Chapter 7: The Guy Next Door

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I saw my uncles off the next morning, wishing them luck on their business trip. Uncle Juushiro had gone through a checklist with me, being almost obsessive in making sure that I would be taken care of and safe while he was gone. Uncle Shunsui had ruffled my hair and told me not to get into any trouble. And then I was left alone.

I sighed, feeling strange and almost empty… I had been in Japan for nearly a month. And I had successfully made it through my first week of school. I had made friends, gotten familiar with the town, and even had my first kiss… I'd say I was doing pretty well.

I made myself some lunch and decided to watch some television. There was nothing like a Saturday filled with cartoons…

And after my mind had been sufficiently melted by mind-numbing TV, I decided that I should probably do my homework. I had a paper due on Monday, so I decided to gather my things and head to the library. I might as well finish it today so that I could have some free time tomorrow.

I walked there alone, enjoying the time to myself. It felt like I hadn't been by myself since I had moved here. My uncle had been so concerned about me that he had been on the verge of being overprotective. And then I had gone to school and made friends that had kept me busy all week.

I was happy to see that the library was extremely nice… It was a twenty four hour library, and it was well stocked and staffed. There were lots of windows for natural light while reading. And lots of comfy chairs set up around big tables. And the books were well taken care of. I set my things up to start on my paper, gathering the reference books that I would need.

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I spent hours working on my paper… In fact, it was so long that it had gotten dark. When I checked the time, I panicked. I can't believe that it had gotten so late! It was after midnight! Why, oh why, had I stayed out so late at night? Me and my damned ability to lose track of time! I hurriedly packed my things and rushed out of the library. I considered calling Mr. or Mrs. Kuchiki… but it was so late, and I didn't want to bother them. So I just sped down the dark sidewalk, cursing the streetlamps for not providing enough light.

I could hear strange laughing up ahead, and I saw a group of men stumbling around the street corner. I realized that I would not be able to avoid them. And since I really didn't want to go through them, I decided to cross the street, even though I didn't need to. I checked both ways, waiting for the one car in sight to pass, and then stepped out into the street. But I was stopped by someone grabbing my wrist. Panic filled me.

"Where ya going, pretty girl?" A rough voice grated through the air.

I cringed, trying to jerk my wrist away, but the grip was tightened and my body was jerked backward. I tripped on the curb, falling back into a strange body as I yelped in surprise. Suddenly I was pushed up against a wall, surrounded and with nowhere to run. I reached into my bag for the pepper spray that my uncle had given me, but both of my arms were quickly restrained. So I kicked out, making contact with a shin on one man and the crotch on another.

"Agh! Stay the fuck still!"

When they closed back in and pinned my body against the wall, I let out an ear piercing scream. It was quickly ended when one of them covered my mouth.

"Shut the fuck up!"

I bit down on the intrusive hand, earning an angered shout and a hard slap in return.

"Get off of me!" I yelled, struggling to get out of their grasp.

But it was no use. There were too many of them. And my fighting skills were pretty much nonexistent. They smelled of alcohol… I felt the tears burning the back of my eyes as again my mouth was covered. I could feel a hand on my chest, ripping the buttons from my shirt as it groped my breasts. Another hand was shoving up my skirt. I continued to twist and scream against the hands that held me, but it didn't do any good. My limbs were held still and my mouth was muffled by their grubby hands. I could feel the tears streaming down my face and the bile rising in the back of my throat. If I could just survive this with my virginity intact… then I would never walk alone at night again… just please… don't let this happen…

And then all of the hands were removed from me and fists were flying through the air. With the sudden loss of support, I collapsed to my knees with my back against the wall. I looked up and saw my savior, tall and grinning wickedly as he beat down the men who had attacked me. He was mesmerizing… the way he moved as he whipped around, thrashing them all into a battered mess… his wild, spiky, sky blue hair… his bright, sky blue eyes…

"Are you alright?" He had finished his fight and was crouching down in front of me, holding out his hand.

I took a deep breath, trying to gather my senses. I was entranced by his eyes… not to mention the brilliant grin on his face. "Th-Thank you." I managed those two words.

His grin turned into a smirk and he chuckled. "That's not really an answer to my question… but I'll take it." He took my arms and pulled me to my feet, looking me over as he did. A slight frown formed on his face. Then he removed his jacket and draped it over me. "Here."

I looked down to realize that my shirt had been ripped so badly that my bra was showing… along with a large view of my breasts. I blushed heatedly, wrapping his jacket tighter around me so that I was appropriately covered.

"You don't look injured… other than this bruise here…" He placed his fingers under my chin to get a closer look at the bruise on my cheek.

I winced as pain lanced through it, remembering how hard that man had slapped me.

"Come on. Let's get outta here so that you can put some ice on it." Without any room for question, he pulled me over to a sleek, black coupe.

Before I knew it I was in the car with him, on the way to my house. Then something occurred to me.

"How do you know where I live?" I mumbled quietly, fidgeting with the hem of my skirt.

He turned his head to me and grinned. "Who said that I'm taking you home?"

My mouth went dry. Had I seriously escaped one terrible situation to be caught in another?

He laughed heavily. "Relax. I live next door to you."

I eyed him skeptically. I knew that Uncle Shunsui lived on one side… but I had no idea who lived on the other. Wait… could he be the shadowy figure from the balcony?

"Ya know…" He smirked at me, his eyes bright and dazzling. "You really should close your bedroom curtain when you're changing."

I gaped at him as the blood rushed to my face.

"And stop blushing, or else you might make the swelling worse." He laughed at me.

The thought of him seeing me changing… and… "Who are you anyway?!" I snapped out.

"The name's Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, babe." He sounded very proud of himself.

I sighed, trying to ignore the fact that he had called me babe. Even if he was some sort of pervert… a fascinating, captivating pervert… he had saved me. "Thank you, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

"Anytime, babe."

I pursed my lips. "My name is Junamai… Junamai Ukitake."

He only chuckled as he pulled into my drive and turned the car off. I was surprised when he actually walked me to the door. I was even more surprised when he let himself in after I unlocked it.

"You coming or what?" He called out to me as he made his way through my house.

What the hell? "What are you doing?!"

I made sure that the door was shut and then I ran after him. I found him in the kitchen, digging through the freezer. Then he came at me with an ice pack, and I couldn't help but flinch.

"Hold still." He mumbled as he pressed it to my cheek.

I tried not to cringe away. It was cold and uncomfortable. "Grimmjow… why are you in my house?"

He chuckled as he took my hand and made me hold the ice pack to my face. "Juushiro told me that he was going out of town and asked for me to keep an eye on you." He shrugged, a casual smirk stretched across his face.

I sighed. "This is weird."

He started rifling through the cabinets. "What's weird is that this is Juushiro's house and there aren't any cookies."

I blinked, trying to make sure that I was actually seeing things correctly. Was this strange man actually raiding my uncle's kitchen?

"Here they are!" He exclaimed happily, pulling out the cookie jar filled with my uncle's homemade cookies. He took a bite out of one before holding another out to me. "Want one?" His words were muffled due to his full mouth.

I couldn't help but laugh. "No, thanks."

He shrugged before taking another bite.

Not knowing what else to do, I decided to make us some tea. I managed to keep the ice on my face as I filled the tea kettle and heated it up. Then I realized that I still had his jacket clutched around me. I really wanted to go and change, but… could I really leave this man to wander around in my house? I sighed. He was already here… what more could he do?

"I'll be right back." I said softly as I left the room.

"Where are you going?" His voice rang right in my ear.

I nearly jumped through the roof. Why was he following me? And why was he in my personal space? I rolled my eyes when he laughed at my reaction. "I'm going to change."

"I'll come with you." He fell into step beside me.

I gaped at him. "You most certainly will not!"

He laughed again, clearly amused. "It's not like I haven't seen you change before."

"The creepy peeping that you do through my window is not okay! And it's not okay for you to watch me now, either!" The mere thought of him watching me change was making me blush.

"Relax, babe. I'll wait outside of the door." He leaned against the wall next to my bedroom door, his smirk spread wide across his face.

I gave him a mild glare before going into my room and closing the door behind me. I made sure to lock it, just in case. I quickly changed into a t-shirt and some shorts, tossing my ruined shirt into the trash bin and my skirt into the hamper. I was sure to fold Grimmjow's jacket up neatly. Then I grabbed the ice pack and pressed it back onto my face before opening up the door, seeing that he was right where I had left him.

"Here." I handed his jacket back to him.

"Aww..." He pouted his lip out. "But I liked seeing you in my jacket…"

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I just made sure that he had the jacket before going back downstairs. He followed me, of course. I poured us both some tea and took it into the living room, setting it on the little table before settling onto the couch. Grimmjow sat next to me, making himself comfortable, and drank his tea happily. I was surprised that he could be so at ease in someone else's home… with a stranger… that he had saved… jeez. He was actually kind of weird when I thought about it.

He set his tea down suddenly and leaned closer to me. "Let me see that." He mumbled as he gently grabbed my hand to pull the ice pack away from my face.

I tensed as he got closer, but I managed not to pull away. He came so close to inspect my face that I could feel his breath running down my neck… it gave me chills.

He whistled. "That's a pretty grisly bruise…"

I frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. You're still gorgeous." He winked at me.

I blushed at the way he smiled. "Th-That's not what I'm worried about…" I muttered.

He tilted his head, still insanely close to me. "Oh? Then what're you worried about?"

"I just… don't want my uncles to know what happened…" I sighed.

He actually frowned as he registered my words. "Why not? I mean, I took care of the guys… but your uncles should know, so they can keep something like this from happening again."

I felt my eyes go wide as I tried to explain. "No! It only happened because I stayed out too late and then walked home alone… If they find out about it, they'll only worry… and then they won't want to leave again… and they have to leave a lot, because of their business… and if I hinder that, then I'll feel guilty… and when they worry about me I feel guilty… I don't want to make it worse." I stared down at the couch, hoping that he would understand. "I just have to be more careful, so that I don't become a burden…"

He placed two fingers on my chin and lifted my head up so that I would look at him. "That's a lot of bullshit." His eyes were narrowed. "They're your uncles. And they love you. So, of course they're going to worry. You shouldn't feel guilty about that. And you sure as hell shouldn't think that you're a burden or anything."

I had to remind myself to breathe. Just who was this guy, anyway? I bit my lip, not knowing what to do or say.

He sighed, releasing my chin and sitting back on the couch. "You really should tell them… but it's none of my business."

I nodded, letting him know that I understood what he was saying. "Thank you, Grimmjow... But…"

He chuckled. "But you're still not gonna."

I looked away from him, chewing on my lip.

"Well, whatever… Either way, I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on." He sounded playful, but there was a serious undertone. "If you keep the ice on it tonight, it won't swell." He reached over and pressed the ice pack back onto my cheek. "But it's still gonna be all colorful for a while…"

I placed my hand on the ice pack so that he could let go, and my fingers brushed against his… and then he trailed his fingers over my hand and down my arm… giving me goosebumps. "How long is 'a while'?" I muttered, trying to distract myself from the way his skin felt on mine.

"Four or five days, at least." He shrugged, and then laughed at the unhappy look on my face. "Don't worry, I gave those guys a lot more than a few bruises as payback."

I thought back to how he had looked when he had fought off all of my attackers… He had been grinning like a madman, delivering blow after blow… And he had sent everyone one of them limping or crawling away. But even though he seemed to have enjoyed the fight, he had done it for me. So I smiled up at him, since he was smiling at me. "Thanks, Grimmjow."

His smile turned back into a grin. "So what are you gonna tell everyone when they ask about your horrific bruise?"

I frowned. It should be gone by the time my uncles got back… but I would have to come up with something to tell my friends at school. "Well, I guess I could tell them that I fell down the stairs…"

He laughed again. "That's so lame!"

I scowled at him. "Well, what do you suggest?"

He thought about it, and then his eyes lit up as he answered. "Tell them you hit your face on the headboard during a session of rough sex."

I gaped at him, feeling all of my blood rush to my face. Did he seriously just say that?! "NO!" I screeched out, practically squealing in embarrassment.

He doubled over in laughter at my reaction. "Jeez, you're so fun to mess with…"

I glared at him, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

After he had finished laughing, he stood up from the couch. With a sigh, he stretched his arms over his head. "Well, I guess I should get going." Then he turned to look at me, a devious glint in his eye. "Unless you want me to stay the night…"

My face was still red from before, but now I could swear that I was blushing up to my ears. "Goodnight, Grimmjow!" I spluttered the words out.

He laughed, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. "You could at least walk me to the door, babe."

I sighed. "Juna."

He looked at me questioningly.

I pouted back at him. "Stop calling me babe. Call me Juna."

He chuckled. "But I like the way you look at me when I call you babe."

I huffed. "And I like to be called by my name."

He ignored me and just turned back to face forward as he pulled me along, a giant smirk on his face. He reached the door with me in tow, and then pointed down to where I had discarded my bag. "Give me your phone."

I tilted my head at him. I was very distracted by the fact that he was still holding my hand… why did his skin have to be so freaking warm? And why did my hand seem to fit perfectly in his? "Why do you want my phone?"

He rolled his eyes. "So I can give you my number, of course."

I gave him a skeptical look, but went ahead and took my hand from his so that I could get my phone. I handed it to him somewhat reluctantly and watched as he entered in his number. He even went so far as to dial it so that he'd have my number, too.

"There." He grinned as he handed it back to me. "Now, if you're ever 'out too late' again or if you need a ride home… you can just call me."

I was taken aback by the gesture. He was seriously offering to give me rides? "Grimmjow, you don't have to-"

He interrupted me by grabbing me by the waist and pulling me close, making me yelp in surprise. "Oh, I want to."

I could feel my heart thudding against my chest as he leaned closer and closer in. And just before his lips touched mine… he turned so that he could give me a kiss on my uninjured cheek. He chucked devilishly as he pulled away.

"Goodnight, babe." He grinned, letting his hands brush along my waist as he took a step back. With another chuckle, he let himself out, shutting the door behind him.

I stared at the door, my heart still pounding against my rib cage… I knew that I had to be an unhealthy shade of red by now. My cheek felt warm where his lips had pressed against it. For the millionth time I wondered… Just who in the hell was this guy?