Disclaimer: Various concepts and characters have been retrieved from Dragonball Z and Bleach for this story; they belong to Akira Toriyama and Tite Kubo. Please note, however, that the plot, which is an original plot, is unrelated to the events that take place in DBZ and Bleach, meaning this is an AU fic. The OC's and plot belong to myself, and KRenee.

X

May, 2012

She was getting in way too deep. And honestly, Juritsu didn't know what to do.

It wasn't like she intended to develop a crush on her blue-haired friend. Hell, she had no idea how or when it even happened; the revelation literally ambushed her one afternoon walking back from classes with Grimmjow. And it had eventually grown clear to her that the feelings were mutual. Only instead of elation, Juritsu's first reaction had been to panic. Eventually, however, she succumbed to resignation. It would just end up a repeat of every other guy that had come on to her. So she would spare Grimmjow the freak-out, and she would spare herself the rejection, and she would try to subtly encourage Grimmjow to back off.

That's what she kept telling herself, at least. So far, it hadn't penetrated.

She couldn't tell if Grimmjow was being stubborn or if she wasn't trying hard enough. Why was Grimmjow so particularly difficult to push away? Yes, there was something different about him, something she had yet to place a finger on. He had a strange ki signature, nothing she'd ever sensed before. It felt human and inhuman at the same time. Maybe it was this little piece of knowledge that kept her from giving up. After all, he was different, just like she was. Maybe he would accept her uniqueness...

No... you always think that about guys. 'Oh, he's different.' And you're always wrong. Don't risk it.

But maybe she wasn't wrong this time - there hadn't been a time where she'd felt so strongly for a guy before that she could remember. But she was too afraid to find out.

"Earth to Juritsu."

She jumped, startled, and frantically fought her instinctual response to drive her elbow behind her into Grimmjow's ribs as he snuck up on her. Really, if only he knew how close he was to dying, he'd think twice about scaring the bejeezus out of her!

"Thanks for the near heart attack," she managed to grumble, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

"Your fault for not paying attention," Grimmjow paused briefly, falling into thought, "Actually, that's not like you. Something up?"

How the hell did he know her so well after not even knowing her for an entire year? That pleasant fluttering sensation she'd grown addicted to abruptly returned, and her heart wrenched. Why did she have to like him so much?!

"I'm just tired, I think. I hate midterms," she decided to give him a white lie. After all, it wasn't entirely untrue that she was burnt out, "I have one more test before I can go into break mode."

Grimmjow snickered at that. "I just need to turn in a paper."

"Yea, yea, brag about it," her tone turned playful, and she bumped shoulders with him good-naturedly. He chuckled, bringing up an arm to wrap around her shoulders in a friendly hug. In those few seconds, Juritsu reveled in the feeling of his contact. And, an impulse overwhelmed her; I don't want him to let go.

So, just as she felt his grip loosen, she leaned into him further. His hand paused; she could feel his surprise at her gesture. But he squeezed her shoulder, pulling her more snug against him. This time, however, the hug felt different, deeper than friendship, a new, intimate kind of affection. Her heart raced in anxiousness, but she didn't care. If they could stay like that forever, she wouldn't mind.

When he finally dropped his arm, she could've cried. It was unfair. Gohan had found the only human in the world who was as weird as they were, and it had all happened so easily for him. Why did it have to be so hard for her?

"Hey... are you sure you're okay?" Grimmjow's voice held some concern, and she bit back her frustrations and met his gaze. Inwardly, she prayed that he couldn't see right through her.

She gave him a smile; it felt wrong on her face and she was positive he could tell. "I'm fine, don't worry," her voice only wavered for an instant. Something, some kind of emotion passed through her friend's eyes, too fast to tell what. But she quickly looked away, glancing towards the building in which her next class was going to start. She had to pull herself together before she burst into tears right there.

"Right, I've got a test to take," it was too obvious, her abrupt tangent, but she didn't really care. And she almost felt bad for leaving Grimmjow confused and worried, but academics would provide a much-needed distraction from him; he was on her mind almost constantly at this point, and she was helpless to stop it on her own. "I'll find you guys at the dining hall!"

She made it a few paces before Grimmjow's voice caused her to automatically pause in her steps and look over her shoulder at him.

This time, she could see clearly the concern and... was that yearning? Don't look at me like that Grimmjow you don't know what you're doing to me I can't - "If something's really bugging you and you need to talk, you know you can talk to me, right?"

Her eyes suddenly stung mercilessly, and Grimmjow looked taken aback. Shit no no no I gotta get out of here.

She smiled again, wondering if everything she was hiding had just been given away due to the fact that she was more or less wearing her heart on her sleeve. "I will..." she took a quiet, steadying breath before her emotions could overwhelm her right then and there. "Thanks, Grimmjow."

She didn't wait to see what crossed his expression, instead turning and heading towards the building with a "I'll see you later!" as her smile began to sour and her vision began to blur.

...

Forty minutes later, Juritsu was trudging out of the building. That test was exhausting, and she was positive she'd done horribly. But she didn't really care.

Glancing around, she saw no shock of bright blue amongst the students hanging out on the quad. While inwardly she ached, wishing he was there, she felt it was probably better that she put some space between them, before she really did freak out. Try and sift through the emotions storming about and work on getting over Grimmjow.

Someone walked up beside her, and she glanced over to find Ulquiorra. He looked awful, though that was getting to be relatively normal for the pale man. He didn't say anything right away, looking like he was lost in more distressing thoughts. She could see the tension in his jaw, in his shoulders, in his stride.

"Hey Ulquiorra... hey, are you okay?" She leaned forward a little, hoping to appear in his peripheral vision and catch his attention.

"He keeps asking me questions about Hueco Mundo," Ulquiorra muttered in reply, his tone sour, "I keep telling him, in various ways, to leave me alone. He doesn't want to know, anyway. He just… He's just an idiot, really. At least that hasn't changed."

Juritsu's brows furrowed. She recalled Saeka mentioning the place, but aside from that, she hadn't ever heard of Hueco Mundo before. She'd ask Saeka about it later. "He's changed...?"

"He didn't used to be like this," the pale man concurred almost nostalgically. "As odd as it may sound, I liked him better when he was an abusive rage-filled bastard with an exaggerated sense of self-worth."

It didn't sound like Grimmjow at all. As a matter of fact, the description reminded her of someone else, and she snorted in amusement. "Sounds like someone I know," she remarked with a small, lopsided grin on her face, pausing for a moment before continuing "So Grimmjow used to be kind of a jerk, huh?"

"'Kind of' is an understatement. He was the worst."

It was hard for her to picture him being the worst, especially having experienced the worst of the worst personally. She couldn't imagine Grimmjow being worse than Cell or Frieza, but Vegeta once again came to mind, and she briefly thought about the way he'd turned around as the years went by.

"So... what changed him?" she finally asked, trying to think of what could've caused this apparent change. Vegeta had Bulma... but she couldn't think of anyone in Grimmjow's life that could've played the same role. Especially not with him seemingly pursuing her now.

"I don't know," Ulquiorra answered truthfully, a frown replacing his previously uninterested expression, "I hadn't seen him in a few years, and last I knew he was still a bastard. Now he's… considerate, and apparently found some room to care about me of all people. Maybe he just got back into the grove of behaving like a normal human being."

It was only slightly unsettling when Ulquiorra said "normal human being." As opposed to what, exactly? Grimmjow presented to her like a human. He carried around with him a katana, which meant that he had some swordsmanship skills at least. But aside from that, he seemed like any other human she'd interacted with.

"I... take it you guys didn't get along?"

"He was convinced he was stronger than me, and would try to prove it by endlessly challenging me to fight him," was the oddly calm admittance, "He had a bit of a complex about people looking down on him. That's why we fought all the time; he seemed to crave validation, and I was convinced his was a worthless existence."

It was intriguing to imagine Grimmjow as insecure. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense, the way he was always desperate for her forgiveness following a spat, how he didn't seem to have friends beyond their small group...

But if Ulquiorra and Grimmjow hated each other, why did they seem to be acting civil, if not friendly, now?

"So... is it bad that things have changed?"

She noticed the way he seemed to falter in his steps beside her, looking over at her as if he thought she had the answer to her own question. He looked away again, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth, his eyes betraying his uncertainty. One would think that Grimmjow evidently going from a jerk to a gentleman was a good thing, but it seemed like that wasn't the case with Ulquiorra.

"A lot has changed, not just Grimmjow. I was looking forward to something familiar, even if it was... well, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra reached up to brush his hair out of his face, "The first time we met again after he left was when you were showing him around campus that time." Showing him around campus? Was that... was that the episode in the bathroom, when she'd felt that spike of energy? Was that Grimmjow? "I was sure he would try to kill me, but he didn't, and that was strange and I almost got worried. Then I saw how he was adapting to his life. I'm not sure whether I've been jealous of him or glad that he got out before..." he trailed off, turning his glance off in a different direction.

It seemed that instead of answers, Juritsu was finding herself with more questions. "... Got out of what...?"

"The..." he paused for a moment, considering, "The place where we lived wasn't... stable in any sense. It was always in some kind of disarray, and there were intermittent, power-hungry war mongers who would take up the challenge of ruling us. Grimmjow hated it; he has always wanted freedom, and that place has always been a cage."

Just where was Ulquiorra talking about? There was no such place on the planet that fit his description. "Where..." She hesitated slightly. Was she being too nosy? Meddling? "Where is this place? That you come from, I mean."

There was a long silence, and she briefly wondered if she had officially asked too many questions. Ulquiorra sighed, his shoulders hunching forward in an almost defensive stance as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm from Hueco Mundo," he said passively. She couldn't help but notice the slight emphasis at the beginning of his statement; almost as if to say that he'd been mistaken earlier. But why say all that if he meant something else?

"... Oh..." she was unsure of what to say, suddenly feeling like she was walking on thin ice. What could be said? At least, without stepping on anyone's toes?

"If you don't mind me asking... where's Hueco Mundo? I mean... I've been all around the world, and I've never heard of it."

He glanced over at her again, but didn't make eye contact. "Well, Hueco Mundo is one of the domains of Purgatory, which is a level of Hell."

...

The last time Ulquiorra had been in a library, he'd been rearranging the shelves and reorganizing the order of the books to irritate the librarians. He didn't remember why he'd been stuck in that library in the first place, but he hadn't minded it. He used to breathe down people's necks while they were reading, or hide books that he knew patrons wanted to check out. For a while, he'd been okay with that life.

Ulquiorra flipped the page of the existentialist, spiritual-guidance book he'd randomly picked up. Souls may become agitated or angry the longer they spend on this plain, especially if their body has not been honored properly. The spirits of the murdered are the most important to care for, as they feel hatred and are discontent with their situation. Sometimes, even a proper burial and blessing will not soothe them.

Had he been murdered? That sounded kind of familiar. He had vague, blurry memories of standing over a semi-familiar corpse, green eyes dulled, clothes stripped away from his body and buried under cement in a basement...

He shuddered, closing his eyes and pushing it back. Thinking about it brought a rise of anger and reminded his body of the terrible pain of bleeding to death, the burning of the knife embedded in his stomach, the suffocating, drowning in his own blood...

Lucifer's teeth dug into him- his eyes rolling back into his head- a chuckle and he saw the brunette- "We can use..."- pain, all over, endless, torturous pain- I'll do whatever you say.

Ulquiorra jolted violently when someone grabbed his shoulder from behind, and he finally registered his brother talking to him. His heart was racing, and he pressed a hand to his chest, taking a deep breath. What had that been? A memory? But... that never happened. The flashbacks, or whatever those had been, he didn't find any of them familiar, even though they were more vivid than the present.

Ulquiorra looked up at Grimmjow, blinking spots out of his vision and taking in the equally irked look on the blue-haired man's face. Evidently, he was in some kind of trouble.

"Can I help you?" He asked dryly.

"We need to talk," the Sixth growled lowly, "Outside."

That didn't sound good. He silently stood up, snapping his book shut with one hand and placing it on a random shelf. He followed Grimmjow outside, around to the back of the library, where fewer people would be around. Well, he had said that he missed the old Grimmjow.

Grimmjow looked beyond irate; hands constantly running through his already disheveled hair, jaw tight and working furiously, shoulders tense and squared. Once he seemed to decide they were out of earshot, he quickly rounded on Ulquiorra, blue eyes flashing.

"So, I'm friends with someone from Hell, according to Juritsu?" his voice was strained as he clearly worked to remain somewhat calm, "What. The. Fuck."

"I apologize for not thinking to lie to her," he replied a little more heatedly than he intended, "I didn't think that the girl rooming with Lucifer-sama's daughter would have an issue with a couple of comparably mediocre Arrancar."

Grimmjow stepped closer, looming threateningly over the pale Espada. His fists clenched and unclenched them. "In case you hadn't noticed, I've been trying to be incognito here! You think I want her knowing about me? About the things we've done?!"

Ulquiorra took a step back, wanting to keep at least a little space between them, "She's bound to find out eventually, Grimmjow," he replied coolly, "She already knew you were different, long before she met me. She can sense it; she's not human. But then, you already knew that."

Grimmjow cringed slightly at the last statement, before he shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "You just don't get it, do you?" He began pacing back and forth in agitation. "No fucking shit she's not human. No fucking shit she knows something! But it's not like she knows I was a murderous asshole either! I didn't want her finding out about it from someone else - I was planning on telling her when the time was right! Now for all I know, she thinks I'm some demonic freak just as bad as all the others trying to kill her!"

"You haven't changed nearly as much as I thought," Ulquiorra snapped, his patience running thin, "You're still just a childish, insecure kitten. You aren't the only bastard with a complex, and you aren't the only freak in her life. Perhaps you should stop acting like a brat and get back to your little conquest rather than pestering me."

The Sixth moved so fast it'd caught him off guard, and the next thing he knew, Grimmjow had him by the lapels of his shirt and was slamming him into the wall.

"You don't fucking know me, Schiffer," Grimmjow snarled furiously, tightening his grip on Ulquiorra's shirt, "You're just as pretentious and stuck-up as ever. That high horse attitude of yours pisses me off. You lookin' for a fight, Cuarta? Because I would be more than happy to smear your ass all over this fucking pavement, right here, right now!"

Even with his entire body tense and his heart beating a furious rhythm against his throat, he found the room in his muddled head to reply just as coldly as he used to, "Would you? I thought you were trying to be incognito, Sexta," he said lowly, "Or are you still the same abusive, rage-filled bastard with an exaggerated sense of self worth that I remember?"

He should've expected Grimmjow to lose his cool - it was typical of him. Yet he was stunned when the blue-haired Arrancar's fist connected solidly with his jaw. His head swung to the side, bouncing off the brick wall and dazing him entirely. He slid down the wall, hitting the ground hard. His head was spinning, his jaw burning. He didn't even try to get back up; his eyes kept crossing and he was seeing spots in his vision.

Ulquiorra squeezed his eyes shut, shuddering as a strange sense of familiarity wracked his bones. He couldn't seem to catch his breath; it felt like a rope was wrapped around his throat, tight and constricting. There were no flashes of memories that came to him, though; just that sense of déjà-vu that he couldn't place. He didn't move; he didn't dare. He had done it wrong, he had screwed up, he hadn't been able to carry out his orders, and now he was being punished for it. Trained like a dog held captive by abusive teenagers. He choked on his own throat, chest heaving. He felt like he might throw up, assuming his heart didn't explode first.

"O... oi..." Grimmjow's voice, sounding nothing like the rage-filled snarling from earlier, had taken on a shocked and incredulous tone, "Hey... I didn't hit you that hard..."

He couldn't stop the groan-like sound that he uttered, his hand shakily reaching up to cup the side of his face. As the initial adrenaline began to wear off, the pain in his jaw and head skyrocketed. It felt like his head had been run over by a steam roller, the entire left side of his face was on fire, which only made his headache worse. He couldn't even lift his head to glare at the man standing over him.

"Oh, come on, I didn't hit you that hard."

His chest tightened, and he gasped, which only made the pain in jaw flare up worse, inciting a soft, pained noise.

"What the hell?" There was some rustling above him, and suddenly the glare of the sun was blocked from view. Likely, Sexta was crouched down in front of him, hands hovering over him rather uselessly as the man fretted over what exactly to do, "Shit did I break your jaw?! What the fuck Ulquiorra?!"

He shrank back involuntarily, shaking all over. It hurt. He'd forgotten how much broken bones hurt. It'd been a long time since Chris had taken a mallet to his leg or twisted his wrist until the bones cracked. He felt the heat that radiated off Grimmjow near the spot where he'd hit him, and he flinched away instinctively. His brother was probably just trying to get him to move his hand so he could see what the damage looked like, but his unreasonable impulses refused to accept that logic.

"Wha... Ulquiorra, you're supposed to be stronger than this..." Grimmjow's voice was subdued. A long moment, and then the Sixth muttered a steady stream of curses. Some more rustling, and then silence, before "Hey... um, yea... are you free? I... need some help. It's Ulquiorra..."

Ulquiorra managed to raise his head, opening his eyes and blinking away the light. The pain in his head felt like it was ricocheting all throughout his body. He took in a shaky breath through his nose, and tested his jaw. The pain flared up even worse, and his eyes watered. Pain didn't usually hurt this much.

Then again, with more than half of his power stripped from him, it was no surprise that his pain tolerance and Hierro were just about gone. He couldn't slow down his breathing, and he was starting to feel light-headed. He felt so incredibly weak and helpless and he hated it. He should've been able to take that blow without even turning his head. He should've been able to deflect it, or at least return the attack. He had been in denial about how much of his power had been taken from him by Chris, but now it was more than obvious. He couldn't even hold his own against Grimmjow.

He needed Murciélago.

"H-hey..." Grimmjow was crouched in front of him again, this time keeping a distance between the two of them. He could see the disbelief clear as day. Obviously the blue-haired Espada was just as taken aback as he felt. "I called Juritsu... I ... I figured she'd know what to do..."

Slowly, as he didn't want to agitate his jaw again, he nodded. He knew he looked completely pathetic, and he hated that Grimmjow had to see him like this. He shouldn't have provoked him. He should've just let him be angry and quietly taken the verbal abuse. He shouldn't have replied at all. Grimmjow was going to ask him questions as soon as he could talk again, and Ulquiorra wanted nothing to do with it. But...

"She's bound to find out eventually."

He could've laughed at the circumstances. He was, quite literally, eating his own words.

...

Among all other emotions, Grimmjow felt panic.

It was bad enough that he had somehow, against all odds, seriously injured Ulquiorra. And sure, in the back of his head, he'd been wishing to do damage, but never in his dreams did he think it'd actually happen. Ulquiorra was the Fourth. No matter how much Grimmjow gloated and mocked him, Ulquiorra was stronger, he was faster, and he could obliterate him with next to no effort. And yet, he just broke the same man's jaw. That alone had rang alarms in his head. It took a lot more than a mere sucker punch to do any kind of damage to Cuarta. What the hell did they do to him?!

But even more so than that was...

"Hey!" Juritsu's voice rang out as she rounded the corner, and he visibly flinched at the sound of her voice. She'd been avoiding him since that morning before her test, and it wasn't until a couple of days later that she casually brought it up to him. She was aware of his above average strength and Pantera, which he kept with him outside of school. But she didn't know he had acquaintances with Hell, and she sure as hell was clueless to the fact that he was from Hell himself. He didn't know whether she herself was good or evil, but he could venture so far as to guess that she was one of the good guys. How would she react to the truth? Especially since he'd been hiding it for so long? And not to mention since he did break Ulquiorra's jaw...

Ulquiorra looked up in the direction of her voice, watching her as she approached swiftly. He didn't miss the way the Fourth's breath hitched in the direction of hyperventilating, nor did the recoil from Juritsu's incoming person escape his attention. It was as if they were both in serious trouble.

"Hey, I came as soon as I could..." Juritsu was even slightly breathless. Grimmjow couldn't even imagine how fast she was actually traveling, and he felt about 1000 times worse knowing this was all his fault.

The brunette glanced over at Ulquiorra, noticing his physical condition, and crouched down in front of him. "Hey... can I see?" Her voice was gentle, motherly, and it completely caught Grimmjow off-guard. It was a tone he'd never heard from her, that was for sure. Despite her coaxing, Ulquiorra still seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly lowering his hand and lifting his head up. It looked a lot worse now that it'd been given time to swell.

Juritsu glanced into Ulquiorra's eyes directly, holding a steady gaze as she slowly and carefully lifted her hand. It took a long moment, but she was able to lightly touch his temple.

"I'm just going to check the damage," her voice was calm and reassuring, and Grimmjow winced all the same. He would've done anything for a deep, deep hole to crawl into for the rest of all eternity. Ulquiorra slowly nodded his head in understanding, allowing her to palpate his face.

Working her way down along the side of his face, she watched his facial expression, gauging each reaction as they came across his features. It wasn't until she starting palpating along the jaw line that Ulquiorra started violently flinching.

"Your jaw..." she seemed to think aloud, "I think it might be broken."

She glanced up at Grimmjow, who fought every instinct to cringe, hide, or flee. "What happened?"

It was weird, feeling this kind of fear. He hadn't been afraid like this outside of battle. And for the life of him, he couldn't understand. Why was it so terrifying, the prospect of her possibly hating him? Why did he care so much what she thought of him? He could get any girl (aside from Khrai), whenever he wanted, and he'd been rejected plenty of times as well. But the possibility of rejection didn't terrify him the way it terrified him now, with the very real possibility now looming over him.

The pause seemed to pique Juritsu's suspicions, and his heart plummeted. "What happened, Grimmjow," she demanded.

Grimmjow opened his mouth to reply, but his voice died on his throat. His fate had been sealed from the get-go, that much was obvious. He was wondering if the whole escape-from-Hueco-Mundo-and-live-another-mortal-li fe was a terrible idea after all. Maybe he should've just accepted his fate as a Hollow and died with the rest of them?

"... I'm going to get something that'll fix this right up. I'd like some answers when I get back though," Juritsu was standing up, shooting Grimmjow a glare, before turning and jogging back down the alley, heading off to god only knew where.

The Sexta Espada watched her run off, and felt himself deflate. Leaning against the nearby wall, he slid down to the ground, hanging his head. "Well... I'm fucked." He let out a bitter laugh. "Yea... I probably shoulda seen this coming."

He felt a pressure on his shoulder and looked up, finding Ulquiorra there, a hand on his shoulder. His jaw was all bruised and swollen; it looked awful. The Fourth pinched his shoulder, inciting Grimmjow to tear his gaze away from the injury and look him in the eye.

What he found there was apology, reassurance, promise. I'm sorry. You were right. I'll fix this. Ulquiorra squeezed his shoulder in an awkward gesture of comfort before sitting back on his knees, and bowing his head forward slightly, looking almost like he was ashamed, or guilty.

Grimmjow felt compelled to speak, regardless of how awkward he suddenly felt. But the concern at the series of events was overriding that. "I... didn't mean to actually... you know," he indicated Ulquiorra's jaw, "Well, I did, but I mean, I didn't think I'd actually do... oh hell, Ulquiorra, you should've been blocking that before I even started swinging..."

He let the question hang in the air, knowing full and well that Ulquiorra could understand exactly what it was he was asking. The Fourth's expression was downcast, even as he looked up at met Grimmjow's expression. Carefully, the green-eyed man nodded permissively. Fine. We'll talk.

Just as Grimmjow opened his mouth, Juritsu reappeared in front of them, a cool glint in her brown eyes, and he wanted to melt into the wall. In one hand, she was grasping a cup of water.

Crouching down in front of Ulquiorra and producing a straw with her free hand, she dipped the straw into the glass and handed it to the pale Espada. "This doesn't look like much, but believe me, you'll feel as good as new in a matter of seconds."

Before either Arrancar could say or do anything, Juritsu's gaze whipped over to Grimmjow, and this time, he did flinch. "You. Me. Talk. Now."

Well crap.

Resignedly, he stood up, following her a few paces away from Ulquiorra. It wasn't much longer before she rounded on him. "Alright, spill it," her tone was no-nonsense, "What the heck happened?"

It took him a moment to find his words, and his heart was hammering in his throat as he practically sealed his fate. "We... got into an argument... basically..."

Juritsu had crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow, "And why did you find it necessary to break his jaw?"

He found himself feeling more and more defensive with each passing moment, "I didn't think I hit him hard enough to actually cause damage."

"Grimmjow, that's no excuse!" she shot back in exasperation, "There's no reason for meaningless violence!"

Meaningless... well, she was right, he hadn't really had a good reason to strike out; a loss of temper was probably one of the worst reasons out there, after all. And he couldn't really defend himself, could he?

"It only causes unnecessary pain," she continued on her rant, and for some reason, she was growing more and more upset, "And... and isn't this kind of thing what you used to do before? Ulquiorra said you changed, that he didn't like the way you changed..."

Grimmjow froze at those words, too horrified to even be furious at Ulquiorra for pretty much telling her every possible thing he hadn't wanted her knowing. And he could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes. She thought he'd been lying to her, pretending to be someone he wasn't... no no no I swear that's not it please just believe me I'm not like that anymore I left that life I can't go back oh god please don't look at me like that I'm sorry...

"Juritsu," Ulquiorra's voice came out of nowhere. The Fourth was standing beside Grimmjow, his expression passive and calm. His green-eyed brother glanced at him briefly, before looking back to Juritsu, who was glancing at him with a kind of a frantic hope, as if desperate for reassurance that Grimmjow was Grimmjow and, no, he was no longer an asshole. "It's not what you're thinking, and pardon Grimmjow for not being articulate enough to say so himself." Grimmjow shot the pale man an affronted glare. Not articulate enough... yea, like you have any experience with girls and would totally know what I'm going through right now, you prudish, stupid virgin...

"I told you a few things that he would rather you didn't hear about," Ulquiorra admitted, open and honest and why are you telling her the truth you ass. "I know he has a temper, and I know that I'm the best at pushing his buttons. I provoked him, even though I knew he would lash out, and that I wouldn't be able to properly defend myself.

"He doesn't want you to think of him as some kind of bloodthirsty freak, because he's not, and never really has been. Violent, yes, but always with purpose - even if it was hard to tell from the outside looking in." The pale man stated, and with every word Grimmjow could almost literally feel the situation deflating. Wow, maybe he did have experience with girls... "I shouldn't have betrayed him like that in the first place, and I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression. I hope you'll forgive us both for this mess."

Juritsu, for a very long moment, looked taken aback, and just as Grimmjow was beginning to wonder whether or not she believed him, a wide smile broke through her features, the brilliance and sudden appearance of it completely stunning him. She looked ridiculously relieved, overly relieved, way too relieved to be normal. And it completely astonished him when she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Thank god..." he heard her whisper to herself before he heard her say to him directly, "Sorry for doubting you."

It took him a long moment to recover from the shock of her gesture, before carefully returning the embrace. "No, it's okay..." his glance flitted up to Ulquiorra's.

I still wanna know what's going on with you, you know.

Ulquiorra didn't avert his gaze, instead nodding slowly and tilting his attention towards Juritsu, before looking back at Grimmjow intently. The message was clear; right now?

He glanced down at the brunette, inwardly amused that he was absentmindedly smoothing her hair. Geez, it was so sentimental it was almost pathetic. He glanced back up at Ulquiorra. No, we can talk later, on your terms.

A soft sigh from the pale man indicated his relief, and a slight smile graced his features. Grimmjow couldn't tell if he was mocking him or not, so he settled for a relatively neutral kind of glare.

A/N: Another chapter for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

- G