Grimmjow

I popped my neck. Chiara looked at me with her indifferent eyes. They were just like her damn brother's. Except they were salmon colored instead of green. Her mask was the same as his too, just on the opposite side. Everything about her reminded me of him, down to way she kissed Aizen's ass. I thought I was rid of that bastard….until I was stuck with her.

"What?" I asked her as I cracked my knuckles.

"You annoy me to no end."

I grinned. "Well the feelin's mutual."

She turned her gaze to the door. "I don't understand why Aizen wants you to guard the girl. I am much more suited to do so."

"Last time I looked I outranked you. Besides….the kid likes me better." I laughed.

She looked back to me. Her eyes said she thought she was better than me. I hated her damn eyes. I would probably gouge them out if I had the chance. I sighed. Like I'd get the chance. Aizen liked her just as much as he liked Ulquiorra. I was in better standing with him this time around but she still had me beat.

There was a loud crash and we both turned our attention to the door. I instinctively reached for the handle. The girl screamed and another crash sounded. What the fuck is going on in there.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" the scream was getting closer us. "Get away!"

I moved in front of the door just in time for it to fly open. Izuma ran headlong into me. She bounced off of me and landed right on her ass. "What the hell kid?" I said picking her up.

Kuutso leaned against the doorframe. "I guess we can be done for today. I don't need anymore specimens."

I looked at her, this time scanning her body. There were fresh bruises lining the insides of each of her arms and blood was crusted on the bottom of her lip. She spun around and glared at him. "You are such a creep!"

"Yes. You've said that already."

"And I'll keep saying it!" she snapped.

I put my hand over her mouth…for the hundredth time this week it seemed. "Shut it." I hissed. I looked back up at Kuutso. "Do ya have to bloody her up every time ya see her?"

"You're not getting soft are you?"

"Fuck no." I replied. Piece of shit. He was really getting on my nerves. I was above him but he didn't even seem to care. Not that I cared who was above me either but this guy always pissed me off. "Just fuckin tired of hearin the bitch whine."

He smiled. "Well that makes two of us. I don't know how much more of her yelling I can take. I have such a migraine by the end of our little….sessions. Maybe you should teach her a lesson before the next time she comes to see me."

Sicko. "Yeah…I'll do that." I felt the girl suddenly struggle under my arms. I held onto her tighter.

Chiara sighed. "Well if you have this under control, I'd like to go back to my room."

I glared at her. "See ya."

She left without a second glance. I turned towards Izuma's room. Kuutso laughed behind me. "Have fun."

I rolled my eyes. Fuckin moron. someone should beat the shit out of him. maybe i'll do it. that sounds fun.

The girl fought with me the whole way to her room. Her protests were getting worse. Why the hell was she fighting me? I wasn't the one using her for tests. When I finally closed the door behind us I was so pissed I could hardly stand it. "What the fuck is your problem? Would you just shut the fuck up for five fuckin seconds?" I yelled and dropped her on the couch. "You are so god damn annoying!"

"I could say the same about you!" She retorted.

That did it. I grabbed the front of her dress and lifted her off of her feet. "You never know when to shut your fuckin trap do ya?"

She dug her nails into my arm. "Let go."

"Not until I get it through your fuckin head. You may have a few bruises and a busted lip, but that's nothing compared to what will happen if ya don't shut up. You're not in control here! When you're with that freak Kuustos, he's in control. When you talk to Aizen he's in control….and when you're with me…I'm in control." I spat.

"You don't scare me." She said quietly. That really pissed me off. How the hell was I supposed to get her to watch what she said around them if she wasn't scared? She had to be scared. Why else would she fight back so hard? But then…why say that? If that was the game she was playing…I'd just have to make her fear me. I knew just how to do that.

I threw her down onto the bed. Last time I did that she was scared enough to show her powers. She was in an even worse position here. Maybe if I just acted like I was going to hurt her she'd get the point. She had no idea what kind of monsters lurked in these halls.

I stepped towards her and climbed up onto the bed. She immediately started backing up. That was a good sign. "Thought you weren't scared of me?"

"I'm….not." she said. But her actions stated otherwise.

She was backed up all the way to the headboard. I grabbed her ankle and pulled her underneath me. She punched me in the face. I grabbed her hands and held them in place. "Listen and listen good kid. When someone tells you to do something you do it. Aizen says you're off limits but it doesn't matter… You keep talking like that and sooner or later you're gonna get what's comin to ya. And when that happens you're better off not struggling."

Her eyes locked with mine and for a moment I forgot what I was trying to accomplish. "Well then…why don't you just get it over with?" Her voice shook a little but her eyes remained the same intensity.

"Huh?" This caught me off guard.

"Just do it already. It's like he said…You're tryin to teach me a lesson right? Well just go ahead and fuckin do it!" I felt her body tense up but she stopped struggling.

That's when it hit me. This is exactly what he had wanted me to do. So why was I doing it? Why was I telling her to just give up and do what they say without putting up a fight? I was a fucking idiot. He wanted me to break her down. He wanted me to make her give up…so I'd be easier for him…Well I had done a good fuckin job so far because that's exactly what she was doing. She was just giving up. I may have thought I was doing her a favor but I was no better than them.

I let go of her wrists and got up off the bed. "I'm not like them." I whispered.

She sat up, slightly shocked at my sudden change of mind. Of course I wasn't gonna hurt her in the first place. But she didn't know that. "What?"

"Forget what I said about strugglin."

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

I spoke before I had time to think about it. "If they come after you….keep fighting."

Izuma

His words confused me. In fact everything that had just happened confused me. One minute he's telling me that I need to shut up and stop fighting back. And I think to myself, shit I'm about to get it now, but then when I tell him to do it he lets me go. But not only that….he tells me to forget what he just said and tells me to fight anyone that comes after me.

What the hell? I just stared at him. I had no idea what to say or do. If I said anything wrong he might change his mind. "Why did you stop?"

He seemed not sure what to say, but then smiled. "Don't think too much into it kid…It's just no fun when ya don't fight back."

Jerk. I don't think that's why at all. "I see."

"Get cleaned up." He said as he opened the door. "I don't like bein seen with battered up women."

"Huh?"

He shut the door and locked it behind him. What was with this guy? If he wanted to scare the shit out of me…well he achieved his goal…although I'd never tell him that. But why just toy with me? Why not finish what you start….unless… you never had the intentions of doing so in the first place.

'Don't think to much into it kid. It's just no fun when ya don't fight back.'

Well then why tell me to fight the others? And what others was he talking about? Was I really in that much danger? I thought of Kuutso….yes…I was in that much danger. Most of his "tests" weren't really tests at all. He just wanted to see me squirm, break me down. Well I wasn't that easy to break. Not when I was this determined. But…I had been broken down…for a moment. Just a few minutes before, I stopped fighting back. I was just going to let it happen.

Why was that? The slightest touch always puts me in kick ass mode. Even when my classmate tried to kiss me…I broke his nose. I didn't know if it was because of the nightmares or…something else. Something I couldn't remember. That was the bad thing about the dreams. My attacker never had a face.

At first I had misjudged my situation. Aizen had said he wanted to know more about my power. Well I didn't even know I had a power until that night when I freaked out on my mom. I was undergoing tests to see how it worked. That's what he told us. So why would I be in any danger? No one would be….wanting to do anything to me right? That's what I thought until now. Now I knew that I was surrounded by power beings and most of which had nothing better to do besides finding ways to hurt others. I was the weakest thing around here so guess who their target would be.

That didn't explain why Grimmjow seemed to want to attack me and then just walk away. I'd seen him put a hole through a number of arrancar chest's. He was capable of anninlating almost anything in his vicinity. And the number on his back told me he was more powerful than at least seven of the espada here. So why not hurt me more? He seemed to enjoy crushing others. Maybe he was just doing his job…and in doing so left me alone.

It didn't really matter. What mattered was he could have destroyed me ten minutes ago….but didn't. I also knew it was just a matter of time before someone else took his place….and didn't stop.

"I'm so fucked." I sighed. I kicked the bed with my foot. "Why do I have this stupid ass power anyway? What good is it if I can't even use it when I want to?"

I was still kicking the bed when I heard the door unlock. "Back for round two?" I hissed.

"Round two? I wasn't aware we had a round one."

I turned slowly around to see a blond haired espada standing in the doorway. I couldn't see his face in the darkness but his voice seemed somewhat familiar. "Who are you?"

"I knew you lost your memories…but I didn't think you would have forgotten me as well." He said as he came closer to me.

"What are you talking about? Do I know you?"

"Oh you knew me very well. You've grown up a lot since the last time I saw you. It's been three or four years now?"

I took a step back. "I don't see how that's possible."

"Maybe you will remember if I gave you a reminder." He reached his right hand out. There were bone remnants on his knuckles. I quickly moved out of his reach.

"What do you want?"

"What I've always wanted Izuma." He laughed.

I knew that laugh. Who was this guy? How did I know him? "Cut the crap. I don't know you and I don't understand your stupid riddles."

He reached over and stroked my face with his hand.

At that moment the door opened. "What are you doing in here Curtis? Did Aizen send you?" It was Grimmjow.

"No I just wanted to stop by to talk to our lovely prisoner. I didn't get to introduce myself the other day."

Grimmjow crossed his arms. "Is that so?"

He turned around. "Don't forget who you're talking to."

I could feel the tension in the air. "I know who I'm talkin to. But I also know Aizen's orders. No one touches the girl."

He walked towards the door. When he passed Grimmjow he paused. "Except you right?"

"What?" His blue eyes looked confused.

The blonde turned back to me. I could see his face this time, and the tiny number 1 on his neck. I froze. I knew that face somehow. He laughed. "Round two huh?"

I frowned. "That's not-" I began but he just waved me off.

"See you later….Izuma."

He left and we were alone again. I kept thinking about the other mans face. Where had I seen it before?

"What's wrong kid?"

I looked up to see him staring at me. "Nothing."

"About Curtis…I had to deal with something for a minute."

I didn't answer him. I was still trying to figure something out. I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands. If only I could remember! What was I missing? I knew it was something very important…

Meanwhile in Karakura town.

Kari

E.J was asleep in the next room. But that didn't stop me from inviting him over. Ever since I saw what I thought to be my old enemy…I didn't want to be alone. Even thought my brother was near…he couldn't comfort me the way Ichigo could. There was just something about him that brought me peace. He seemed to be trying really hard to make up for what happened to me. But he really didn't need to. I wasn't going back on my promise. I loved him and that's all that mattered.

I could hear his breathing as he slept beside me. I rolled over, snuggling into his warm chest. It felt good to sleep next to him; the rise and fall of his chest comforted me. I closed my eyes wishing he was still awake.

I smiled as I felt his arms wrap around me.

"King wastes so much time sleeping. He always misses the good things."

My eyes shot open at the sound of his voice. I sat up quickly. His yellow eyes seemed to smile at me. "You!" I said and drew my fist back and punched him square in the jaw.

He rubbed his face in amusement. "I guess I deserved that."

I scrambled to get out of the covers that we were sharing. "You bastard. Get the hell out of my room!" I shivered when I thought about me snuggling up with the hollow.

"Hey…wait. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Oh really now? Well sorry if I have trouble believing you." I was now out of bed and standing by my window.

"Listen…I came out to…to apologize okay." He said scratching the back of his neck. It was something that Ichigo did…when he was having trouble saying something….or if he was frustrated. Could it be that they were that similar.

"Sounds like a trick to me." I balled my hands into fists at my side. I wasn't going to let my guard down. I promised Ichigo that I would fight him if it came down to that.

"It's notta trick….I promise….I'm not here to hurt you."

"Do I have to remind you of our last encounter? I don't trust you."

He leaned back on the pillow resting his head in his arms. "I expected as much."

I relaxed my stance a little. While a part of me wanted to beat the shit out of him, a part of me believed that he was telling the truth.

"I really do feel bad for what happened ya know." He said after a moment. His eyes remained glued to the ceiling.

Since when did hollows have feelings? "Don't fuck around with me hollow." I spat, trying my hardest to keep my composure. "If I'm not mistaken you knew exactly what you were doing when you took control and came after me. You had it all figured out. I never had a choice in the matter."

He rolled over on his side and looked at me. "You don't think so? You had the chance to fight back…you chose not too."

His words stung. "Don't try to put it on me! You…you…forced yourself on me and you know it!"

He sighed. "Yeah….Well I guess you could say that the animal in me took over."

"What are talking about?" I asked growing more and more uncomfortable.

"I may be a blood thirsty killer but….I never had the intentions of hurting you."

I was confused by this. What was he up to? Was this just another game he was playing to get at me?

"I really wanted to talk to you…..but you looked so damn sexy….and I hadn't been out in so long…..i couldn't help myself….and well….I let my instincts take over….I felt differently about it later when I was back to normal…."

"Feeling guilty hollow?" I asked

"As if ." he laughed. "More like pissed that I fucked it up. Damn bastard….he thinks I'm nothing…..but he's wrong….and I'll prove it." He said suddenly jumping up from the bed.

I stumbled backwards, almost falling, at the sudden movement. He laughed. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked advancing towards me.

"I think you should leave." I stuttered.

He was already to my side of the bed. "Why? I thought we were having a good talk."

"I have a feeling you want to do more than just talk." I said backing up to the wall.

He sighed and rested his hands on the wall on both sides of my head. "I do…but I won't. I won't touch you….unless you want me too,"

Shit. I let him get to close. He could change his mind in a second and I'd be in the same situation as last time. God I was stupid.

I flashed him a smile. "There's no way in hell."

He drew in his breath. "Then I won't."

"Then Get away from me."

"If that's what you want." He smiled.

I nodded. "Just leave me the hell alone."

He backed up and shook his head. "Fine." He turned from me and I felt more confused than ever.

"Not going to try anything?" I asked, scared that this was just an act and he would come after me at any second.

"Like I said. I'm not here to pick a fight. You want me to leave I will. I owe you that much. I won't force you again."

"Really?"

"Yeah…." He said heading for the door. Before he shut it he looked back at me. "Besides…it's no fun when it's one sided."

I stood there unable to move as he shut the door and left me alone in my room. Did he really just leave without a fight? Without….hurting me? I could understand it if he had come back to finish what he'd started….but to apologize? I didn't get that at all.

I climbed back in bed unsure if I should fall asleep. I still didn't trust that he wouldn't come sneaking back in here to have his way with me. I sighed and stared at the ceiling.

A half hour passed and I was still too nervous to go to sleep. I heard footsteps in the hall and sat up. I clinched my fists. If he was going to try to screw me again I would be ready to fight this time.

But when the door finally creaked open I didn't hear the hollow's voice. It was Ichigo's.

"Kari? Are you okay?" he asked concerned. "I woke up on the couch…..did he….did he.."

"He was here." I said.

"Oh god."

"Nothing happened."

He looked unconvinced. "What?"

"Nothing happened….I thought something was going to….but he didn't do anything to me."

He crossed the room and sat on my bed. "So what did he want?"

"He wanted to apologize."

He broke out in laughter. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. "As a heart attack."

He stopped laughing. "You're kidding me."

"No. He told me he was sorry. And that he never intended on hurting me…but I looked to….what did he say….sexy? or some shit like that…he said he couldn't control himself and was sorry."

"And you bought that load of shit?"

"Not really. I told him to leave. And he did. He said he wasn't here to pick a fight. Just wanted to talk. He said he'd never touch me again." I left out what he said about me wanting him too. I didn't want Ichigo to worry about it.

He rubbed his face where I had punched the hollow. "Huh…Are you sure nothing happened? Are you just trying to make me feel better?"

I nodded and leaned over to hug him. "He left me alone. He went to sleep on the couch."

I kissed his cheek. "Owe."

"What?" I asked.

"My jaw hurts."

"Oh sorry….I thought he was going to try something so I punched him."

He laughed. "Well that's good. At least I know you have a good arm."

We heard a phone ring and my brothers voice next door. Suddenly the light under his door went on and the door swung open. "Kari!" he yelled and ran into my room. He seemed slightly shocked that Ichigo was in my bed but didn't say anything about it. whatever had him so revved up must be important.

"What's wrong E.J. you look like hell."

"That was Kito-san on the phone."

I shrugged. "So?"

"SO she said something happened."

My heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. "What happened?"

"She said she and Aimi were drugged. When she came around she was in the hospital and when she asked the doctors if her daughters were okay they told her they only emitted the two of them. The police got a call from the neighbors that something seemed off. no one had come out of the house for five days. She didn't know how it happened but she asked where Izuma was. the police didn't know who she was talking about."

"No…Don't say it." I said rising to my feet. I could feel tears brimming in my eyes. "Please god no…It's just a joke." I couldn't be hearing this right. There was no way this could be happening.

"It's not a joke Kari." He said sadly. He looked like he was going to cry too. "Iz is missing."