Chapter Fifteen; The Panther King

Ulquiorra rounded the house, and luckily for whoever this piece of trash was, it was a short fall. He glanced over at the completely messed up tree, and the bush rustling. Ulquiorra cautiously approached the bush, as the rustling became more apparent.

He flexed his claws, and whipped his tail carefully behind him, ready to snatch whoever this Arrancar was. Suddenly, a very familiar noise of a groan came through his senses, and he immediately knew who it was.

The anonymous Arrancar rose.

Ulquiorra whipped his tail around and the blue-haired Arrancar barely dodged the slashing of the tail. "Watch it, you fuckface! Can't you just see I just fell twenty feet?!" Grimmjow snapped at the bat, as he narrowed his eyes at the Cuatro. "Who the hell are you-" He stopped, taking in those flaxen-jade eyes.

"Ulquiorra?!" He snapped as he sprung up, and Ulquiorra swayed his tail defensively behind him.

"Why are you here, Sexta."

"I could be asking you the same thing, batshit!"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed again as Grimmjow's knees buckled and he fell back into the bush, as Ulquiorra took in his state. Torn up, shoulders slashed, and filthy.

Grimmjow let out a groan as he crawled out of the bush, and sprawled out on the grass. He looked up at the ex-Espada hovering over him, blocking out most of the sun. "Listen here, batshit, I've got a lot of questions, but right now I'm fucking bleeding to death. Do you mind?"

He just wanted some tea and a book, was that too much to ask for? Now he was stuck caring for the Sexta, but only for one reason. Grimmjow glanced back, "Hey, pass me that blanket, will ya?" he demanded as he put his arm over Orihime's couch, and then instantly almost fell off the couch from the sheer force of a crumpled up blanket getting chucked right into his face.

He uncrumpled the blanket and began to cover up all the bandages that Ulquiorra made him put on himself, as he let out a frustrated groan. Ulquiorra walked over, and set down some soup that he had quickly made, as the panther male eyed the soup, then Ulquiorra.

"Do not mistake, Sexta, I am not helping you out of choice. The woman would not be pleased if I left you to die or put you out of your misery. I prefer to keep my residence." he stated blandly as he turned his back on him, and eyed the spilled tea on the table from earlier, almost sadly.

He turned to Grimmjow, "Explain why you have arrived here, Sexta." he demanded, as Grimmjow quickly gulped the soup down, and slammed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. He let out an evil chuckle and ended it with a toothy smile.

"Hell! It was glorious! After that bastard Nnoitra left me to die, I supposed I died. After who knows how long, I was awoken by the damn Arrancar Loly. She helped me heal the damn gnash on my body and most of the wounds." he said as he used his finger to slip the inside of the soup bowl, and licked his fingers. "Hell, what did you put in this soup anyways?" he asked as he finished licking his fingers.

"Sexta."

"Right, right. Anyways, after the dumb Arrancar healed me, I killed her! Naive little shit never saw it coming. After that I set off in search of Aizen or any trace. After a while of searching, I realized the bastard probably got his ass handed to him, so I set out with another goal; find a good fight. I eventually found a decent powered Arrancar with the same goal, and we set off." He paused, his face turning into a sort of frown.

"Well, I found my fuckin' fight. We were surrounded by hollows of all types, as they'd grown hungry after Hueco Mundo was abandoned even more than it already was. The fuckin' Arrancar I brought with me realized that we wouldn't make it out of it after days of fighting, and the fucker shoved me through a garganta! And get this! I lost Pantera when the fucker shoved me through!" he yelled, then coughed when he raised his voice.

"It appears after days without proper consumption, care and constant wearing down, your spiritual pressure is almost unnoticeable." Ulquiorra noted as Grimmjow glared forward.

"Yeah, I can't do shit. I would've preferred to fucking die in that battle." he growled as he leaned back on the couch and looked at the roof.

After a moment of silence, he looked over at Ulquiorra. "I've got multiple questions, let's start out with the simpler one. What the fuck is that form?!" he snipped at the bat, as he stared unwavering at the Sexta.

"Out of all the Espada, I have achieved a way to enter a second Resurrección, and simply chose not to inform Lord Aizen of such an achievement." he stated simply as Grimmjow squinted at the form.

"That shit's got no spiritual pressure. Did ya' not inform him 'cause it's just that weak?" he mocked as Ulquiorra's tail wavered behind him quickly.

"I am currently bound to a more natural form of it. The reasons for such are nothing of your concern." he stated as Grimmjow put his arms behind his head.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, "Now, batshit, why the fuck are you here?" he finally asked, as Ulquiorra leaned against the nearby wall, looking all so desperately wanting to put his hands in his pockets.

"Orihime Inoue revived me using her Shun Shun Rikka. Her reasoning believing I deserve a second chance, though I doubt that is all of the reason." he stated simply, closing his eyes calmly.

"Well? Why the hell haven't you killed the little shit and returned back to Hueco Mundo already?" he asked, leaning more towards Ulquiorra.

His expression tightened a bit. "I am in debt to this woman. Nonetheless I have no reason to do such, as Lord Aizen has been defeated. Along with that, this woman…" he subconsciously reached his hand up to his chest, before turning his gaze down to his hand. "...makes me feel things."

Grimmjow bursted out laughing, then slammed his arm down amusingly, then hissed and grimaced in pain as he snatched his arm that he slammed down painfully. "Feel things?! Hah! You really are a clueless bastard, aren'tcha?!" he yelled out, then bellowed out laughing again. Meanwhile Ulquiorra had the most unamused stoic face ever, as he watched the laughing fit of the former Sexta Espada.

Grimmjow opened his mouth to continue his minor verbal assault, when the sound of a key unlocking the door sounded itself. Both of the Espada shot their gazes over, and Grimmjow threw the large blanket over himself and laid flat on the couch. Ulquiorra looked at the very obvious clump. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up! You'll blow my cover!" he whisper-yelled as the door continued to rattle as the key struggled with the lock.

"What?"

"I don't want whoever the fuck that is to see my weak state-!" he whisper-yelled again, and then shut up as the door opened. Ulquiorra stiffened as the woman walked in with a few bags, Ichigo behind her.

"Thank you Ichigo, for helping me with the bags." she blushed as he put the bags down, and rubbed the back of his head. "Ay, it's no problem." he chuckled nervously, before looking at Ulquiorra. He winked.

Orihime hugged Ichigo, then waved. "Thanks again, bye!" she said as Ichigo waved, and walked down the steps. Orihime shut the door.

Ulquiorra looked at the clearly squirming Grimmjow under the covers, as Orihime smiled at him. "Anything interesting happen?" she asked as she walked over to Ulquiorra, and he used his eyes to point towards the obvious lump of covers on the couch. Orihime looked over, and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the lump.

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra again, and he looked back emotionlessly. Orihime cautiously approached the mysterious lump on the couch, as it slightly moved. She quickly made out a figure, a large one that. She let out an internal sigh, then inhaled sharply. 'One demon hasn't been too hard… two shouldn't be bad, right?' she thought, holding her breath.

She quickly ripped the blanket off, and was met with the very shocked eyes of Grimmjow, and then she let out a high pitched squeal and leaped back, as Grimmjow let out a yell and then sprung up from laying down.

Ulquiorra watched with slight amusement, as the two had a very intense staredown; Grimmjow clenching the back of the couch trying to hide his obvious pain from the yell, and Orihime on the floor breathing heavily. Both petrified.

Orihime was the first to break the terrified silence, "G- Grimmjow?!" she shrieked in terror, as he held his breath. "What a- are you d- doing here?!" she yelled as she reached her hands up slowly towards her hairpins in defense.

"Hey, chill. Emospada over there brought me in, don't blame me!" he retorted as he shook his hands, as she turned her gaze to Ulquiorra, who didn't decline it.

"He was severely wounded, and was in need of care. I did not think you would approve if I let him die out in your shrubbery in the backyard. It appears I am mistaken." he said as he stood up, getting ready to beat the shit out of the panther.

Orihime sprung up, "No! Don't kill him-!" she said as she walked over to Grimmjow, now noticing his very tattered up Kimono, and the bandages covering his shoulders and torso, with bruises, marks and dried blood all over his body. "What happened?" she finally asked, as she bent down in front of him and observed the lazily wrapped bandages, as the wound bled through them.

"Hey, princess, don't get so close." he said, pushing her slightly away, then groaned in pain as he bent over, clenching his stomach, almost falling off the couch. Orihime rushed and gave him some support, before helping him sit back up on the couch.

"I'm fine.." he hissed as she continued to look at the wounds, then stood up straight. She had a stern look on her face. "No, you're not fine. I'll heal your wounds, but I can't do much for your reishi…" she said as she placed her hands on her hairpins.

A golden shield shot around Grimmjow, as the wounds started to heal, although slowly. "I said I'm fine, princess. I don't need your damn fairies." he said as he tried to stand up, then his knees quickly buckled over as he was barely caught by Orihime. "No, lay back, I'll heal you." she said as she rested him back on the couch.

Grimmjow scoffed, but did appreciate it as the pain mainly in his shoulders and torso began to fade. Although, he'd never say it aloud.

"I was fighting some damn hollows and got pushed by the Arrancar I was fighting alongside with through a garganta. He threw me here." he grumped as he crossed his arms, as she focused on the healing bubble. "I see." she mumbled.

Ulquiorra observed closely as all the cuts under the dried blood faded, closing up. The bleeding through the bandages stopped, and the shield faded. "There, you just need to clean up. You're still weak from exhaustion and overdoing yourself though." she said as he stood up, then hesitantly leaned against her. "I'll help you to the bathroom." she said as the two limped over to the nearby bathroom.

Ulquiorra watched as Orihime helped him into the bathroom, then told him something inaudible. She rushed upstairs then came down moments later with some clothes, and handed them to him. She turned to Ulquiorra. "I told him to stay in the house and help himself to the food. How fast do you think you can get us to Kisuke's?"

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrow, then closed his eyes. "Five minutes."

x.x.x

Orihime couldn't help but yell out in delight as the mid-day air brushed through her auburn hair, as she clenched the shoulders of her former captor, as they soared through the skies. "This is great!" she beamed as she smiled brightly.

Ulquiorra tried his best to ignore the intense beating in his ears as he felt the side of her face lay against his back, snuggling into his inky black locks. "Thank you, Ulquiorra." she whispered velvety, sending shivers down his spine.

He needed to get to Kisuke's fast, otherwise he didn't know how much more he could endure of feeling the woman on top of him.

He turned down suddenly, spotting the shifty shopkeeper's place, and dived down, causing Orihime to latch her arms around his neck tightly, almost causing him to gag at the suddenness of the tight hold.

He slowly landed, and Orihime slowly slid off his back as he straightened himself. She quickly ran towards the shop, and opened the doors, Ulquiorra following suit. As usual, the messy blonde haired shopkeeper sat calmly, legs resting over the counter, fan open.

"Well! I've been getting quite a few visits from this particular couple recently, eh? What brings you guys to my small candy shop today?" Kisuke asked, leaning forward in his seat. Orihime wasted no time and walked forward, "Grimmjow, the 6th Espada well, er-" she glanced over at Ulquiorra, and he finished her sentence."He fell in her backyard severely weakened."

"Ooh, quite interesting. Where is he now?" he said slowly, a shadow covering his rusty grey eyes. "He's back at my place, we've got it under control for now, but we need a restricted gigai as fast as possible."

"Mm, haven't seen you this serious in awhile, dear Orihime. Don't worry, I've gotten a few done after this little case of our dear cuatro here. Let me grab one from the back."

Orihime gave him her thanks, and the shifty shopkeeper hobbled into the back.

The way there was already torturing enough for Ulquiorra, and now he had to hold two body weights. "There! There's my house!" Orihime yelled out, pointing down. Ulquiorra began to dive down, clenching onto the heavy restricted gigai below him. He dropped it into a bush and landed, as Orihime slid off his back.

"I'm glad the house is still intact!" She beamed, as she skipped towards the house. Ulquiorra threw the gigai over his shoulder, and walked towards the house. The two entered the house and instantly were met with the terrible smell of burnt popcorn. "Egh!" Orihime yelled, covering her nose and mouth with her hands.

Ulquiorra just scrunched his nose up. "Grimmjow, what did you do?" Ulquiorra snipped, as the blue haired Espada poked his head out from the kitchen. "I think I burnt it."

"Oh, Grimmjow!" Orihime laughed from behind her hands, then ran into the kitchen. Ulquiorra threw the gigai onto the couch and wandered in, trying his best to ignore the terrible smell that kept assaulting his nose.

He leaned against a wall, as some inaudible banter went on between the two in the kitchen. Moments later, Orihime guided him into the living room and pointed at the gigai. "See? When you enter that gigai, people will be able to see you. You won't be as weak anymore and you don't have to consume souls anymore!" she beamed as he went over and inspected the gigai.

"Hm… I mean human food isn't that bad. I could go for living off of just that, and not souls. I'm tired of being weak anyways!" Grimmjow yelled out the last part vigorously, and Orihime and him high-fived each other.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, "Hmph, do not sugarcoat it, woman." he quipped at her, as Grimmjow cracked his neck, and Orihime stood behind him. "Since you're already in a soul, I've just gotta give you a quick nudge…" she mumbled, then suddenly shoved him forward into the gigai, and it absorbed his soul.

"Ow! I could've done it myse-" he stopped. His voice. Grimmjow sat up and looked up at Orihime in horror. "W- What the hell?!"

Orihime bursted out in a giggling fit, as a barely audible amused scoff could be heard from Ulquiorra's direction.

"Why am I so short?! What the fuck?!" he yelled as he jumped down from the couch, and looked at his softer smaller hands. Orihime was crumpled over on the floor squeezing her stomach as she continued to laugh, and Grimmjow ran over to the stand-up mirror.

He let out the most masculine gasp he could muster up, then ran his small hand over the softened out teeth on his hollow mask. He ran his hand through his softer hair, then dropped his hands down. He shot around to Ulquiorra and Orihime, and clenched his fists. "Is this some kind of joke?!"

That only made Orihime laugh louder, as Ulquiorra walked over to him. "When I first arrived, I was forced into an immature human version of my body as well. It's to regain your strength until you're able to sustain the weight and needs of an adult gigai." Ulquiorra explained, as Grimmjow glared up at him.

He let out a groan of disapproval, then slapped his hand to his forehead. He walked over to Orihime, then bent over her. "Quit laughing, princess!" he yelled as he tugged at her hair, and she squealed while laughing. "Ow! Stop that hurts!" she laughed out, as he glared at her.

Orihime let out one last amused sigh, then laid looking at the roof. "I'm going to guess it's the same situation then, right Ulquiorra?" she asked as he crossed his arms, and nodded. Suddenly, her eyes shrank and she shot up. "Oh my god! School!" she screeched as she shot her glance over to the clock.

She looked over at the Grimmjow who had oversized clothes on, then snatched him up. "I'll get you some of Sora's baby clothes, I'm already late as hell!" she yelled as she ran around with him.
"Put me down lady! I should be the one kidnapping you! What situation!? Agh!" he squealed as she ran up the stairs.

Ulquiorra crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, listening to the thumps upstairs. At least he'll be able to get some peace and quiet.

"Princess! Stop, you're going to strangle me!" Grimmjow yelled as she bolted towards the door and slid her shoes on and snatched her backpack. She let out a nervous chuckle and let him slide off her, and he dusted off his brand-new small jeans. He didn't mind the new outfit; white t-shirt, dark jeans, an open dark blue jacket and some simple shoes.

She turned back to Ulquiorra, "Ulquiorra, I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you what to do while I'm gone!" she beamed as she adjusted her backpack. He gave a simple nod, and with that, the two were out the door.

Author's Note: Yes! Grimmjow bois! I know like everyone pulls Grimmjow in,, but I couldn't help myself! Next chapter will be orienting around him and Orihime a bit just to gain trust, but don't worry, we'll get some Ulquiorra and Ulquihime action too, and next chapter a ton!

As always, positive and negative reviews are appreciated!