Au Fait Chapter 11, a bleach fanfic

There's a patch of blue in the stormy sky,
A memory of a brighter time.
When everything was new, and less watered down,
Before the summer turned to brown.

- Sherwood, Song in My Head.

Chapter 11

If the Shinigami lifespan is ten times longer than that of a human, where one earth year is the equivalent of ten in soul society, then how does one age a creature who has lived in a world with no method of measuring time? You need the sun and the moon to determine the hours and the age of a face is often measured by many things, time being only one of these.

Time had no meaning to the Espada. It meant something, but it was not a registry or a clock. It was simply there. It did not count down to their passing, but rather didn't count at all. When they passed, they passed. So be it.

But someone somewhere had to have passed at some time for them to exist. From information gathered by the research institute, it had been a long time ago. Long before the War to end all Wars, long before tradition had been abandoned.

More had to be investigated and the captain of the 12th Division was very eager indeed to continue what he had started. Originally the Espada were to be tested on their physical aptitudes, their strength, speed, response times and such. They were to be measured and quizzed, but now that the first of the tests, the one that was planned to settle the female into the rest, had provided results that no one had expected.

The images in her mind, the ones they had caught, were not from a world of sand and darkness. The first memory they had of her life in Hueco Mundo was of her emergence on the sand. She had known her name, her place, her form.

She had pulled herself to the surface, shaking her body as she emerged. The feline had long legs and a lean body. She was more of a willow tree than an animal. The first thing she did was run. And she kept running, every step allowing her to take in new information about her surroundings.

Nothing before that could be found. It had only been one day of testing, but everything between the sight of her on the sand and the soul in the world that was not Hueco Mundo…it was blackness. That is why they had drained her so much in that first experiment. She had been sleeping for a whole day and a half, little burn marks touched against her skin at the points where they had probed into her reiatsu.

As she rested, the male Espada had been resting too. They had done the same thing to him, though with much less co-operation. He had hissed and growled and threatened before settling himself into the same demeanour he had been in as he hissed, growled and threatened; but only this time in a non-verbal manner. He was not pleased.

The first time they had sent the pulse through him, he had thrown a Shinigami across the room. That had seemed to settle him some. By the time they were done, at least half an hour after they had finished with the female, he was just as exhausted but completely determined to move himself home. He scowled at the Shinigami, his mood dark indeed, and he walked back to the house with his hands in his pockets.

Mayuri was pleased with the opposition of their personalities. Though both stubborn and quick, her manner was smoother and his was more unpredictable. He was faster at losing his temper, though it was not because he could not keep it. She was faster at speaking her mind; like an AM radio it just kept going and going and going, ideas the same and new ones continually rolling around.

When Grimmjow had arrived back at the house and thudded his way through to the bedroom, he found the Novena asleep on top of the futon she had shifted nearer to his. No one had shifted it back or put her under the covers.

Bare feet, long fingers, untied hair, dressed only in her singlet and pants…she didn't even shift in her sleep. She was tired, so tired that she could not mask her expression at all. Kira was content. She was okay.

Grimmjow rolled his neck and took his jacket off, throwing it across the room as he sat on his futon. The man lay on his side, facing away from the girl. He too, did not remember anything from what had happened inside the research institute.

After a minute of dead silence, he rolled over. He stared at the Novena and then he put his hand on the side of her futon and pushed it away from his before rolling back over and falling asleep.

Mayuri came to their house to formulate the questions he had yet to ask the specimens. Their house was clean, very basic and there was little clutter. The bathroom was as it had been when the Shinigami had finished readying the house for their arrival.

The bedroom, however, was not. The one futon had been moved. It had been pushed away from the other, the way the blankets untucked on that side were evidence of that act. It had been against the other wall, so it was not the first transport the little mattress had experienced.

Nemu waited at the door as the scientist wandered over to the sleeping forms. He was certain they would not wake. The way they had left the night before had assured him that they would not want to wake up for a few more hours yet.

The male was on his side, facing the female. He had his forearm under his head, his elbow bent forward. His figure was not curled or straightened. It was somewhere between. The female lay with her spine aligned along his torso, her pillow placed vertically down her front as her one hand rested just below where her head was. The under hand was under the item, curled up and around to the bottom of the pillow. It stopped somewhere near her belly-button and was met, almost, by his.

The Sexta had his arm placed over her, his shoulder leaning forward toward her. And she didn't seem at all threatened.

But there was something odd. Though there were two futons, neither was used. Rather, the gap between them had been filled somehow.

Mayuri put his forefinger and thumb to his chin and thought a moment. He was very interested; not in the closeness of the Espada, but rather in how it had come to be. It opposed both of their natures entirely. It seemed to be something that would not occur.

When he left, he still pondered this and then the words the Novena had spoken about her belief about her soul.

What had been gathered about the individual personalities of each Espada.

Sexta: An apparently scruffy, laid-back individual with a lethal temper and complete disregard for formality, authority and respect except when applied to himself. It is assumed that he became an Espada through strength, speed, expert combat interpretation and a lethal sadistic touch.

Novena: A willowy type with a quick, often outspoken thought pattern and mischievous streak that comes and goes with a fairly calm mood. It is not known how she became an Espada or how she survived life below the sands of Hueco Mundo.

That's what one file said. There were many. Mayuri was collecting data from individuals under his command. His own interpretation of the pair was not yet complete.

They sat across from each other on high metal tables. He was without his jacket and so was she. Apprentices were measuring their Hollow Holes, their masks, inspecting their teeth, their hands, their form, their posture…

Grimmjow just sat there with this distant look on his face. Kira was slightly awkward, she moved every time someone went to touch her and tried to watch everyone all at once.

"Relax, Novena." Mayuri mentioned as he entered the room, Nemu at his shoulder. "They are not searching for your weak points."

"Well, if they are they aren't very good at finding them." Kira had to fight an instinctive reflex to kick the middle aged woman who was measuring the size of her feet. "Is this not a bit like when Hitler measured the features of the Jews for World War Two? It sure feels a lot like that."

Mayuri closed his eyes and laughed in a very amused manner. "No, Novena. In fact, if we were to try and single you out on face measurements, we would probably catch a lot of our own in the process. The only measurable difference found so far are the masks and the holes." He turned to Grimmjow. "Sexta, do you know why your Hollow Hole is where it is?"

"Eh?" The man turned to the Scientist. "I haven't got an effing clue."

"Novena?"
She looked down at where her hole was. "Well its not where the heart is traditionally found, is it?"

"Hm…" Mayuri pondered. "I wonder how your internal organs fare with such an invasion. I wonder if it is true that you do not have hearts? We could only find out by cutting you open." He grinned. "But your comrades have already taken that experiment upon themselves."

Kira stared. She didn't know what to say. To have taken a knife to any form that could not defend itself…it didn't…but then again…

"We found every organ, artery and nerve that we would find in a Shinigami or Human. They were just…evolved around the hole. Placed like a puzzle. Like clocks." The Scientist was pleased, proud and curious of his findings. Mayuri put his hands behind his back. "Leave." He said flatly, his tone entirely different from before.

Everyone except Nemu and the Espada left the room quickly. The Captain approached the two he was interested in and stared at them equally in their turn.

"I have a theory." He said easily. "Your holes were thought to be the places where your hearts were ripped out, hence your inhumanity. But no, it was rather where your chain of fate was ripped out, and that alone. It seems your souls recovered enough from this in your move to Hueco Mundo in order to survive with a full set of functions." There was a long pause. "Today, I will be looking right through that hole. Prompting it like the memories of the other day."

"Memories?" Kira said smoothly. "You believe they are memories?"
"Well, you don't seem quite imaginative enough to have created such well aligned stories."

Grimmjow groaned boredly. "When do I get to punch some Shinigami full of holes you can study?"
Mayuri continued to smile. "In due time."

The Sexta narrowed his eyes at the Captain. "Don't crap on then."

Kira found herself, once again, laying on a table with the familiar machine nearby. Mayuri himself placed the stickers on her. The Novena had to refrain from squirming as the cold touch met the wall of the inside of her Hollow Hole. It felt weird. It felt nearly ticklish, freezingly so.

"This is probably going to hurt." The Twelfth division Captain said as he left the room.

"Aren't you going to be here?" Kira looked up as he walked away, leaving only one other. The same person from the last experiment.

"I'll be behind that wall." He nodded at the large black expanse. "One way windows." His smile was seedy. "The only way into a one way soul."

The Novena glanced at what she had thought was a wall. People were behind it. Watching. Recording. It sent a small chill through her fingertips. She felt like some animal at a Zoo.

While she thought of this, she was thrown aside and tossed into that world she couldn't quite remember. It was cold, chilling. Like the cool breeze of death itself. Unpleasant, creepy and very familiar.

The spirit of a woman in a long white kimonostood at the balcony that framed a familiar looking view. The long sleeves moved in a slight wind, her hair lifted lightly. She was waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Just waiting. Her skin was still smooth and young. Her hair unaware of the colour grey.

Her eyes quickly shot down to a noise below and her hands dropped to the stone of the balcony. She leaned over and looked, searching. A dark black force shot upwards, causing her to stumble back from fright. It perched on the balcony, its dark black talons crushing the structure and crumbling it to below.

The beast was all white except for its feet, the feathers on its arms, the beak on its face and the claws on its fingers. They were black. A giant hole was punched in its stomach, right in the middle.

The woman's hand instantly strayed to the broken chain that hung from her body. Right in the middle. Right there. The animal screeched at her, spreading out two bat-like wings as it leaned forward and sniffed.

The woman was quick. She moved out of its way swiftly, her eyes never leaving it. The animal screamed again. It was an awful sound. But then there was another. The sound of stone crumbling again. It moved along the balcony, following her. Stalking her.

The woman flattened her back against the wall and stared. She had reached the corner. She had run out of room. Her eyebrows knit together just as the Hollow lunged at her. She drove the side of her hand against the monsters beak, throwing its strike off course and unbalancing it with its own momentum.

The woman ran toward the door only to feel a firm grip on the back of her robes. She landed heavily on her elbows, her chin smacking against the floor. She rolled onto her back, tangling herself in her own clothing. The animal had its talon concretely planted on her dress. The other stepped forward, landing just beside her hip. The woman's eyes shot to the movement and then quickly back to her attacker. It screamed again and she had to close her eyes for the noise.

In a movement she couldn't remember, the female pulled herself away from the Hollow. Her clothing ripping in long lines where the nails of the animal had been. It followed her as she stumbled to get up.

The eyes of the woman turned to the room the balcony entered as she tried to get upright. A white lantern sat without light on a low table. It too, waited. It was not yet empty. It was still waiting.

The woman twisted sharply to avoid the attack she knew was coming at her. She couldn't go. Not yet. She was still waiting.

Yet as she moved herself out of the way, something more important got ensnared.

There was a dull tug at her chest. The Hollow clamped its jaws around the chain of fate that hung from the woman's chest. It tugged sharply, hauling her towards the hook at the end of one of its pale wings. The female gasped at a burning pain. She wanted to scream. Instead of defending herself, her hands went to her chest.

The Hollow, in its attempt to pull her closer, stumbled backwards; unattached. The chain still in its mouth.

The woman looked at the gaping hole in her chest. It hurt so much she wanted to scream. It felt like it would devour her. It took her breath from her and made her cold. So cold.

Her vision shot white and in her last earthly memory, she looked over the balcony. She watched, just in case her waiting had ended.

Kira gasped and sat bolt upright. Her breathing was uneven and her hand was on her chest. A place just below where her hole was. Maybe where the original hole had been. She couldn't remember what happened, only that she could recall the pain.

It felt like she had just fallen through some ice, her blood vessels constricting cruelly and hurting her immensely. It knocked the air out of her and all she wanted to do was feel warm. But she was warm.

Mayuri was standing at the end of the table, his hands folded into his sleeves. "Did you remember?"

Kira swallowed. "I saw. But I don't remember what it was that I saw."

"I thought so." He strolled around to her side and unplugged her from the machine. "You're trembling."

The Novena glanced at her hands. Her fingers vibrated slightly. She closed her hand into a fist. "What happened? How did this happen?" She indicated her Hollow Hole.

"Like you have said. The Shinigami didn't reach you in time." Mayuri grinned ever so slightly, teasingly.

Kira blinked a few times. She didn't know where her next words came from. "Who was I waiting for?"

"Novena, it's the second day. Be patient." The Captain walked towards the door. "You have an escort to the Academy. The other Captains want to see your methods of combat. Your friend is already eagerly waiting."

Nothing more was said.

Kira found Grimmjow and Ukitake standing at the door to the research institute. A band of Shinigami stood around, all of them with seated member reiatsu.

The Novena stood to face the Sexta, she opened her mouth to say something but didn't get anything out before his palm fell heavily on the top of her head. She gave him a long-suffering look and smacked his hand away.

"Are you ready to go?" Ukitake smiled warmly.

"Hai." Grimmjow replied, returning his hand to his pocket. He was eager. Brimming.

The steps to the Academy were few, the streets were empty and all was quiet. Kira wanted to ask Grimmjow if he remembered what had happened earlier, if he remembered things like she did but couldn't remember them afterwards.

But she didn't. Not in front of the Shinigami. Even then, not out loud.

The Academy building was big. The Espada were led around the outside, away from the classes, and to a large training space at the back. There stood Soi Fon and Ikkaku. Kenpachi would have been put up against Grimmjow, but one of them would have ended up dead. Ikkaku was put in his place instead.

The area was wide and flat. Where were high walls on three sides and a building on the other one. It had a balcony where high ranking Shinigami stood and watched. Others sat on the steps that led down to the training area.

When the Espada arrived, they became quiet.

Ukitake was the one to break the silence, even though the First Division Captain was there. "You all know that this is just a demonstration battle. There will be no killing. Wounds are to be kept to a minimum."

Kira had to elbow Grimmjow to keep him from laughing at the probability of that last request. He glared sideways at her before grinning.

"Grimmjow." Ukitake said easily. "Ikkaku is the one you will be fighting against. Please refrain from using your released form at this stage."

"Oh, I don't think that's going to be a problem." The Sexta said as he stepped forward.

The bald Shinigami eyed his opponent smoothly. "Hello, Espada."

Grimmjow spat on the ground, his hands still in his pockets. "Yo."

"You wanna fight?"

"It wont be much of a fight." Grimmjow gave the man a once over. "Is this all Soul Society had to offer me? Wont be much of a demonstration."

Ikkaku scowled deeply and began the fight with a strong charge, a quick sidestep and a sideswipe at his opponents torso. Grimmjow vanished and re-appeared behind the Shinigami, grinning maliciously. He smacked the man on the back of the head and sent him sprawling across the grounds, creating distance from the observers.

Mayuri took his place on the balcony at that moment, Kira noticed as she looked at those watching. Some had notebooks and were recording things. This was an experiment as well as a way to see how the Espada fight.

Soi Fon had her arms crossed and was not looking at her opponent.

Grimmjow was heard laughing as he blocked the punches of Ikkaku. When the Shinigami swung a foot up to catch him on the shin, the Espada caught him by the ankle. Instead of tossing him sideways, the Sexta hauled the man upwards, tipping him upside down.

Ikkaku grabbed Grimmjow around the shin and forced backwards. The Espada stumbled for a moment before throwing the Shinigami down hard. The fight went on.

Ikkaku was a good combatant. He was a good fighter. He would not lose. But Grimmjow wasn't going to lose; not to Shinigami that weren't even Captains. The Sexta was enjoying himself. He toyed with his opponent. Let him get a few hits, actually got hit a few times, before using Sonido to throw himself at the other man, wipe his sword away with one hand and latch onto his throat with the other. He kept going, driving Ikkaku into the far wall of the training ground.

A whistle blew. Enough.

The Shinigami panted, glaring at the Espada who hadn't let go. Grimmjow laughed lowly. "Learn that, punk." He spat at the man's feet before letting him go quickly.

As he walked away, Ikkaku charged him in a rage.

The Sexta noted and ducked at the very last minute, forcing his back upwards into the Shinigami as he passed over. Ikkaku had expected this and swung his blade down at the Espada's face.

Grimmjow caught it in his palm and rolled the man off his back, twisted him and pulled his arm behind his back, forcing him to drop his blade. "Don't tempt me, Shinigami." He hissed. "I am the sixth Espada. You didn't stand a chance."

A small group of Shinigami had to run in and separate the two. Grimmjow had to be put in an area filled with other Captains and Vice-Captains while Ikkaku was sent to the balcony where Mayuri would keep him from destroying the specimen.

Kira's fight, on the other hand, was against a real Captain. A leader of a special operations corp. The Novena knew she was not as good as she had been, but maybe she was better. Maybe she had been changed for the better.

The idea of a fight actually stirred her up in a good way. She usually fought Grimmjow, but this time…she would be learning to take down a Captain. In that moment, Soi Fon became Gin and the Novena became furious.

But her head cleared and she was there in the middle of the ground facing a woman. The Novena was taller, but they were just as lean. Soi Fon stared at her opponent flatly. She did not like her. At all. Not one bit. Espada were scum. Hollow. Monsters.

But they had to fight them. They would have to when Aizen returned.

Kira nodded once at the other woman in a gesture of respect. The moment her eyes slid from the Shinigami was the moment she attacked. The Novena expected this and leapt sideways, kicking her leg out as she did so. Soi Fon used Shunpo to avoid the hit and reappeared behind the girl.

Kira used Sonido to vanish. She appeared above the other woman and drove herself straight down, head first, like a spear. Soi Fon went to step out of the way but the Novena used Sonido for a fraction of a second and threw her timing off. She grabbed the Shinigami by the collar, planted her feet and used her own momentum to haul the other woman around.

Soi Fon landed on her feet, her gaze steady. She charged the Espada. Kira dropped down onto her haunches, let her fingers touch the ground briefly as she tightened her muscles, and then she exploded off the ground.

Soi Fon dodged the attack and Kira had to stop herself by latching onto the wall. She glanced up and then used the spirit particles in the structure to climb it swiftly. She sensed the Shinigami coming up in the same manner and let go, falling away.

As soon as she was parallel with Soi Fon, Kira dug her feet into the wall and pushed off and shot away swiftly. The Shingiami followed, suspecting something.

What she did not expect from such an agile and quick opponent was for them to stop suddenly, turn sharply and reach out.

The Novena grabbed Soi Fon by the wrist and lifted her over her head in an arch. The fight had to end soon. It was a dead out sprint and Kira was starting to run out. She had to use another tactic. One she had been forced to fight and learn.

Brute strength.

Once the Shinigami had done 180 degrees, she lined up for her attack. Kira felt the sharp scratch of the woman's sword as it slid across her shoulder. It didn't stop her. It burned, it was a blow designed to make her let go and not risk a similar attack.

It didn't work. Kira waited one moment after the sword had left her skin before using Sonido to head straight for the ground. She stopped just before and listened as her opponent landed heavily on her side.

The whistle blew. Enough.

And everyone knew the Shinigami had held back. Even Kira. And it pissed her off a bit. But it had felt so good to fight, even if for just a short period of time.

The Novena rolled her neck and flinched as the broken skin stung out. She looked at her shoulder. Her jacket was slit diagonally across the joint, the skin underneath penetrated in a thin but deep line. Like a sting.

The Shinigami went to Soi Fon first; the Captain told them she was fine in a rough tone as her eyes settled on the Espada. She had not been beaten. The battle had been ended by a whistle, not a win.

A kind looking woman with a weird hair-style walked up to Kira. She had a captains robe on and a plait down her front.

"You may want to think about tying your hair up in a fight, Sato-san." The woman smiled.

"Hai." Kira replied.

"I am Retsu Unohana, I have been assigned to heal your injury."

"Its nothing."

"Mayuri would want you in the best possible shape for tomorrow, and it will only take a moment. I can even fix your jacket."

"If she got hurt by that woman's sword then she really has degraded in her ability." Grimmjow's rough voice neared.

"Well, at least you had fun." She half ignored him as the Shinigami went to work on her shoulder. It wouldn't take long, it was a small wound.

Grimmjow smiled easily.

"I get the bath." Kira shot-gunned.

"After me." The Sexta raised an eyebrow at her, still smiling before walking off. "Have fun fixing that."

"Bastard."
"Brat."

Kira scowled at his back.

Unohana had a very small smile. "So are you two a pair then?"
"What?"

"You're evidently friends in a very primary school fashion. Though without the safety net and parental support."

"That's one way of putting it." Kira watched the woman use her healing powers on her shoulder.

"Well, if you are then it'll show."
"What?"
"As unconventional as your relationship with the other Espada seems to be, it also seems to be quite enduring."
"Well, enduring each other has been part of it."

The woman laughed very lightly. "I think your injury is quite healed now. You need to go home and rest. An escort has probably already gone with your friend, so I will find one for you now."

"Hai."

Kira watched the woman go and leave her alone. She looked at her shoulder, even the fabric was in one piece. And it hadn't hurt. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.

The friend who will hurt you and heal you to help you for the better, the one who can be silent in despair and be there in grief, who can tolerate you, understand when you are powerless and who can make misfortune seem just that little bit less unfortunate; that is a friend who cares.

Grimmjow…well, he'd beat her up. He'd healed her. He didn't walk away from her, even though he told her to shut up. He knew when she was at her weakest. He could see it clearly. And now…if things were different…

Well, Kira didn't know what they would be like they were. It wouldn't be what it was. And what it was could still be open to debate.

When the Novena got home she found Grimmjow in the main room laying flat on his back, one leg bent up casually.

She had to step over him to get to the bathroom.

"Its already mine." Came the smooth voice from the floor.

"You're not using it." Kira replied easily as she started to run a bath.

"Doesn't matter. I will be."

"Are you seriously trying to pick a fight over the bathroom?" The Novena put a hand on her hip and stood in the door.

"You're the one who wont leave it how it should be."

"Oh, bugger of." Kira waved at him lazily and turned back into the room. From under the sink came a smooth smell, the girl knelt down and opened the door to the little closet. Inside was a box of powdered milk. She turned it over in her hand, curious at it. There were instructions to put it in the bath. Why, she had no idea.

As she read the back of the box, Kira let her kneeling go and dropped into a very easy seated-on-bathroom-floor position. When she opened the box, a puff of powder came out and attacked her nasal cavity.

She sneezed and nearly threw the box across the room. A long streak of powder now lined the bathroom and dusted the sink and just about every other surface. The Novena stared at the box again, then at the bath. She stood, stepped over the mess she had made and promptly tipped the entire contents of the product into the water at once.

It said two to three scoops per bath, but she hadn't been able to find a scoop…until it floated to the surface of the water. She fished it out of the white water and set it in the sink before sliding herself into the warm water.

Her muscles reacted smoothly to the temperature, unwinding slowly. She'd never had a bath before. Ever. Or maybe she had, but in Las Noches she had only ever used the showers. It felt…relaxing.

Kira reached for the milk box and read it over again. It said it was not for consumption. Milk for sitting in. Her one eyebrow rose as she sank below the water, submerging herself right to her collarbone.

There were new things to find every day. Weird things. People bathed in milk; cow lactation. In the thing you put on breakfast food. Kira lifted the ends of her hair and ran her fingers over them. It felt no different. The steam made everything damp, but not uncomfortable I-just-turned-my-bathroom-into-a-sauna kind of way.

It felt…nice. Letting your guard down. Just…for a moment. To be still and unthinking.

The water shifted easily around the girl as she lay there with her eyes closed. She let her fingers trace a lazy outline on the waters surface and shifted forward to allow a space for the water to flow over her spine.

When she leant back again things were different but entirely the same.

"You know, that's entirely unfair." Her tone was relaxed. "I'm being feminine and you weren't invited."
A firm sensation wrapped around her waist and leant her back easily, aligning her spine against the line of a sternum, pulling her head back onto a shoulder.

"I told you I would be here. It's your problem now." The familiar apathy of his voice was so close.

"Fine. I have problems." Kira hadn't opened her eyes. She did not feel threatened or undermined.

Grimmjow ran his palm across the side of her ribcage as he shifted casually to be comfortable.

"What do you remember from what they did to you in the Research Institute?" The Novena asked, opening her eyes.

The Sexta immediately splashed her in the face. He didn't have to say shut up, but he did anyway.

Kira exhaled slowly. "Fine."

There was a large room with a large table. An elegant tea-pot and smooth white cups. Two places set across the table from one another. An elderly woman seated in the very far corner; a chaperone maybe. An aunt. A misplaced relative. A wrinkled misfortune.

There was a young woman sitting tall at the table, her feet folded under her. She wore a sky blue kimono detailed with the patterns of clouds in silver thread and navy blue along all is edges. She had her hair up in a traditional style, a white bone comb the only ornament in it. From it hung small, pale white beads that moved as she did.

The sound of a door opening did not cause her to stir or look up. The sound of someone sitting opposite her made her bring her chin up so her face could be viewed by him.

He was tall, broad shouldered and he appeared to be completely apathetic to the situation.

"You know who I am, so I won't bother with that introduction. I know who you are, so please don't feel the need to tell me your full title." His voice sounded like it ran through a thin layer of sandpaper before it came out of his mouth.

"Hai. I do know your name and you know mine. We have known each others names since we were small, even though with did not know each other." Her tone was quiet, maybe timid. "Tea?"

"Hai."

She poured it as she had been raised to. "What is your favourite tea? I will need to know for future reference."

"I don't have a favourite."
She smiled as she passed the man his cup. "Then we will drink my favourite."

"I don't know if it's a pro or a con that you are not like the other women."

"I know you have met others to see if they ticked all your boxes. But I fear they tick too many, including that of fear." She paused. "That box will have to remain empty in my case. So long as there is no reason to make it otherwise."

"You are not superior to me. You are not above me in any way."
"I am different to you."

"And what do you know of me?" Despite the words, the conversation had no tension, no ill-ease. It was…seemingly normal. Natural.

"It is true that I don't know you. But I want to."

"You know who I am."

"It is true. You are in a high stress, high risk position that would cow any normal man. But you are not cowed. You are faced by many demons and you risk becoming one yourself."

He smiled widely. "You think I am a demon? I am greatly amused."

"If I will be honest; I had hoped to meet someone who had the stars as their hands and hearts. But that is pure fancy, if such a person were to exist, what would the point of starts, hands and hearts be? They would be one thing and not the same and we would have to join them with something else to make them any sort of beautiful."

"You are not unhappy then?"
"No. I am not unhappy." She was silent for a long moment. "Are you?"

He rolled his neck. His tone had no emotion. "No."

" I never asked to meet anyone silent, brooding and apathetic; I have never asked to meet anyone because I fear I would be unhappy or ungrateful of that person. There is one thing I am very happy with though. You have a library that contains more than novels so I might not make the mistake of trying to create a person out of cosmos and basic anatomy?"

"Your father was right." He muttered. "You do think out loud. A lot."

The young woman folded her hands in her lap. "Think of it as music."

He was silent.

"Please may I ask you something?"
"Hai." He met her gaze.

"May I be your friend?"

He was quiet. He rose from his seat and set his cup down. He peered down at the young woman, his expression easy. "That's a stupid question because you know the answer."

The girl half smiled. "But you'll never say it."

The man rolled his shoulder easily and glanced back at her as he began to leave. "Don't ever expect me to."

The girl's gaze drifted to her hands as he walked away. She bit her lip and noticed her fingers tremble slightly. She breathed, closed her eyes for a moment, and then smiled. "Hai."

So, a little romance at the end to tickle your fancy. Lord knows Grimmjow isn't the type to hand out roses or do anything like that. At all. Ever. I cannot make him a gentleman because he is not, so whatever transpires does so because I have found that his nature will go that way in that manner.

Honestly, I do get a bit uneasy writing romance but I often find that it is a facet that a story can use to its advantage, even if it's a story of exploration and not one of love. It's a perspective unlike any others and, those who know my writing know I like perspectives.

Yeah…

But I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please do let me know what you thought; I very much value your opinion and views. Constructive criticism is more than welcome.

So, go crazy

Blessings,