Up. Down. Up. Down… I threw the rubber ball up, hit the ceiling, and caught it, leaning against my bed and sitting on the floor. Instinctively I knew it was close to dinner time. Up. Down. Up. Down.

Should I go and give her her dinner. Or let a servant do it?

Up. Down. Up. Down.

A servant, totally, I won't go.

Up. Down.

But I want to go… to see her…

Up. Down…

I caught the ball and threw it across my room, getting up. Looking around, everything looked messy. The bed's white silk sheets where covered in feathers. On the opposite side of the room, to the left, was my upturned chair. A few feathers littered the floor around the bed.

I walked to the bathroom and got in the shower, not caring it was cold water. Quickly washing, I actually did my hair and walked out to get some clothes.

Once dressed, I left the room, concentrating on the halls.

'Take a left here… seven steps… Take a right. Twenty steps…'

Getting to the kitchen, I walked in and saw the servant was just about to leave. He saw me and bowed.

I glanced to make sure there were sugar cubes on the tray. There were.

I growled and turned. Although her room was just around the corner from the kitchen, the walk seemed to take forever.

With my back turned from the arrancar behind me, I took a deep breath, and calmed my nerves. Opening the door, I took a couple steps in, and automatically flipped on the light. She turned in her chair, blinking.

When she saw who it was, her eyes got all wide and deer-like.

For a second, our eyes met each other; she looked away first, her eyes darting down to her lap.

I motioned for the servant to come in. As soon as the tray was to the little table sitting next to Orihime, the arrancar bowed to her, and then back to me.

"Beat it."

She scrambled away, I couldn't blame her. Yammy had a thing for killing servants. She must be scared of us.

My tone softened just a little when I addressed Orihime. "Eat. Someone will be back to get the empty trays later"

I turned to leave, I shouldn't stay, she didn't need me to confuse her even more. Just as I was almost out the door, a soft, whisper reached my ears, "Thank you for the sugar…"

I stopped in mid stride like she hit me. I said nothing, standing there with my back to her.

"Grimmjow…? W-will you stay with me?"

Slowly, I turned and scowled at her, although I think she knew I was forcing it.

'I should say no, fuck off… Say no… no… NO!'

"Yes."

Walking to the couch on the left side of the room, I sat down, one leg hanging over the side, one leg up on the couch so I could lean my arm on it.

I could feel the tension in the air. For Awhile, I just watched her eat, nether of us said nothing, of course, that didn't last, even in this predicament.

"Grimmjow? How long have I known you now? Four days, Right?"

I waited before answering. "Yes…"

"Oh…"

For a long while she looked at the moon, before she spoke, very softly. "Grimmjow? Is… is four days enough to fall in love?"

She turned her head to look at me as I answered. The thing was, I couldn't. It was like a punch in the stomach.

'Was she serious!? She didn't actually love me did she?!'

I opened my mouth, then shut it again. What the fuck was I supposed to say? I knew I loved her, and half the time I denied it, while the other half I was so sure. What is love?

I decided to speak the truth. "I know nothing about love."

She smiled slightly, her eyes full of sorrow and something I couldn't read.

"I don't know much, I think no one really knows exactly what love is… But, I know when I, me personally, love someone." She stood up and walked toward me while talking, plopping down softly next to me.

"You feel safe around this person, and feel whole around them. You crave for there voice. You want nothing more to be with them…" Slowly, very slowly, she leaned in, and without thinking, I crushed my lips against hers and kissed her fiercely, but with passion.

I was just glad she responded, although hesitant. I broke the kiss and pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her as she buried her head in the crook of my neck. I was aware she was crying, a few solitary tears.

I held her there for a long while, just holding her, before I spoke. "Orihime, I don't expect you to devote yourself to me, I know you love someone else, also. Just know, I… love you."

She sniffled, "I know. I do too. I do… I know who I love, I know. It's you. I've never felt this way about anyone before, not even…"She paused. "Kurosaki. Yes, I love him, but I love you more. I didn't only change you, you changed me."

No more words where spoken. None where needed too. I just held her, and soon, she fell asleep in my arms. Slowly, I lay down; moving her slightly to lie next to me, but the couch was too small, so mostly she was on my chest.

I draped my arm around her waist, and fell asleep as I listened to her breath.


Never had I felt so at peace. Was this grass? Yes… it was, I remember feeling it once… on a mission to the living world

But… What was I wearing?

Looking down, I was laying in a grassy meadow in… pants? Grey pants with a grey jacket, buttoned down low to see my white shirt underneath.

What the fuck? Where were my clothes? I stood up, Feeling all wrong in these clothes.

"Grimmjow!" Turning stiffly, I saw Orihime running toward me, in a grey skirt, and a jacket kinda like mine, with a red bow. She reached me and threw her arms around me. "Grimmjow? Where have you been?"

Putting an arm around her waist, I answered, "Where do you think? Right here. Why am I wearing these clothes?"

She stood back, looking puzzled. "What do you mean Grimmjow-san? That's our school uniform." She waggled her eyebrows at me, "Don't tell me you skipped school, that's why you where gone today!"

I scowled, I don't like mind games. "What the hell is wrong with you? I don't go to school."

For another moment she looked confused. "You're dropping out?"

I growled, getting angry. She looked up and rested her hand on my forehead, then slid down to my cheek.

"Are you sick?" I was about to growl at her, when I realized something. Her hand… was on my cheek. My left cheek…

My mask was gone.

Grabbing her hand, my own reached up and stroked my flesh. Ok, now I was fucking mad and confused.

"What. Happened. To. My. Mask?" I spoke each word clearly, and calmly, I was on the verge of yelling.

I expected her to look confused again, instead she sneered at me, her face looked… evil?

"Oh, Grimmjow… " She sighed.

Out of nowhere she took a zanpaktou that formed out of mid air, and drove it in my stomach.

I gurgled up blood, and she shoved me off her sword.

Walking slowly toward me, she twirled her zanpaktou in her hands, and smiled an evil, ugly smile that looked nothing like her.

She swung her sword, and I grabbed it, my eyes went wide as it cut my palm.

"What …are you… doing?" I huffed out, shit; I think she damaged my lung more than my stomach. It was then; holding my wound with my other hand, that I noticed my hollow hole was gone, too.

Her face went from, rage, to confusion, back to rage, then settled on confusion, tears running down her cheeks, mixing with my blood.

"Grimmjow… Help me…" With that, she screamed.


My eyes snapped open and I sat up. I was sweating and panting. When I sat up, Orihime had grunted in her sleep, and rolled off me on the couch.

'Was…was that a dream?'

I looked down at Orihime's sleeping form, she looked so happy. Surly it was.

B-but… Arrancar's don't dream! Everyone knows that! No one has ever had a dream here!

I growled and felt my stomach. No wound. I felt my mask. Still there. I didn't have to feel for my hole, I knew it was there.

Slowly, I got up, and began pacing.

'So… I had a dream… why? Was it because I let my feelings out? Was it because I was with someone I love? And what did it mean?! FUCK!'

Then, I remembered Szayel's paper I found in his lab. The tests he had done on her… The "Change"…

I had completely forgotten! I was an idiot!

Turning, I walked to the couch and took hold of Orihime's shoulders, shaking her gently awake.

She opened her eyes, and blinked a couple times, then reached up on rubbed her eyes.

"Grimmjow?"

"Orihime, I need you to tell me something." She looked confused and a little scared, which I didn't get.

"Has Szayel ever experimented on you?" Her eyes got all wide and, she looked away.

My voice got hard. "What did he do?"

Waving her hands in front of her face, she shook her head franticly, "Nothing, nothing!"

I glared, more mad at him then her. "Don't lie to me."

Dropping her hands in her lap, she looked at them. "I don't know. He came when you where gone, and told me he needed to work with me. That was the last thing I remember. Then I woke up in here." She gestured the couch.

Snarling I stepped away from the couch and made for the door. I was almost there when Aizen's voice rang around my head.

'My dear Espada, there will be a meeting in the main hall. Orihime, you must come too.'

I looked over and by the look on her face, knew she could hear him, too.

'Do not be late. Five minutes.'

Nothing more was spoken. It was weird how Aizen could talk to us though his mind, good thing he couldn't read our thoughts, and then I would really be fucked.

I glared, Szayel would wait. "Come on, we shouldn't be late." Scrambling up, Orihime walked over to me, her face pale. I swept my arm under her feet and caught her before she knew what was happening.

"It will be much faster if we go this way." With that, I sonidoed away.

I set her down one corner away, not wanting anyone to see me carrying her. Without a word, I walked around the corner, and into the main doors. Everyone was already there, and Aizen was up on his throne, looking down at me with a hint of a smile.

Bowing, I took a spot near the base of his throne.

Orihime walked to the middle of the room, and was about to follow me when Aizen spoke.

"Are you enjoying your stay, Orihime Inoue?"

"Y-yes Aizen-sama." She looked nervous and scared, I had to fight the urge to go stand next to her.

"That's good. But I have bad news." He looked away from her and met the eyes of the Espada as he spoke. "We have an intruder. It seems like five of Orihime's nakama have invaded Hueco Mundo."

A picture formed in the middle of the room, and the first one I saw was that strawberry

I glanced up to see her reaction. She looked like she might fall, staring wide eyed at the moving picture.

"It seems," Aizen went on, "That at first he only had three with him, but two more Shinigami had joined him. Do not underestimate them, the four humans alone, had broken into the Seiretiei and caused chaos."

"So, what ya' saying is, they have come for Orihime? She was the fourth friend?"

Everyone looked at her, but she was still staring at her friends.

"Yes. But it matters not. She belongs to us now, and is loyal to me. Right, Orihime Inoue?"

Finally, her eyes shifted up to his. Aizen raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Who are you loyal too?"

"You Aizen-sama."

Without looking away from her, he spoke. "Szayel"

"Yes, my lord?" I growled, and I noticed Yammy look at me.

"How was your report?"

"I have concluded that Orihime Inoue is healthy, and her Shun Shun Rikka is connected to her soul, if the hair pins are destroyed, they will still exist, and the change from human, to hollow, then arrancar will not change that."

My heart stopped. I was such a dick! Why didn't I realize that before! What other change could there be for a human in Hueco Mundo!?

Orihime looked around panicking, and all the Espada in the room looked just as shocked as me.

"Yes, I intend to turn Orihime into an arrancar, and have her join my army."

It was too much for her, she fell to her knees. "I'm… I'm sorry Aizen-sama, it… it just came as a shock."

A single tear fell to the ground, and she hastily wiped it away. I'm not sure anyone else noticed.

Aizen didn't see or didn't care, he continued. "The process should take no more than a couple hours; all we need to do is have a hollow suck out her soul, and make her in to one of you. Then, using the soukyoku I will change her." He looked back to Orihime. "I assure you, the process will not hurt."

He spoke so matter-of-factly. Like he was explaining the sky was blue instead of how to take her life away.

He smiled, and she practically crumbled under his gaze.

"The process will start now. Szayel already has on hollow ready; I will not want any of you to do this. You are dismissed."

Szayel was the only one who didn't move, and me. I stood there, and met her gaze. There where tears in her eyes, and she looked absolutely terrified.

I tried to think, I couldn't let this happen!

"Grimmjow, I have already dismissed the Espada, you may go now." I felt the prickle of Aizen's sprit energy on my skin. Slowly, I left the room, knowing there was nothing I could do…


I stood out side the door, listening. There was no noise for a couple minutes, and then she screamed. Only once…

Only once… I couldn't remember if it was painless to have your soul eaten, but I would bet my left arm it wasn't.

After a couple seconds, nothing happened, but her reiatsu faded.

I felt a hollow sprit energy, which still had a bit of Orihime's reiatsu.

I knew there was a process in which the hollow had to go through to be transformed, before the soukyoku was needed.

I got up, and was about to leave, when I heard a hollow yell. I knew it was her.

I sonidoed away from there as fast as I could.


I lay in the sand, watching the moon above, dipping my hand into the sand, letting it trail down my arm.

How long had it been? Two hours? Three at most. There was a weird feeling of sadness in my chest; sure I had been sad before, but never like this.

I felt numb. I was sure that this kind of sadness brought water to human's eyes, but not me. I just felt numb. I couldn't feel the sand in my palm; I couldn't feel the sand against my arms, or back. I could only feel the sadness.

I can still feel her reiatsu, coated hollow. I've been waiting. Waiting for that arrancar reiatsu to come.

It seems to take eternity. I closed my eyes, and just lay there, stroking the sand.

My eyes snapped open when I felt it. An intense spiritual pressure. An arrancar's spiritual pressure, coated with Orihime's.

I sat up sharply. It's was so strong! Greater than mine! Even Starks! How could this happen? She was so weak in human state; even in hollow state her reiatsu was weak!

It slowly died down, to the size of a hollow. She was compressing it.

I got up, and ruffled sand out of my hand and off my clothes. Quickly, I made my back to Hueco Mundo.

I had to see her. I had to know she was still the same Orihime I fell in love with.

Dieing, and becoming arrancar will change you…

I growled, I needed to see her.


GASP! THE CHANGE!

:3 Cliff hanger eh?

Anyways, I just noticed, I was spelling Szayel's name wrong last chapter. :/ Eh…

I think I need to make Grimmjow more… Grimmjow-esh in the nest chapter. He's getting too fluffy, don't you think? Or no?

Also, cats play with balls of yarn, Panthers play with rubber balls. :D

Comment Please?