Ulquiorra had his hand on the handle of his zanpaktou ever since he arrived in Karakura Town. Emerald eyes scanned the area. He had been here enough times to be familiar with where everything was here. He knew where Urahara's was. He knew where the schools were. The hospitals. The shops. Everything. He even knew the location of Ichigo Kurosaki's house, though he had never set foot in the house. The only reason that he knew where it was, is because he met the boy outside his house when they were assigned to go on a mission together.

And right now, he was standing in front of said house. It was day so there were a lot of people up and about. Children riding bicycles, some people tending to their gardens, a few people could be seen washing their cars... Of course, since they could not see him, they did not find it strange at all that a man clothed in black carrying a zanpaktou was in their neighbourhood. It must be nice to live a life of not having to worry about being watched by the enemy, not having to be careful about your next step... not having to worry about an impending war. Ulquiorra's hand slid off of the handle of his zanpaktou.

It was now or never. He had idled here long enough.

Slowly, the shinigami walked towards the front door of Kurosaki's house. It was a modest-looking house, with a tidy garden... it looked like most of the houses here in this area. From its appearance, no one would have been able to guess that in this house lived two shinigamis. Ulquiorra pressed the doorbell. Kurosaki better be home. And if he was, he better be cooperative. Ulquiorra was not in the mood to play guessing games. Not anymore.

After pressing the doorbell, he heard someone stumble towards the door, and heard a few things fall onto the floor, giving Ulquiorra the impression that the person had accidentally knocked down a few things in his or her rush to answer the door.

"Coming...!"

The sound of chains rattling.

The door opened to reveal a man with black hair and a goat-like face. Upon seeing who it was that had rung the doorbell, a grin spread across the man's face.

"Ulquiorra!" he said cheerily. "Or should I call you Captain Cifer now? What brings you here? It has been awhile since I've seen you. You look as feminine and beautiful as ever!"

Ulquiorra flinched at that, irritated that his appearance was referred to as womanly, but he did not retaliate. He himself lost track of how many times his appearance had been commented on. Did that idiot not know that it was not okay to call a man that, compliment or not? Not even bothering to return the smile, Ulquiorra looked up at the man, his expression stoic. "Hello, Mr. Kurosaki," he said calmly. "Is your son home?"

Isshin Kurosaki, the father of Ichigo Kurosaki. If one were to compare the personalities and the appearances of these two individuals, one would never have suspected that they were related. For one thing, though Ichigo had some good points, Isshin was a complete idiot. Or at least acted like it, because he knew very well that the man was more than capable when in the battle field. Though Ulquiorra considered Isshin to be an idiot at times, he had to admit that the man was powerful, and hence, he had earned Ulquiorra's respect as a fellow shinigami. A fact that Ichigo did not know yet.

Yes, the boy still did not know that his father was a shinigami. Well, at least Ulquiorra was not the only one who was oblivious about some things. And this knowledge comforted Ulquiorra somewhat.

"Oh, so you want to see Ichigo?" Isshin said, his expression suddenly serious. "Is there something wrong or...?"

Ulquiorra shook his head.

"No, no. Nothing of the sort," Ulquiorra said. "I merely want to have a chat with him. To... clarify things, so to speak."

This calmed Isshin. Almost immediately, that idiotic smile was back on the man's face.

"Well, come on in, Ulquiorra!" he said, stepping aside to allow Ulquiorra to walk in, which was exactly what the pale shinigami did. "Ichigo is in school right now, but he should be back very soon. So why don't you wait in the living room? Or his room, if you prefer..."

Ulquiorra looked around the house, not saying a word to Isshin's rambling. As he had expected, the house had a warm atmosphere to it. It was decorated in a way that gave it a homely feel and there were many pictures set in frames that could be seen placed on tables, and some, hung on the walls. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes slightly at this, feeling a bit envious. It must be nice to have one's memory intact.

"... Or we could have tea while waiting for him to come back. It's a good thing that I'm on my lunch break right now. I have some cakes and-"

"Tea is fine, Mr. Kurosaki," Ulquiorra finally answered as he turned to face the man, a small smile on his face. Though he was bursting with impatience on the inside and was thoroughly irritated with Isshin and by the fact that Ichigo was not at home at the moment, it would not do to be rude. "That is, if you don't mind," he added.

"It's no problem. After that, you can go on up and wait for Ichigo in his room. Rukia is not here either since she's in school too..." the man rambled.

As Isshin poured out the tea and served him a slice of cake, Ulquiorra could not help glancing at the clock that hung on the wall, counting the minutes till Ichigo would be home. Never in his life had he been so anxious to meet the boy, and yet, here he was. But then again, he never thought of the possibility that he himself was related to the enemy at all. He raised the teacup to his lips and blew at the tea lightly, cooling it. He drank the tea slowly as he listened to Isshin Kurosaki's rambling politely. Now, all he had to do was wait.

Ichigo hoisted his bag up his shoulder, feeling exhaustion settle in, a scowl on his face. He was not in a good mood. Today was not a good day. He had been unable to pay attention in any of his classes for the whole day and got reprimanded for it several times. Rukia did not make things any better either; she kept lecturing and teasing him. And in the end, Ichigo's teacher put him in detention. He yawned. He really should not have stayed up so late last night.

And since Rukia had chosen to go and hang out with Orihime, he had to walk back home by himself. Not that he minded, really. He could do without her teasing right now.

Once he reached the front door of his house, Ichigo opened it. Hm? No crazy old man attacked him from out of nowhere this time. He must be at the clinic right now. Ichigo let out a sigh of relief as he closed and locked the door behind him. He would be able to get some much needed rest, then. He climbed up the stairs, already anticipating resting on his bed. Forget food. He wanted to take a short nap, at least.

"Finally," Ichigo said to himself when he pulled the door to his room open, dropping his bag to the floor. "I am-"

"You're late, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"HOLY SHIT!" Ichigo yelled, surprised.

He scrambled for the baseball bat that he had placed in the corner in case of emergencies, until he saw who it was that had spoken to him. His eyes widened. "Ul-Ulquiorra?" he said incredulously, forgetting just for a moment to address Ulquiorra with his proper title. "Dammit, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" He dropped the baseball bat to the floor, then clutched at his chest, trying to still his fast beating heart. "Don't do that!"

Indeed, it was Ulquiorra Cifer. And he did not even apologize for scaring the shit out of Ichigo, though Ichigo had expected as much. The slender man was sitting on his bed, his expression stoic as usual. He did not even reprimand Ichigo for calling him by his name. Emerald eyes looked at him, their gaze penetrating. Ichigo had to rub his eyes to make sure that he was not seeing things. Throughout the whole time Ichigo had known Ulquiorra as a shinigami, the man had never stepped foot in his house. So seeing him here right now, Ichigo could not help but to have a feeling of foreboding. Why now? Did something bad happen or...?

"What are you doing here, Ul- I mean, Captain Cifer?"

"To talk," Ulquiorra responded curtly.

"... To... talk...?"

Somehow, from the look on Ulquiorra's face, and the way that he said it, Ichigo had a feeling that Ulquiorra was not here to chit chat.

When Ulquiorra did not answer him, Ichigo said, "To talk about what?"

"Me."

"Uhh... You?" Ichigo said, getting a bit confused. That sounded odd, especially coming from Ulquiorra, who was a rather private person.

"Yes, me," Ulquiorra said smoothly. "Or to be more specific, my past."

Ichigo stiffened.

...

"You do know what I'm talking about, right, Kurosaki?"

When he first came here, Ulquiorra had his doubts about whether Ichigo knew anything at all about his past, but after seeing the way the boy averted his gaze when he mentioned his past, Ulquiorra was sure of it now. Ichigo Kurosaki definitely knew something about his past. And he was not telling him anything.

"Kurosaki..." Ulquiorra said warningly.

Ichigo laughed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, "So... do you want some cookies? Yuzu baked some yesterday, and they're really good. It's chocolate chip, and everyone loves chocolate, so-"

"Kurosaki," Ulquiorra said tiredly. "I do not want any cookies."

"How about some brownies? Yuzu makes really good brownies too. She told me that she's going to bake some today, and-"

"Kurosaki..."

"I can make you something to drink too. You like coffee? Or maybe some tea-" Ichigo continued, still trying to change the subject.

Was it just him, or was Ichigo starting to remind him of Isshin?

"Kurosaki," Ulquiorra said finally, cutting Ichigo's rambling short. "Grimmjow spoke to me."

Ichigo stopped rambling. Instead, he stared. He stared at Ulquiorra in disbelief. "G-Grimmjow?" he stuttered. Realizing what he had just said, Ichigo said, "I... I don't know what the hell you are talking about."

"Really?" Ulquiorra said calmly, as he stood up and neared the boy. Ichigo backed away on instinct. "So, you do not know about the fact that I was an arrancar in my past life?"

"You see... I can explain that; you're stressed so you might be a bit delusional..."

Ulquiorra ignored him, and continued, "That I was in fact, an Espada? The very enemy that we are fighting right now?"

"Uhh..."

"That I have, in my past life, committed many crimes? That I have killed people? That I have once met Yoruichi Shihoin and Urahara Kisuke when I was an Espada? And that..." Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "And that," he said, making Ichigo's heart go still, "I have killed you before?"

Ichigo remained silent. What was he supposed to say? Should he tell him or...?

"Judging from the way you reacted, I guess what the arrancar told me must be true," Ulquiorra concluded. "It fits, doesn't it? Why everyone keeps their distance from me. Why everyone is so cautious with me, and that everyone has something to hide from me. This is what they've been trying to hide from me, isn't it? My past?"

Seeing that Ichigo did not say anything still, Ulquiorra went on to continue, "However, there is one thing that I still do not understand. If I have killed you before with such a blow-" He looked at Ichigo "-then why are you still here, well and alive?"

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 had 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.

Still nothing.

Ulquiorra was getting impatient. Must he force it out of the boy just like he had done to the arrancar? He was almost tempted to draw out his zanpaktou; his patience was at its limit. And the way his reiatsu was beginning to flare up was proof of this. "Kurosaki..." Ulquiorra said warningly, "Tell me, or I'll-"

"It's true," Ichigo said quietly, surprising Ulquiorra. He laughed a bit. It was a laugh that was mixed with relief and bitterness. "I guess there's no way I can hide it now, huh?" He sighed, running a hand through his orange locks. He attempted a smile, but failed miserably. Ulquiorra's death kept flashing through his eyes. "You were an arrancar. You were everything that you said." He shoved his hands into his pockets nervously. "And the only reason that I'm here right now is because Grimmjow made Orihime heal me."

So that woman had healed him?

Ulquiorra looked up at Ichigo, determination in his emerald eyes.

"Tell me everything you know, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Grimmjow sat on the roof, the very roof that he and Ulquiorra used to sit on back when Ulquiorra was an arrancar. He let out a breath that he had been holding in and continued to look up at the stars calmly. Well, he had tried his best, didn't he? It was not his fault that Ulquiorra did not believe him. He rubbed his cheek tiredly, wiping away something wet from it in the process.

He looked at the empty space next to him. Though he had to admit, watching the stars just was not the same without Ulquiorra. Though the night was beautiful tonight, the experience of watching the stars alone simply could not compare to watching it with someone that you love.

Ulquiorra looked up into the eyes of the teal-haired arrancar. "It is time for battle. The shinigami and his friends have arrived," he said, "Aizen-sama has commanded me to finish off Ichigo Kurosaki."

Grimmjow clutched at Ulquiorra's white hands in a tight grip at that, not wanting to ever let him go. Ulquiorra wished that he could say something. Words of comfort, perhaps, to ease the man's worries, but he did not wish to lie. It would be better for them to face this with only the cold, hard truth, and no lies.

He looked at Ulquiorra pleadingly. "Please don't go." Ulquiorra did not answer; he just looked at Grimmjow, silent. Seeing that there was no way that he would be able to change his mind, Grimmjow then pulled Ulquiorra into a hug, holding him close.

Ulquiorra just... for the life of him, he could not lie.

Ulquiorra sank onto Ichigo's bed once more, speechless. The pain in his temple had faded to a dull pain. Visions, no, memories, started flooding his mind as soon as Ichigo spoke to him, telling him everything that he knew about Ulquiorra. Memories of the events that Ichigo had mentioned flooded his mind, and then some. Ichigo told him everything; from the moment that he met Ulquiorra, right up to the moment that he...

"I was the one who killed you," Ichigo told him, guilt written all over his face.

... Right up to the moment that Ichigo Kurosaki had killed him.

Ichigo watched him through brown eyes, worried, but Ulquiorra did not acknowledge him, choosing to look down at his hands. This time, he did not wince when yet another memory chose to enter his mind.

Ulquiorra choked, shocked, when the blade that had just pierced him was suddenly pulled out. He looked up at the shinigami that stood before him, his eyes wide. Blood spurted out of the wound that the man had made so mercilessly before, and Ulquiorra could feel something wet drip out of his mouth. Blood. Blood dripped out of his mouth and slid down his chin and fell onto the ground. And to top it off, Ulquiorra realised with a start that he was disintegrating into ashes. Never... Never during his entire life had this ever happened.

Was this a dream?

No, it could not be. The pain from his wounds told him that it was not. That this was very, very real.

He could almost laugh. The Cuarta Espada... was defeated so easily? And by the boy that he had considered as trash, no less! Even if he wanted to fight, there was nothing he could do. Not in this condition.

"You fight like a Hollow now. Cold-blooded," Ulquiorra said, the faintest hint of a smile on his black and white lips. Even as he said it, the boy's mask shattered and fell to the ground, and his eyes lost the mad look that was present in them moments ago. Ulquiorra then closed his eyes, accepting defeat.

Ulquiorra continued to look down at his hands.

"Are you okay...?"

The pale shinigami did not answer. He flexed his fingers, opening and closing his hands. It was hard to believe that over a year ago, these hands of his had turned into ashes.

Where was he? Emerald orbs looked around frantically, looking for the owner of sapphire eyes. He would not be able to rest till he saw him. And when he finally found him, though he was sad to see him in such a state, a wave of calmness took over him. There he was. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. And...

He was nearly dead.

Grimmjow was bleeding from numerous wounds all over his body and the life in his eyes was dull. He had dragged himself all the way here, just to see him, Ulquiorra. It was a miracle that the man was even able to stand. Though it saddened him to see Grimmjow in such a state, he knew that those injuries, fatal as they were, would not be enough to kill him. It comforted him that unless Grimmjow did something stupid, he would live on. Ulquiorra knew that Kurosaki would have that woman heal him. He was just that kind of man; to even save his enemies if he could.

He locked his eyes with Grimmjow's, trying to convey his feelings to him without the use of speech. He did not have the energy to even speak.

I am sorry, Grimmjow.

We cannot be together forever.

I am sorry.

And Ulquiorra lost consciousness when his whole being turned into ashes and was swept away by the wind. The last thing he saw was the image of Grimmjow reaching out for him.

Goodbye, Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, his heart beating fast. So that was how he died.

"Ulquiorra?" Ichigo said, panicked, forgetting to use Ulquiorra's title once more, "Are you okay? You... you are..."

The pale shinigami looked up at Ichigo, confused. Then he realised. He touched his cheek.

Ah.

He did not realise that he had been crying. And even now, he was still crying. Cold, silent tears ran down his cheeks. He knew everything now. Or at least, most of it. There was still something else that he wanted clarification on, but for now, he was content.

Through his tears, Ulquiorra gave Ichigo Kurosaki a small smile.

He stood up, straightening out his uniform. "Do not worry. I am fine," Ulquiorra said honestly, his voice calm. He carefully wiped his tears away. "Thank you very much for telling me everything. I appreciate it, Kurosaki." He had wiped all of his tears away and was now pushing the window open, intending to leave. "But now I have to go. There is someone that I must meet."

"Wait. Are you sure you're okay, Captain-"

Ulquiorra held a hand in front of him, telling Ichigo to stop. "Please," Ulquiorra said tiredly, "I'd rather you act like your normal self around me. So you can stop acting like I might bite your head off at any second for killing me in the past. It's awkward, and such behaviour is very unlike you."

Ichigo blinked. Once. Twice. Unable to believe that Ulquiorra was not angry. And that he was taking all of this very calmly. "B-but... I killed you and-"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. "I lost because I was not strong enough. That is all there is to it. Now, get that through your thick skull, Kurosaki, before I make you," he said, though not unkindly. He stepped out of the window, then looked back at Ichigo. "And also, you can drop the title."

Ichigo grinned at that, glad that the awkwardness between the two of them was finally gone. "You can count on that, Ulquiorra."

The pale shinigami merely smirked before he shunpoed away.

Right after he left Kurosaki's home, tears flowed down his face once more upon remembering the last memory that he was blessed with. He was not sure for what reason, but that memory struck him hard. But then again, death would give a strong impact to anyone, be it their own or others'. He did not even bother to wipe those tears away, allowing them to flow freely. But by now, the tears have long stopped.

When he finally released Ulquiorra from his crushing embrace, Ulquiorra reached up to cup his cheek. "I have to go. This will never end if we don't put a stop to the shinigami."

Ulquiorra knew that he was here. He must be. He could feel his reiatsu ever since he was at Kurosaki's. And so, Ulquiorra searched for the arrancar diligently, going in the direction that he was sure that the man was at.

The further he travelled, the closer he felt the man's reiatsu.

Grimmjow bit his bottom lip, and Ulquiorra could see that he was fighting back tears.

"Ulquiorra..." he reached out and touched Ulquiorra's face, tracing the contours of his face, touching his skin, as though imprinting his image into his memory.

"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra pushed a strand of teal hair out of sapphire eyes. "No matter what happens, we will always be together. You are a part of me, and I am a part of you. If anything happens, we will never truly be apart." He bit his bottom lip. He did not know whether the both of them were going to come out of this in one piece. He really did not. So all he could say was this. This was the closest that he had to words of comfort.

And when he found him, Ulquiorra saw that he was sitting on the roof of one of the houses here. The arrancar was all alone, sitting with his legs crossed, and was looking up at the stars. Ulquiorra tilted his head, slightly surprised at the sight. He still did that...?

In one of the memories that he was granted with while speaking to Kurosaki, there were a few which depicted him sitting with that arrancar, looking up at the sky while they spoke about everyday things. They looked happy in all of those memories. Ulquiorra had no idea what sort of relationship that he had with the arrancar, but they looked much too close to be considered as just friends. Ulquiorra had a sneaking suspicion that they were much more than that.

Ulquiorra jumped up onto the roof soundlessly, approaching the arrancar. Since he had cloaked his reiatsu, he did not immediately sense Ulquiorra.

The moment the arrancar heard footsteps approach him, though, he turned around to see who it was. And when he saw who it was, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Ul-Ulquiorra?" he said. "What are you-"

"Star gazing?" Ulquiorra cut in, referring to what Grimmjow was doing.

Grimmjow blinked. "Y-yeah, but..."

"Then," Ulquiorra said as he sat down next to Grimmjow, "May I join you, Grimmjow?"

He looked taken aback at being called by his name for the first time instead of "arrancar" by this Ulquiorra, but once he had gotten over his shock, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez gave him a short nod, speechless.

"Thank you."

And they fell into a comfortable silence, the both of them sitting side by side, their hands nearly touching.

"I love you, Grimmjow. I always will." Ulquiorra placed a soft kiss on Grimmjow's lips, their eyes fluttering close at the sweetness of the moment.

Yes.

"I am sorry for not believing you before."

They were definitely not friends in the past.

"It is okay, Ulquiorra."

They were more than that, whether Grimmjow chose to admit it or not.

Weren't they?

DIOR: It has been awhile, hasn't it? ^^ Hope you all liked this chapter, short as it is. Reviews are appreciated.