. What better way than for me to fuck you? You'll be too busy screaming my name to remember anything else." He chuckled. My body was burning up. I snapped my gaze away from him in an attempt to break the spell, but it was the disapproving glare an older man was sending in our direction that actually did the trick. I jerked away from the addictive heat of Grimmjow's embrace and stood hastily.

"I, um, I need to use the restroom. We're almost there." Without looking back to see his reaction, I hurried off to the small restroom to cool my head, cursing myself for getting caught up in the moment again and losing track of my surroundings. I locked the bathroom door and leaned over the tiny sink, trying to get my breathing back in order. Looking up at my reflection, I could see the disheveled mess of my white curls, the slight swell to my lips where Grimmjow had bitten them earlier, and the flushed, needy look painted across my face. I was finally beginning to realize the danger of associating with the arrancar known as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

*Grimmjow's POV*

"Fucking tease." I growled after Kitten disappeared. She knew exactly what she was doing when she came onto me earlier. She'd been trying to distract me from my all-consuming hate for that shinigami bastard by playing on my desire for her. This was now the second time she had rejected me, and it didn't sit well with me at all. My pride would not accept that I wasn't desirable as mating material. I knew she wanted me, but for some reason she refused to give in, refused to give herself to me. Ah well, she'll give in to me sooner or later. Despite my predatory nature, I wasn't against the idea of having her beg for my attention. Just the thought of her on her knees, looking up at me with that flushed, dazed look on her face sent a delicious chill down my spine. It had taken every ounce of self control not to chase after her when she'd pulled away with that needy look on her face. I was glad our car was relatively empty, because just the thought of another man seeing her in that state made my blood boil. I shifted in my seat, adjusting myself, and glared over at the old man who'd scared Kitten off. He paled and quickly looked away, pretending to read his newspaper. Satisfied that I'd scared him off, I sank back into my seat and waited for Kitten to return.

The train had just pulled into the station by the time she finally returned. It kinda pissed me off that she was obviously avoiding me. She grabbed her bag and tossed her hair back up into that irritating updo from earlier. I hated it. She didn't look bad, but I liked her better with her hair wild and free. I tried to catch her eye, but she stubbornly refused to even look my way. I could feel my ever-present rage flaring up. I was seconds away from ripping into her when she reached out and grabbed my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. She glanced up at me, her violet eyes warm yet reserved. Heh, so that's it. She's embarrassed. I guess that made sense. She'd always been pretty straightforward and reckless around me, but watching her interact with other people, she was usually careful about keeping them at a distance or putting on that tough bitch act she retreated to when she felt threatened. It had embarrassed her to have someone see her in a weak state, even if that someone was some shitty old man. I could understand not wanting others to see your vulnerability. It took some of the sting out of the rejection, as I pulled her after me off the train. I really couldn't give a fuck who was watching, but if it made Kitten uncomfortable, I guess I could play along.

"Um, Grimmjow? Do you know where you're going?"

"Huh?" I looked down at her then around the station. I didn't have a fucking clue where we were. I was just used to taking the lead. I frowned and stopped in my tracks, allowing her to guide us to wherever the hell we were going. She tried to hide it, but I caught the amused smirk on her face. I gave her hand a warning squeeze, to which she flashed me an unapologetic grin. "Tch, bitch."

"Asshole." She stuck her tongue out at me and crossed her eyes.

"You want me to bite it off?" I growled, chuckling when she turned away. "That's what I thought."

"You're mean." She pouted, but kept her hand in mine. Running my thumb over her wrist casually, I could feel her heart rate beating at a rapid pace.

"Hn, but you like it." I leaned over and whispered into her ear, enjoying the immediate blush my words created. She glared at me and dragged me behind her as she made for the exit. There were too many damn humans in this place. They were everywhere, and they kept bumping into me every two seconds. I was on the verge of snarling at the overweight, balding man who had just dug his elbow into my chest as he pushed through the crowd, when we finally broke through the throng of travelers moving to and from the trains.

"Grimmjow." I looked down at her to find her smiling at me. She motioned for me to come closer. I lowered my head until I was looking her in the eye, blinking in surprise when he reached out her free hand and ruffled my hair. "Good job." It was so stupid and juvenile, praising me for something so simple as making it through a crowd without killing someone, but it triggered that familiar pain. As I closed my eyes, I felt something ripping through the barrier in my mind. A memory.

"Sora-chan, wait up!" The boy called out to the steadily disappearing form of the little girl. They'd taken the train for the first time together so they could go to the zoo. It hadn't been so bad getting on, since the station by their house was out of the way. This part of Sakurai was near the shopping district and was teeming with shoppers and businessmen in suits. It was all very overwhelming. He hadn't been scared when Sora had been with him, but now that he was alone he could feel himself panicking. Step by step, he moved in the direction his friend had raced off to, keeping his eyes trained on the break in the group of people rushing around him. He was starting to hyperventilate by the time he reached his destination, tears stinging his eyes as he took in big gulps of air. Any moment, he was going to lose it and embarrass himself in front of all these people by crying. As he reached out to wipe at his watery eyes, a hand came out and patted him on the head, smoothing his blue curls away from his face. "Wha-" He looked up to find Sora smiling down at him, her hand continuing to pet his head.

"Good job, Aoi-kun. You were really brave." Stepping back, she rummaged around in the Usahana backpack her mom had given her especially for this trip. She finally found what she was looking for and pulled the box of her favorite chocolate banana pocky out, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry I ran ahead. I saw the store and bought us some snacks. Want some?"

"Nn." He nodded and accepted the chocolate covered stick she extended to him, biting into the cookie. "Thanks, Sora-chan." He mumbled, reaching out for her hand. She quickly took it and pulled him along behind her, out into the sun.

"Don't worry, Aoi-kun. I won't let go of your hand again. I won't leave you behind." The little boy smiled at her, watching her face light up at the sights and sounds of the city. He'd follow her anywhere, as long as she kept smiling at him like that.

"Agh!" I pulled my hand out of Kitten's as my body was wracked with the pain of remembering. This was the first time anything had gotten through. Through the pounding in my head, I tried to open my eyes. I needed to see her, make sure she was real, that she was there. Instead, I felt her slipping under my right arm, letting me lean on her as she pulled us away from the train station and the crowd that had started to gather around us.

"It's okay. I've got you. Just a little further." Her touch was cool against my now burning skin. Finally, we stopped and she leaned me against a tree. Prying my eyes open, I saw that we were in a park. I slumped back and let myself slide down, feeling completely drained, much like I had the last time this had happened. I hated it. Hated that she was a witness to it, that she could see my weakness. She was talking to me again. "Grimmjow, is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?" She was kneeling by my side now, her fingers reaching out to brush against my cheek, her eyes filled with worry and concern. Grabbing hold of her hand, I pressed her hand against my cheek and studied her. It was definitely her. She was the girl in the memory. What are the chances? You're so damn ornery that you had to chase me even after I apparently died. I didn't realize I'd laughed out loud until Kitten frowned, growing agitated that I was laughing in this situation.

"Pocky." I muttered. "I want pocky." My request seemed to surprise her, but she didn't question it, instead reaching back behind her to grab her bag. It was then that I finally noticed the design. "You gotta be fucking kidding me." I was laughing so hard that I started to wheeze.

"What?! What's so funny?!"

"You." I gasped running a hand over my face before pointing to her bag, featuring that damn rabbit she'd been obsessed with since childhood. "You're still a fucking kid. I can't believe you still like that shit."

"What are you -" Her eyes widened in shock when she finally realized. "You remembered something. You...remembered me?"

"Hn." Her brow furrowed as she looked down at her bag. I could practically see steam coming out her ears with how hard she was thinking.

"You remembered the day that we went to the zoo. The first time we took the train together." She looked up at me with a mixture of sadness and awe. "That's the only time I took that bag out. I lost it the same day on our way home. I was devastated. Aoi….you? You looked everywhere for it. We never did find it. I can't believe...this isn't possible. Is it?"

"You're asking the wrong guy, Kitten."

"I mean, sure I had suspicions, but I never thought." She paused, reaching out and taking my hand. "Are you really him?" The hope in her eyes was almost too painful to look at. She must have really cared about that Aoi kid.

"I ain't him, Kitten." I said quietly. "These memories...they don't belong to me. They belong to that kid, Aoi. I ain't him no more. That was another life. I'm not Aoi. I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, understand?" I hated the brief glimpse of brokenness that flashed across her face before she quickly hid it behind a bright smile.

"Of course. I know that." She let go of my hand, reaching into her bag and pulling out a box of chocolate banana pocky before handing it to me. "Here. I'm just going to go grab us some drinks from the vending machine. Stay here, okay?" She passed a hand over my hair as she got up and headed towards a nearby machine. She wasn't fooling me for a second. This place wasn't just affecting me, Kitten was struggling, drowning under the weight of her own memories. I could see it as she was talking about the bag. This is where she'd broken apart for the first time and put all of those sharp edges back together into the sharp-tongued, angry woman who'd picked a fight with a Hollow during her first trip to Hueco Mundo. This place broke her, and now it was trying to break her again. And for that, I hated it. I can't wait to be out of this shithole. I could feel the panther pacing inside, agitated. Protect. I will. I'll burn this place to the ground if that's what it takes. I grinned, leaning back against the tree as I watched my woman looking over the drink options. She was my toy to play with, and I'd be damned if I let anyone but me break her.

So many feelings! I may or may not have cried writing this chapter. Things are really progressing and I'm excited about the upcoming chapters. I hope you enjoy this one! Thanks to all you awesome peeps for reading, favorited, following, reviewing etc.

XD-kaycee

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Thanks for reading! I'll see you next chapter! :D