Rukia glared at the woman who just tried to slap her. She wasn't angry before by her antics, but if Michiko was trying to get on her bad side she was doing a good job. Anger boiled inside Rukia at her audacity and she had to stop herself from flipping the woman out of her hospital bed and onto the unforgiving, hard floor. She had tried to remain civilized, but Michiko had other plans. The battered woman was being childish and Rukia didn't have to tolerate it.

Tossing the of female's hand aside, Rukia glared at her. "Why did you try to hit me?!"

"You took him from me!" Michiko spat.

Rukia scoffed. "No, Michiko. You let him go. I picked up what you couldn't appreciate. I'm dating him and that's it."

"No!" Michiko hissed. "I want him back. I made a mistake, I'm aware of that, but I realize-"

"You realized what you gave up when Satoshi treated you like trash," Rukia interrupted. "Would you have changed your mind if he were the perfect boyfriend?"

Michiko became silent as she looped her burgundy hair behind her ear then laced her fingers together. "I... I don't know."

"It took horrible treatment from Satoshi and Grimmjow moving on for you to change your mind."

A strand of guilt stabbed at her, but Rukia understood Michiko needed to hear the truth. She made a mistake, but she could not pick Grimmjow up for her convenience and healing. He and Rukia's happy relationship stood in the way, and Rukia refused to release him. She believed Grimmjow felt the same. Michiko needed to work on fixing their friendship and forget a relationship with him.

Dark purple eyes gazed at her foe with pity as she stood. Rukia shared empathy with Michiko concerning the domestic abuse and vicious animal mauling, but it stopped at choosing to abandon her childhood friend. Still, if she hadn't pushed Grimmjow aside, Rukia wouldn't have her chance with him. That blue-haired man had wormed his way into her heart, replacing the pain and heartache her previous relationship brought. Grimmjow treated her like royalty, the way Ichigo used to treat her. That didn't mean spoiling her, but making sure her importance to him got communicated without question. They would have hardships like any normal relationship, but Rukia knew they could work through them. So far there wasn't anything she didn't like about Grimmjow... besides him drinking straight out of the carton.

"Grimmjow," Rukia called, not taking her eyes off of the abused female in front of her. "You can come back in now."

The door swung open and Rukia almost melted at the sight of the gorgeous male adjusting his sunglasses as he entered. It was still hard to believe this amazing MMA fighter was hers to care for. It was borderline amazing, or maybe it was just the new relationship jitters.

Rukia's smile faded at the frown on his features. The muscle in his jaw was ticking, showing his pissed off mood. "What's the matter Grimmjow?"

Her boyfriend didn't even acknowledge her as he walked past to stand in front of his ex-best friend. She looked up at him, tears trailing down her face. Grimmjow brushed them away and rested his hand along her cheek, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. He closed his eyes and exhaled; the room remaining silent. When he opened them again, Grimmjow pressed his forehead against hers. Michiko's breath hitched as she gripped the back of his neck with her good hand.

"I'm so sorry Grimmjow," Michiko whispered. "I shouldn't have ever chosen Satoshi over the closest person to me. You've been there for me through everything and you are the most important friend in my life. I can't believe I didn't realize it."

The anger in the fighter's face faded while Rukia studied the interaction with confusion. She understood the two had serious history, but they looked like lovers.

Grimmjow kissed her cheek. "I forgive you for being a dumbass."

Michiko managed a weak chuckle through her uneven breathing. "I'm so glad."

Rukia stood dumbfounded at the display before her. It was great that Grimmjow wanted to forgive his friend, but what did it mean? Rukia held high standards for Grimmjow. He wouldn't hurt her like Ichigo did... right? Her heart pounded in her chest with fear. Rukia tried to keep herself from spiraling, but Michiko and Grimmjow's extensive history trumped their short relationship. Still, Rukia knew she mattered to Grimmjow unless he was using her to get over Michiko. Rukia couldn't lie and say Grimmjow hadn't helped her in moving on from what Ichigo did but she hadn't used him. She genuinely cared about him.

"Grimmjow?" she whispered, stopping her hand from reaching out to him.

There was something unfamiliar in the gaze Grimmjow gave her. She didn't like it. Dread rose in her chest, almost choking her. She could feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes, but tried to rationalize. They were just catching up after their hardships. That was all Rukia could handle. However, intimacy poured off them in waves.

"Would you sing for me?" Michiko questioned as she moved to lean against his chest, closing her eyes and locking her arms around his waist.

Grimmjow's hand traveled to her back. "Sure. Rukia, give us a sec."

Rukia's heart sank as the smooth voice she had grown to love filtered throughout the room. This time, the hurt woman couldn't stop the hitch in her throat as she backed away and closed the door behind her. Rukia leaned against the wall and tried to gather her emotions. She had only been dating the guy for a month. How did he already hold so much influence over her? Maybe she should stop going in with an open heart. It lessened the sting of betrayal. She couldn't push down the emotions. Rukia hated herself for getting so attached on such a short amount of time. It was pathetic.

"I thought Michiko was the pathetic one," Rukia mumbled as she blinked back the tears threatening to fall down her pale cheeks.

Rukia listened through the door. She couldn't make out everything, but what she heard stabbed straight through her chest.

"Please give me another chance."

"I'm with someone Michiko."

"I know, but I can't bear to see you with another person."

"Oh, well."

"I know I messed up, but just give me one opportunity to prove myself to you. To prove how sorry I am."

"I'll give you one chance."

"Thank you, I will prove how much I care Grimmjow."

Rukia stumbled away, unable to listen to any more. She couldn't stand to hear those words. What did that mean? Was Grimmjow going to leave her for Michiko? What was she doing wrong? Why did these guys play with her emotions? Why would they hurt her so much? Did she mean that little to them? The tears slipped down her cheeks as Rukia dashed down the hallway and to the door leading to the stairs. She all but jumped down each set of stairs to get to the bottom, brushing past people in her hurry; their angry shouts falling on deaf ears.

She burst through the hospital exit and into the dark of the evening. When she ran through the emergency waiting room, she had seen that it was now 8:32 p.m. The time sure had gone by during their stay at the hospital. Rukia moved to a bench on the outside the sliding doors and wiped her face. She would have to call someone to come and get her since she had ridden with Grimmjow in his car and left hers at his house. She'd get dropped off and drive it home.

"Excuse me, are you Rukia Kuchiki?"

Damn it, not now. She couldn't deal with any of the annoying followers. Looking up, she saw a dark-haired girl standing in front of her. She was tomboyish, her hair styled a short, messy cut and her clothes baggy. With her was another girl with dark red hair and glasses on her face. Rukia sighed. These were probably Grimmjow fangirls who came for her soul. She hoped they didn't want to fight. Her sour mood could prove detrimental.

"Look if you're Grimmjow's fans I-"

"No, no. We get you're dating Grimmjow, but that isn't why we came up to you."

Rukia gazed up at them through glossy eyes. "What then? I'm not feeling up for company sorry."

"You used to date Ichigo right?" the girl pressed. "Orange hair, brown eyes, tall and lean?"

This time Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I did. What about it?"

"Thank goodness!" the girl with the glasses exclaimed. "Orihime tried to get in touch with you, but you didn't answer your phone. You see, we're friends of hers and-"

"Stop right there," Rukia interrupted as she stood up. "I'm sure as her friends you know what happened between us and Ichigo."

"Get over your grudge!" the tomboy snapped. "She was trying to call you because Ichigo's been in a car crash. They don't know if he will live through it!"

The color drained from Rukia's face. Why was he in danger of dying? A million questions raced through her mind, extinguishing her current dislike for him.

"Where is he?" Rukia asked the girl.

"He's here!" the red-head said, dragging her inside. "They had to perform emergency surgery on him. We came out to catch a breather."

Rukia's legs moved on autopilot as they raced through the halls and then hit the stairs. The wenches fate kept throwing into her life continued to fray her nerves. Despite her previous anger at Ichigo for what he had done, his predicament terrified Rukia. What if he didn't make it?

"My name's Tatsuki," the girl with the short dark hair said. "She's Chizuru and we both know your name from Orihime and knew what you looked like from seeing you on TV with Grimmjow."

Rukia didn't care about that tidbit of information. She needed details and asked Tatsuki to tell her how he got into a crash. When Rukia discovered he had been driving drunk, she wanted to smash his face in for doing something so stupid. Rukia knew first hand of how he acted when he was drunk. The most irrational things seemed rational to him like trying to ride a bike backward down a hill. That hadn't ended well either. Her heart changed its pace from a sadden beat to frantic. She had to get to him and when they reached the waiting room, Rukia paced. She couldn't handle so much emotional distress in one day.

"Rukia, I'm glad you came!"

She turned around to see the female she had loathed for some time standing in front of her, her gray eyes puffy from crying. Rukia stopped walking and clenched her hands at her sides. "Don't speak like we're on good terms."

"Please," Orihime said as she stepped forward. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I really am."

Rukia snorted. She sounded just like Michiko. Everyone apologized when someone died or they escaped death's grasp by the skin of their teeth. Rukia didn't want an apology brought on by a tragic situation.

"You're sorry now?!" Rukia spat. "You didn't seem so sorry before so why the sudden change of heart? It didn't seem to matter when you ruined the most important thing in my life, so don't give me the 'I'm sorry' bullshit!"

"That's not true," Orihime whimpered. "I felt bad. It was eating me alive to hurt someone like that."

"Then why are you dating him?!" the brunette roared. "If you felt so bad why didn't you leave him?! You realize he could do the same thing to you, don't you?!"

"I left him," Orihime responded as she looked at the floor. "My friends made me realize just how horrible what I did was."

The heated female watched as tears trickled down Orihime's face. Rukia's eyes shot open as she ran towards her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

"Please forgive me," Orihime sobbed. "I broke up with him and afterward he tried to drive home drunk. If I would have known he would try to take his car after drinking, I would have gone to take his keys from him, but I had no idea. I saw him when they pulled him from the car Rukia. He looked awful."

Rukia wasn't sure how to respond to the woman weeping into her shoulder. Her anger had dissipated. She closed her eyes. It seemed like Orihime was sorry and Rukia knew it would be immature not to accept her humble apology. However, it was easier said than done. She spent a good amount of time despising this woman and swallowing her pride proved difficult. She was about to yank out of her grasp, but something stopped her. Rukia didn't want to be bitter. She refused to allow herself to continue wallowing in hatred over the past. She would just have to move forward.

With a huge amount of effort, Rukia returned the hug. "I understand."

Orihime held her tighter. "Thank you, Rukia."

"It's the doctor," a male with glasses standing behind them stated.

They looked over at the older gentleman who smiled and told them they concluded his surgery without complications. Ichigo had to have a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood he lost, they set his broken right leg, and they placed bolts in his open fractured forearm. It took over 200 stitches to close up his other wounds, but he was stable and now was sleeping in his room. The doctor informed them Ichigo broke his back. They wouldn't know if he had gotten paralyzed until he woke up and they examined him.

"He's alive," Rukia breathed.

Grimmjow laid his friend who stormed back into his life down. She had fallen asleep when she asked him to sing for her a second time. It wasn't surprising. When they were kids, she often fell asleep when he sang to her. He used to think it was cute, but based on the circumstances that now shrouded them, Grimmjow looked at her now with pity. He hated what Michiko experienced and if he ever saw Satoshi, he might kill the man. What he did was false imprisonment, kidnapping, and beating her added domestic violence. An officer would come by the next day so she could file a police report. The blue-haired man lifted her hospital gown, gazed at the dark splotches along her stomach, and felt his anger mounting again. Grimmjow took out his phone and took pictures of the bruises littering her body and when he looked at her face again, half-lidded dark blue orbs were gazing back at him. A smile moved over her features.

"I'm not trying to look at you," Grimmjow snapped. "Get over yourself."

Michiko huffed. "You're still just as crabby as ever, you little punk."

"You're the little one," Grimmjow murmured, fingers brushing over a bruise on her hip.

Michiko gazed at him then placed her hand over his. Her friend looked at her, a blank expression on his face. Despite that, she smiled at him. "Can I show you how much I care now?"

Grimmjow understood what she meant by that expression on her face. The slant of her eyes, half-smile, and a slight blush were enough to tell him she was planning on having him fuck her right in the hospital room. A frown came over his features. Did she think she still had that much hold on him? He had Rukia. She knew what he needed out of a relationship and he refused to pass her up.

Grimmjow stopped her when she tried to kiss him. "So, you want to prove how much you care, right?"

"Yes," Michiko breathed. "I'll do anything to regain your trust."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

Grimmjow grinned as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Good."

He stood to his feet and informed her he would return tomorrow. The hospital would release Michiko tomorrow and they decided she could stay with him for a few days until he set up an apartment for her. Michiko practiced as a midwife before she and Satoshi moved in together. She would look for a job and save up money to take over her bills. Grimmjow still wanted to ask Rukia to make sure she approved of Michiko staying with him. If it wasn't, then he would get her a hotel for the next few days until he got an apartment set up. As he turned to leave, the injured woman grasped the back of his shirt.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Grimmjow look at her over his shoulder. "I'm going to Rukia, what else?"

"I thought you were going to give me another chance," Michiko accused. "Break up with her."

"Hell no."

"But-"

"What you can do to prove how much you care is to accept my relationship with Rukia," Grimmjow interrupted. "I'm not leaving her because you want me now. Good night Michiko, I'll come get you tomorrow."

He heard her breath hitch again, but this time he didn't let it affect him. Usually, her tears would have him giving in, but not this time. Rukia was his priority, and she deserved happiness with him. Grimmjow needed to use this moment to assure Rukia he would not turn his back on her for his former love. When he exited the room, he looked for the mess of dark hair he had grown so fond of. He frowned when he saw only nurses and other visitors. Where had she gone? Grimmjow called her phone, and she didn't pick up. What the hell? He searched for her, confused on what was going on.

"Yes! Right there!"

"You're such a horny little slut."

"Only for you Satoshi."

He continued to pound into his blonde partner, his hand tangled in her hair. All the things he did to Michiko was much better with his co-worker since she enjoyed it. Reiyna was down for anything and Satoshi took full advantage. His dark hair was hanging around his face as he flipped the smaller woman on her back and continued thrusting into her. Satoshi ravaged her mouth and hissed when her long nails bit into his back. Three months and he still hadn't grown tired of her. After about three weeks, Satoshi finished with his toy and prowled for another.

He enjoyed his woman at home the most. She was unable to leave while he was free to do what he pleased. At first, he felt a little bad when he used to see her cry, but he had gotten over it. Michiko needed a man to rule her and he was perfect for the job. It was a woman's job to do whatever her man wanted and Satoshi would force her if she wasn't willing to do as he commanded. That was just what his father had taught him.

Satoshi closed his golden orbs, pulled himself from Reiyna, and came on her chest. He breathed hard as he stood and pulled his pants back on while Reiyna leaned over the bed and got a towel to wipe her chest with. After throwing on his shirt, he exited their room and moved onto the dock of the large ship. It was night and the salty breeze cooled his heated skin. A few stars dotted the night sky and the full moon reflected off the water's surface.

Satoshi pulled out a pack of Black N Milds, lit one, and dragged hard, relishing the sweet scent it emitted. He wondered if she had tried to escape in his absence. Satoshi wouldn't return until tomorrow afternoon, giving her the weekend to plan. He doubted it because she was a coward. Michiko never stood up to him. He didn't think she had the drive to put herself in danger to get away either. She knew of Kibbles, the Rottweiler he had in the backyard, but not of Brandy, the pit bull. Even if she tried to leave, she would probably run back inside knowing if she was to escape, she would have to take a mauling.

Satoshi had taken precautions though. If Michiko escaped, he had a way of finding her and dragging her back. He would have to lie low because Grimmjow was the first person she would run to and although Satoshi was not afraid of the MMA fighter, he acknowledged their differences in physical abilities. He rather liked his face and planned to keep it the way it was. Satoshi exhaled with a grin, ran a hand through his long hair, and gazed out at the darkened ocean.

"You will never escape me."