Grimmjow slipped his hands into his pockets, trying to appear nonchalant though his heart was beating fast against his chest, as he stepped into Las Noches. Luckily for him, the hall was completely empty, and this realization made him relax almost instantaneously. It would be awkward if he had to explain his absence to anyone who had noticed. He felt like he was in a daze. He could not forget what had taken place a few minutes ago. The memory of Ulquiorra gripping his wrist and telling him with a serious expression that he wanted to meet again was still fresh in his mind.

"Where?" Grimmjow asked quickly. He tried to ignore the fast approaching reiatsus and concentrated on Ulquiorra.

Apparently, Ulquiorra could tell how risky the situation that they were in right now because he spoke to him quickly and in such a low voice that Grimmjow had to listen carefully. "There is a hut in Rukongai. Meet me there in five days," Ulquiorra said, and began to tell him where to find it.

Once he finished, Grimmjow gave him a short nod before stepping into the Garganta.

Well, this was his chance. He could not risk messing it up. Taking a left turn, Grimmjow accidentally bumped into someone.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!" Grimmjow growled, rubbing his forehead where he had collided with the other person.

"Grimmjow!"

"That fucking hurts, is your skull made of steel or- Eh, Starrk?" Grimmjow blinked, staring at the brown-haired arrancar standing before him in bewilderment, realising that it was him for the first time. "What are you doing here?"

Translated; what are you doing not sleeping?

"What I'm doing here?" Starrk repeated Grimmjow's question, looking at him in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Where were you? I've been looking all over for you!"

"You have?" Grimmjow asked, suddenly feeling stupid. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Yes, something did happen," Starrk responded, irritated. "Where were you?" he wanted to know.

Grimmjow frowned.

"What's it to you?"

"Just answer me."

What was with these questions? "I was out in the desert," he lied. He did not like the look on Starrk's face. Nor did he like the direction that this conversation was taking.

"Don't lie," Starrk said. "I was out searching for you in the desert for hours and I didn't see you at all."

"So?" Grimmjow snapped, beginning to feel irritated. "Is it really any of your business what I do or where I go during my free time? Go mind your own business, Starrk."

Starrk's hand shot out and grabbed Grimmjow by the arm when the Sexta attempted to walk past him. The teal-haired arrancar threw him a dirty look, but Starrk did not falter. Instead, he tightened his grip on Grimmjow's arm to make sure that he would not get away as he searched sapphire eyes. "You disobeyed Aizen-sama again so that you could find Ulquiorra, haven't you?" he questioned.

"..."

The silence and deepened glare that Starrk received in response were enough for him to know the answer.

"Fine," he said finally, when Grimmjow chose to remain silent. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. But-" He loosened his grip on Grimmjow's arm "-whatever you do is my business if it involves you doing something stupid and endangering your life."

"The hell are you talking about?"

Making sure that there was no one else around before he spoke, Starrk said in a low voice, "Aizen-sama suspects that you disobeyed him again. If he finds out that you have..." A pause. "There is no telling what he'd do. He is serious, Grimmjow."

Narrowing his eyes, Grimmjow pulled his arm back. "I appreciate your concern, Starrk, but I can take care of myself," he said dryly. "Just leave me alone."

"But-"

"Leave it," Grimmjow ordered. "Just leave me alone, Starrk. This ain't your problem."

And so Starrk could only watch as his comrade walked away from him, the fact that Grimmjow did not want to continue their conversation anymore perfectly clear to him. Starrk sighed, rubbing his temple. Grimmjow was so stubborn sometimes. What was he supposed to tell Aizen-sama now? Grimmjow obviously went against Aizen-sama's orders. He could tell by just looking at his face. The Sexta always was an open book. This entire situation… How tiresome.

After making up his mind on what to do, Starrk began to make his way back to the surveillance room where he had no doubt that Aizen-sama was still in. He shook his head, feeling a headache coming on.

I can't believe I woke up for this shit.

Five days...

Ulquiorra thought of the teal-haired arrancar as he wrote a sentence on a piece of paper. He was stuck doing paperwork again, and so was Hinamori. Five days, that was what he had told the arrancar. Now he had three more days.

Three more days till he would know the truth. The wait was making him restless.

Ulquiorra took another piece of paper, sighing. He rubbed at his eyes, exhaustion lacing his features. These past few days had been rather hectic for him.

You better not be a waste of my time, arrancar.

Two more days...

Ulquiorra was working late again. The rest of his comrades were already fast asleep in their own beds and he was probably one of the very few who was up burning the midnight oil.

"Captain, you really should rest," Hinamori said, concerned, as she placed a tray with a filled teapot and some biscuits on the table. "You're exhausted."

Ulquiorra merely waved his hand dismissively. "I need to finish this."

Hinamori pursed her lips, but did not say anymore on the subject. "Yes, Captain."

One more day...

Hinamori sighed as soon as she caught sight of her captain when she stepped into his office.

Ulquiorra was fast asleep, his head placed on his arms, using them as a cushion. Really, now. He looked so tired that she did not have the heart to wake him up. She placed the tray onto the table, found a blanket and pulled it right up to his shoulders. Once she was sure that he was comfortable, Hinamori bent down and blew out the candle on his desk.

"Rest well, Captain."

Grimmjow was dressed in the shinigami uniform that he had stolen again. He looked around the forest, his senses alert, his heart pounding against his chest wildly and his mouth dry. He was aware of the fact that he was disobeying Aizen's orders yet again, even after the warning that he had received from Starrk the other day, but he was willing to risk it. He had to be extra careful this time, though, when he wanted to come on over here. He had taken extra care to make sure that he was not followed; he would not put it past Aizen to order someone to spy on him.

Just thinking about this made him feel a twinge of guilt in his heart for snapping like he did at Starrk when the Primera was only looking out for him. He had not spoken to Starrk since that day, choosing to avoid the other. Though he felt bad for the way he had treated his superior, the fact remained that he was not going to change his mind.

He leaned against the trunk of a tree, careful not to make a sound. He could not be too careful. The forest was quiet, save for the chirping of a few birds that were perched on the branch of a tree nearby. The only source of light was the weak rays of moonlight that managed to stream through the gaps between the tree leaves above him.

It took him awhile to find the hut that Ulquiorra talked about a few days ago, but he found it in the end. The hut was located a little way off from where most of the residents lived, and it looked abandoned. He concluded that whoever that lived here before must have liked living alone.

Upon reaching the doorstep of the hut, Grimmjow reached out to twist the doorknob open. The door opened with a creak, revealing a house that was empty save for a table and a few other furniture. Grimmjow sneezed, his eyes watering. The place was dusty and judging by the untouched layer of dust covering the floor, it looked like no one had set foot in it for quite some time now. So he was right in concluding that the place was abandoned.

How did Ulquiorra find out about this place?

Well, he had to admit, this place was ideal for him and Ulquiorra to talk without getting interrupted. Even the path to this place was overgrown, showing that no one or hardly anyone had been here since the previous owner left the place.

Grimmjow sat down on one of the chairs provided. And now all he had to do was wait.

"Ah, you're leaving already, Captain?"

Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks and looked back at the dark-haired female who sat on the couch, her hands placed on her lap. She seemed anxious; she was biting her bottom lip and her eyes were filled with concern. Her whole being screamed the fact that she was worried; it did not take a genius to be able to tell that.

"Yes, I am," he said in response to her question. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Hinamori shook her head. "No, but..." she trailed off.

Though she did not say it, Ulquiorra knew what this was about. Ever since that arrancar had broken into his house, she seemed to worry more over him than usual. She would often tell him to eat well, not overwork and would fret should he even think about going back home late. To put it simply, she fussed over him a lot. She also seemed to think that Ulquiorra was in danger all the time. It was getting to the point where Ulquiorra wondered if she doubted his abilities as a captain. He really did not blame her, though, she was such a kind soul, but she really did not have to worry so much.

It was starting to annoy him. He had a meeting with the arrancar to go to. He had been waiting for this for what felt like a very long time and he was not going to miss it for anything.

Ulquiorra was about to give her a stern reply when he noticed the two cups of tea that were placed on the coffee table. With a stab at his heart, he realised that she must have wanted to spend some time with him.

Sighing, Ulquiorra turned around fully so that he would be able to look Hinamori straight in the eye.

He sat down on the seat opposite the couch she sat on, and took the untouched cup of tea.

"I will stay. For awhile," he said, raising the cup to his lips.

Hinamori's expression brightened.

Later, after keeping Hinamori company for a few minutes, Ulquiorra found himself in the forest in Rukongai. He had to shunpo faster than usual, but at least he was on time. He did not know that Hinamori could talk so much, once encouraged. She even seemed disappointed when Ulquiorra excused himself, giving her "I need to sleep" as an excuse.

Finding the way to the old hut that he used to live in during his days before he became a shinigami was easy. Though he had not set foot in that house since he moved out of it, he remembered the way to that place by heart. How could he not? The times he had spent building it and the times he had to sleep on the ground during the process of building it were embedded in his mind. He loved living there, and the only reason that he had not been back was because he was constantly busy with his duties as a shinigami.

He allowed an inaudible sigh escape his lips as he stepped into the area that was so familiar to him. The hut that he knew so well stood before him, and he could feel the arrancar's reiatsu coming from inside it.

It was a good thing that he had managed to cover up what had happened when the arrancar broke into his house the other day. All of the shinigami, including Captain Yamamoto, seemed suspicious of him at first and Ulquiorra had to try his hardest to convince them otherwise. He felt guilty for lying to his comrades, but he could not ignore his curiosity any longer.

He needed to know.

He needed to know everything. And this arrancar, though he was not sure whether he trusted him or not, may have the answers to every question that Ulquiorra had set upon himself the day he was reborn here in Soul Society.

This is it.

Ulquiorra took in a deep breath and willed himself to enter the hut, knowing very well that the arrancar was waiting on the other side of the door. He opened the door.

"Arrancar."

Grimmjow looked up, startled, and when he saw who it was that had addressed him in such a way, stood up. "Ulquiorra," he said, his throat dry. "You're here."

Ulquiorra gave him a look. "Of course I am here. I was the one who asked for this meeting," he said crisply.

"Of course," Grimmjow said quickly. "Ulquiorra, I-"

"I am not here for chitchat, arrancar. Understand that," Ulquiorra cut in. Being here to talk to the arrancar, and the fact that he had to betray his comrades in order to do this made him feel sick. The faster he got this over with, the better. He gestured at the chair. "Sit down."

Sensing that it would not be wise to talk back to Ulquiorra, Grimmjow did as he was told. As soon as he sat down, Ulquiorra quickly unsheathed his zanpaktou and pointed it at the Sexta's throat.

"The hell, Ulquiorra?!" He stared at the blade, his mind reeling. Though he had expected something like this to happen, it still surprised him. There was no way Ulquiorra was going to warm up to him that quickly.

Ulquiorra merely ignored Grimmjow's cry of surprise and fixed emerald eyes on him, his expression stoic.

"Now, talk," Ulquiorra ordered. "And don't try to pull anything or I will not hesitate to cut you." To emphasize his point, Ulquiorra pressed the blade against Grimmjow's neck in a threatening manner. "And I can tell if you lie."

The way the edge of the sharp blade pressed against his skin threatened to bring forth blood. Ulquiorra was serious.

Grimmjow licked his lips, wetting them, wondering how he should start. "What do you want to know?" he asked.

Ulquiorra thought for a moment, and then asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, an arrancar of Aizen's army," Grimmjow answered carefully. "I'm part of the Espada and I hold the rank of Sexta."

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows. "Espada?"

"A group of ten of the strongest arrancars in Aizen's army. I am ranked as the sixth strongest."

So his theory about the Espadas being the elite was correct. But Ulquiorra ignored the thumping of his heart against his chest and the small, dull ache that had begun to throb in his temple and concentrated only on the arrancar, who looked right back at him.

"Hmm." Ulquiorra regarded the arrancar, trying with all his might to find a hint that maybe the arrancar was lying. He found none. So he proceeded to his next question. "And why were you following me? Do you have a reason for this, arrancar? Did you know me in my past life?"

"..."

"Well?" Ulquiorra said impatiently.

Grimmjow looked down at the ground, avoiding Ulquiorra's penetrating gaze. He wondered how he should put his next words into sentences. Should he tell Ulquiorra that they used to be lovers? He furrowed his eyebrows at that thought. No, no. He could not. There was no way Ulquiorra would believe him. That would be a bit too much to take in. So, what could he tell Ulquiorra and not lie to him?

"Arrancar."

"The name is Grimmjow," Grimmjow said quietly.

Seeing Ulquiorra raise an eyebrow at this and apply a bit more pressure to the blade, Grimmjow fell silent. Ulquiorra bent down so that they were now face to face, and said in a harsh, low voice, "I will never call you by that name until you convince me that what you say is true." Having said that, he pushed Grimmjow back against the chair and stood up, zanpaktou back against Grimmjow's throat. "Continue."

Grimmjow took in a deep breath, trying to still his nerves. Ulquiorra watched as the arrancar tried to find the words that he wanted to say. The shinigami waited with baited breath. Well, this was it.

"Yes, I knew you during your past life-" Ulquiorra's heart tightened "-That's why I followed you. We…" The arrancar averted his gaze, but Ulquiorra did not seem to notice this. He was hanging on to every word that the teal-haired man uttered, ignoring the growing ache in his temple "… we were comrades."

"Comrades?" Ulquiorra echoed.

Grimmjow nodded.

"Comrades in what?"

"…"

"Answer me, arrancar!"

Grimmjow bit his bottom lip, and then answered, "… Comrades in the Espada. In Aizen's army."

It felt like time stood still then, with Ulquiorra staring at Grimmjow, his eyes wide and Grimmjow returning the gaze, not backing down.

"What?" Ulquiorra said in disbelief, his voice cutting through the silence.

No answer.

Ulquiorra searched sapphire eyes desperately, trying to find a hint of a lie, but again, he found none. The arrancar merely looked back at him, his gaze not wavering in the least and his jaw set. He almost wished that the arrancar was going to tell him that this was all a sick joke, so that Ulquiorra could end the other's life without so much as a second thought, but that was not happening. Grimmjow was not taking back what he had said.

"No," Ulquiorra whispered, his hand shaking. "You're lying."

"Hey, Ulquiorra! Is this the guy?"

Ulquiorra looked at the man that stood before his large comrade with disinterest. The man simply glared back at him, not that this disturbed Ulquiorra in the least. From the look of the teen, he was without a doubt the person that they were looking for.

"Yes," Ulquiorra finally answered, "Considering how clumsily you dealt with the situation, I'm surprised that we were able to flush him out at all." Emerald eyes picked out every detail about the man that matched with what he was told about him. "The orange hair, the black bankai… No doubt about it. This is our target, Yammy. He is the one."

That- that man! That was… Ulquiorra closed his eyes, trying to still his fast beating heart.

This vision seemed so clear compared to the rest. He could see everything as though he was there himself. That uniform that Ulquiorra was wearing that vision… He recognised it.

"I'm not lying," the arrancar said.

"Sing, Benihime!"

A flash of red was heading towards Yammy, but Ulquiorra quickly sonidoed in front of the other and blocked the attack with ease.

"Ulquiorra…" Yammy said, smug at the fact that his comrade had saved him.

Ulquiorra looked back at his comrade, frowned, then swung his arm at Yammy's abdomen. Though he was much smaller compared to Yammy, he managed to easily push the other back without effort. Trash.

That uniform Ulquiorra was wearing…

"Are you running away?" a dark-skinned woman asked when Ulquiorra opened up a Garganta.

The raven-haired man turned around to face her. "Why? Are you trying to goad me into a fight?" Ulquiorra said. "You know very well what would happen if you tried to fight me while protecting those pieces of trash."

There was no denying it. He recognised it.

It was the clothes that he found himself wearing on the day he was reborn in Soul Society.

"Even you must know that the odds are stacked against you. Normally I'd be happy to oblige, but we've completed our mission here. It's time to send our report in to Aizen."

Aizen…? The one that the Espada served?

"I'll tell him that the shinigami that he's interested in has no value whatsoever. He's not even worth killing."

This was unreal.

The arrancar that was supposedly called Yammy was being tended to by another arrancar. Yammy had lost his arm and he was having it reattached. Ulquiorra merely watched when the other gained his arm once more and then, without so much as a second thought, killed the arrancar that had healed him. Any other person would have been horrified, but Ulquiorra did not even flinch, not even when he saw the blood from their dead comrade that dripped down onto the floor.

Violence…! There was no way he could allow such a thing to happen.

… Could he?

Ulquiorra winced as the pain in his temple grew.

"Ulquiorra! Are you okay?"

He slapped the arrancar's hand away.

"Stay away, trash. You're lying!"

Ulquiorra brushed the dust away from his now tattered uniform calmly. "Oh, so that was all you had?" The orange-haired teen did not answer him, merely looked at him with wide eyes, shock and fear written all over his face. "It seems that it was," Ulquiorra intoned. He raised his hand, and pointed his finger at the teen, a bright green light forming at the tip. "What a pity."

He fired the cero.

What was happening to him?

"I'm not lying, Ulquiorra." The arrancar gripped his shoulders, trying to keep him from staggering backwards. There was urgency in his voice. "Look at me."

Ulquiorra gripped at his bangs, breathing hard and fast. The pain was growing.

"You're the top Espada, aren't you?" the orange-haired shinigami panted as he pointed the tip of his zanpaktou at Ulquiorra's chest. "If I defeat you, then this war is as good as over."

"I see," Ulquiorra mused. "Sorry to disappoint you." He held onto the blade and pulled it away, pulling part of his uniform in the process. His jacket fell open and revealed a black, gothic number four emblazoned across the left side of his chest.

Brown eyes stared at the number in disbelief. "Number… four?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra said, confirming the boy's suspicions, "I'm the Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. The fourth most powerful member of the Espada."

And without warning, Ulquiorra delivered the finishing blow. He raised his hand and then plunged it into the other's chest. The life in brown eyes began to dull as soon as he pulled his hand back from the boy's chest.

"Stay away from me!" Ulquiorra shoved him away. The arrancar staggered backwards, shocked. This pain. This was all the arrancar's doing, wasn't it? He was not so sure anymore. He pointed his zanpaktou at the arrancar threateningly. "Leave," he breathed.

"But, Ulquiorra-!"

"Leave!" Ulquiorra said forcefully. "I deem you as a liar. Leave now, arrancar, before I spill your blood."

"…!" Grimmjow looked like he wanted to say something to change Ulquiorra's mind, but decided against it and held his tongue. He had, after all, done what he set out to do. It was Ulquiorra's choice on whether he wanted to believe him or not. He was not here to convince Ulquiorra to come back to him, only to tell him the truth. He stepped away from Ulquiorra. "Okay. I'll go," he said quietly.

Strangely enough, even though Ulquiorra had ordered Grimmjow to leave, when the arrancar did make to leave, he felt empty on the inside. The sound of the air ripping open to open a Garganta sounded incredibly clear to his ears, but he did not take back his words, not even when Grimmjow stepped inside and took one last look at him, sapphire eyes full of emotion.

"Ulquiorra... I'm-"

"Leave!"

"I'm sorry," Grimmjow managed to whisper before the Garganta closed. Ulquiorra fell to his knees, covering his face in his hands.

Too many visions…

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, finding himself relax in the other's arms. They were lying in bed with only a comforter to cover their bodies. He intertwined his fingers with the man's, a sign that they were together. He sighed in contentment before he allowed sleep to take over. It felt so warm here. He felt safe. This was right, this was where he should be.

… Or were they memories?

Having your memories return to you all at once can be a painful experience, at least that was what Ichimaru Gin heard. The silver-haired man closed the book that he was reading.

Let's just hope that if Grimmjow finds Ulquiorra, that he will not be enough to bring back his memories. A smile made its way to his lips. After all, this can only complicate things. And I hate sad stories...

The hut was completely silent save for the sound of Ulquiorra's laboured breathing. The pale shinigami sat in the corner with his forehead placed on his kneecaps and his arms wrapped around his legs. The pain had subsided awhile ago, and Ulquiorra's mind was still reeling. Try as he might, he could not make sense of it all. Ulquiorra rubbed his forehead against his kneecaps, thinking.

Was he supposed to believe the fact that he used to be an arrancar that served the enemy that he was fighting against right now? He, Ulquiorra Cifer, the one so set against eliminating an enemy should he ever come across one, used to be one of them? Impossible. There was no way... Ulquiorra gritted his teeth. All of those things that were shown to him in the visions, from when they first began up till just now. The things that he did, the violence, the planned murder... It felt surreal seeing him fight or be against the people that he was working with now. Yoruichi Shihoin, Urahara Kisuke... There was no mistaking the faces that he had known for over a year now.

This can't be true.

But they must be. He remembered that uniform that he wore in the visions. And yet, all of those things that he had done... Did he really fight for the enemy over a year ago? And caused so much damage to the shinigami? If so, then that would explain everyone's behaviour here; why they were cautious with him, why they kept secrets from him and why they treated him the way they did.

The visions would have explained everything that had happened up till now, but there was still something that bothered him. Something that made him doubt its authenticity. If he had killed that person like he had seen in the vision with such a fatal blow, why was he still alive? No one should have been able to survive that.

He clutched at his forehead as he stood up, wincing slightly.

Well, there was only one way to find out the truth now, wasn't there?

Ulquiorra allowed his hand to fall to his side, his lips set in a thin line.

He was going to verify the truth and he was going to get it from someone he could trust and he knew should know something about it. Ulquiorra had, after all, "killed" him in one of his visions. He picked up his zanpaktou and sheathed it.

He was going to get the truth from Ichigo Kurosaki.