A/N- Please leave a review telling me how I can improve, or any errors I made. I will try to write characters as in character as possible, but I might have to bend them a little for the sake of the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Warning: Non- Ulquihime pairing in this chapter. I couldn't resist. I feel so ashamed.

Chapter 10

The Truth According to Grimmjow, the Wedding draws Near

Tousen withdrew his sword, and Okashii fell to the ground. Without a sound, the spy had fallen. She had failed again.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

April 23rd, 1852

"Abby!" Matt called loudly, searching the rocks near the river for the missing girl. "Damn it! Where are you?" he yelled. Where could she be hiding?

When he finally found her, she was huddled up in a ball behind some tall trees, tear marks stretching down her cheeks. Upon seeing him, she violently tried to wipe the tears from her reddened eyes, only to have more come.

He crouched down next to her, and the second he was within her reach, she threw her arms around his waist and sobbed into his chest. He stiffened, but then sighed and wrapped his arms around her. Affectionate actions like this always made him very uncomfortable, but unfortunately Abigail seemed very fond of them. A thorn in his side, sure, but what're you going to do?

"It was –hiccup- so painful. He –hiccup- yelled at me, and –hiccup- hit me," she cried into his chest. Matt bit his lip in anger.

Almost a year ago, when he and Ben had first brought Abigail back to their father, Morris Walker, he had been very angry at them for asking for him to care for a girl who couldn't work off the money she cost. Unlike Elizabeth's father, Morris didn't own a shop where a girl could work. He was a gold miner, and while Ben and Matt could help him with that, Abigail simply didn't have the strength. Once her cough had healed, though, and her body filled out from regular meals, their father seemed to notice that Abigail was unusually attractive. Then, like the sick bastard he was, their father decided he could whore her out to the bastards in this town.

Abigail never complained, but whenever she thought no one was looking she would burst into tears, clutching her often bruised arms. It hurt Matt to see her like this, but it downright killed Ben. Ben had strong feeling for Abigail, Matt knew, and the resentment towards their father had swelled drastically since Abigail had been living with them.

Sometimes, late at night, when Abigail was asleep, the two brothers would talk. In the tiny room the three of them shared, they would make plans to kill their father, and leave this hell-hole once and for all. They never went through with them, but it was therapeutic just thinking about it.

As he held her, he murmured softly," It's over now, Abby." She snuggled further into his chest. Her sobs slowly died down, and her breathing evened out. Great, he thought, she's asleep. He sighed, then lifted her in his arms. Even when she was eating regularly, she was still very light. A small leather sack sat next to where she had been sitting. There was money in it. The payment, Matt thought bitterly.

Something looked wrong. Matt couldn't count well, but even he could tell there was less than half the money their father demanded. Not good, Matt thought. Morris would undoubtedly blame Abby for this. Who knew what he would do to her? She was already bruised enough as it was. He grabbed the bag.

He made his way over to where Ben was searching for Abigail, careful not wake her. Upon seeing Abby safe, Ben look relieved. He ran over to where they were and whispered," Where did you find her?"

"Behind some trees," Matt whispered back," but that's not important. Look in the bag."

Ben leafed through the bank notes grimly. He looked at Matt. "We can't let Father see this," he stated. He stared worriedly at the sleeping Abigail. He turned back to Matt.

"Take Abigail and the bag to Elizabeth, and ask her for some money. I'll go back to Father and tell him we still haven't found her since she disappeared last night. Try not to wake her. We'll bring her back with the money and say she must have fallen asleep on the way home."

Matt nodded, "Fine."

Ben turned and walked back in the direction of the house. After a couple of steps he stopped and turned towards Matt. "Don't let her get hurt."

"As if," Matt snorted. Ben cracked a semi-smile, and continued on his way.

Matt walked through the forest by the river, avoiding anywhere where he might be seen. He had to take the long way to town to avoid places where other people were, but after a while he came to the back of the Golden Sun. He picked up a rock and threw it at the back door, hoping that Elizabeth was still working and not her father.

Luck was on his side, and Elizabeth walked out a moment later with an irritated expression, but that melted away when she saw Abigail lying limply in Matt's arms. She ran up to him and whispered," What happened?"

He explained it to her, and her expression turned grim. She gestured for him to follow her, and led him into the store. She pulled out a wooden box filled with bank note, and silently counted out the bills. "Father will kill me for this," she whispered softly, but she didn't stop counting out bills. She handed them to him. "Will that be enough?" she asked.

"I guess," he replied. She smiled grimly.

"Is she alright?" she motioned to Abigail.

"I don't think so," Matt muttered," She shouldn't be able to sleep through this. I think the bastard who… had her last night did something to her."

A bell rung form the front of the store, and Elizabeth spun around as a customer strode in. He eyed her condescendingly and drawled," Can't tell if you're a lad or lass."

She glared but asked calmly," What can I do for you?"

He started to answer, but caught sight of Matt, and Abigail in his arms. He grinned lecherously. "Well, if it isn't my little playmate from last night. Are you having a go with her, boy?"

Matt's eyes clouded and he said without turning away from the man," Elizabeth, take Abby."

Elizabeth bit her lip but reach forward to take the lighter girl from Matt's arm. "Take this outside," she commanded shakily," My father really will kill me if there's blood on the floor." Matt nodded, still staring at the man, who looked bemused. Matt took a step forward.

He began walking towards the door, his murderous intent almost choking the air. The older man seemed completely unaffected. "Matt!" she called before he was outside. She hesitated, but finally said," Don't you dare die."

He turned to look at her, and smirked. "As if," he answered. Without another word, he walked outside, into the heat of the day.

The older man followed lazily. "You're Morris's boy, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, what's it to a dead man?"

The man smiled mockingly. "He's a good man. Hope he taught you how to fight."

Matt grinned, slowly and wickedly. Fast as lightning her pulled a knife out of his boot, and leaped forward. A second later, a slash appeared across the man's chest. The older man looked down in shock.

"I taught myself," he answered, cackling sadistically. He felt a sharp pain from his left arm, but he ignored it. His adrenaline was running the show now. He picked up a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it on the wound he had inflicted. The man howled in pain. Calmly, almost as an afterthought, Matt brought his foot up between the man's legs. The older man collapsed on the ground, moaning in pain.

Men of the town had gathered around them to watch the fight, and were staring at Matt with fear. He turned to them, grinning maniacally, and informed them," Anyone else who touches Abigail will get the same thing. Now scram!" The men slowly backed up, and left Matt in a hurry. He turned to the older man.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he taunted to the fallen man, who groaned pitifully in response.

He turned back towards the shop, where Elizabeth stood silently, wide-eyed and pale. She looked moderately horrified. Matt's expression turned annoyed. He was the good guy, damn it! Why'd she have to stare at him with such fear?

He walked up to her and wordlessly took Abigail into his arms again. "I'm going home," he informed her. She shook her head fervently.

"Left arm," she whispered hoarsely. He glanced down at his left arm and saw blood soaking through the sleeve of his shirt. How had he not noticed that? How much blood had he lost? The adrenaline was receding, and he could feel the pain more clearly now. He sat down on the ground, hard. Elizabeth turned and ran towards the back of the store where they kept bandages and medicine. Matt felt surprisingly calm, despite the pain. He couldn't understand why Elizabeth was so frantic. He couldn't have lost that much blood, could he?

The jolt of Matt sitting down had somehow stirred Abigail from her coma-like slumber, and she saw his blood leaking from the wound he had sustained. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She jerked out of his arms and quickly tore off the shirt of her dress, wrapping it around the wound like a tourniquet. She looked as panicked as Elizabeth, but all Matt could focus on was the fact that her torn dress gave him a great view of something Ben would kill to see. He felt himself smirk. Ben would cut his arm off for this view, not that the prick would ever admit it. It was too frikin' hilarious that Matt got to see it.

Abigail followed his gaze and saw his smirk and shrieked. "Lecher!" she screamed indignantly. He raised an eyebrow at her, as if her reaction was completely unjustified. Her cheeks were flushed a beautiful pink, like the pink of a sunset. He could see why Ben liked her so much. Not to mention she had a chest that surpassed most adult women. Matt was acutely aware of that.

He felt a strong urge rise in his blood; the urge to kiss her, to claim her. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not jump the poor girl. The poor shirtless girl…

He stamped down the thoughts. His breathing was uneven, and Abby mistook it for a sign of blood loss. She leaned closer to him, looking concerned. She clutched his arm tighter, hoping to sop the bleeding, and he snapped. Self-control be damned. He never was a big fan of it anyway.

He jumped forward, so she was sprawled on the ground, him hovering over her. Her doe eyes widened further, looking both afraid and excited. She had mixed feelings about this. Matt could care less.

"M… Matt? What're you doing?" she asked nervously.

He leaned in, so his mouth was right next to her ear. "Shh," he purred lowly. A small shudder worked through her. He grinned predatorily, like a panther looking at particularly delicious prey.

He pressed his lips against hers softly, forcing himself to be gentle with the fragile girl in front of him. He didn't want to be like the men who took advantage of her; he wanted her to want it. He wanted her to enjoy it. Not that he would go that far, though.

She was confused, he could tell. Part of her was enjoying the gentleness of his kiss, while another part of her couldn't let go of who she was doing this with. Not a problem, Matt thought confidently. He knew how to make her forget all her worries.

Slowly, he slid his tongue against her lips asking for entrance. Just a formality, of course, because a second later his tongue was in her mouth, softly moving around. She mewled softly against him, clearly enjoying herself against her better judgment.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, something occurred to him. Where was Elizabeth? She had left to the back a long time ago. It was this thought that broke him out of his Abby-centered reverie. He broke away from Abigail and looked towards the back of the shop. Elizabeth stared shell-shocked at their less-then-proper position. Ben stood behind her, his expression a mix of hurt, anger, and confusion.

Matt cursed quietly. What was he supposed to say? Being on top of a girl who was shirtless and kissing normally implied something else, and Matt could see that thought working it's way through Ben's head.

Suddenly Ben's face cleared, an apathetic mask being skillfully composed. "Elizabeth said you got shot," he said in a monotone," but you appear to be fine."

So that's what happened to his arm. One of the guys crowded around him must've shot him with a pistol. How did he not hear that? Come to think of it, that explained why the people around him were staring at him as if he were a monster. He shook his head to bring him back to the matter at hand.

"Look, Ben-," Matt started, before getting interrupted.

"Don't bother," Ben said coldly. "Do what ever you want. I don't care." Without another word, he turned around and exited the store, leaving and irritated Matt behind him. Elizabeth walked forward shyly, handing her coat to the topless Abigail. Abby accepted it, sitting up, clearly confused with the past five minutes. This was screwed up. Son of a bitch.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aizen sat high in his throne, with his 2nd Espada kneeling before him. The wedding was tomorrow, and in order to prevent the whole 'Okashii incident' from repeating itself, he had told Halibel to spend as much time with Orihime as possible. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow would be there too.

"As you wish, Lord Aizen," Halibel replied. She seemed distracted, and Aizen had had many reports of her wandering aimlessly around Stark's domain. He wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but he couldn't ignore the evidence that was making itself painfully clear.

"Halibel," he said in his most paternal voice," what do you think of Stark?"

She carefully considered this. "He is lazy, and not particularly clever, but he has speed and strength unmatched by any Espada, past or present. I believe he is an asset to your army," she answered.

Not what he had been asking at all, but he didn't press the issue. He dismissed her, and sat thinking. His arrancar shouldn't be experiencing love or affection. Halibel was first and foremost a hollow, and just because she was a girl didn't mean she would let emotions get in the way of obedience. He hoped not, anyway. He didn't want to find a new 2nd Espada.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Orihime and Grimmjow had soon lapsed into an awkward silence, neither having much to say to another. That's when Orihime realized, although she considered Grimmjow a friend, she knew next to nothing about him. She decided to try to find out more about him.

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" she asked.

A predatorily grin broke out on his face, and he all but purred," Don't think you want to ask that, Princess." She shivered.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked, hoping this would be a safer question.

He actually thought about that one. "Red," he finally answered. Orihime looked at him in slight fear. He sighed. "Not because it's the color of blood," he added. She looked considerably relieved.

"Then why?" she probed.

"Around here, it's the color of truth. But everything here is white, which is a lie. White, the color of purity, doesn't belong in Las Noches." He stared right into her eyes. "You don't belong here, for that matter."

She tried to digest that. It was true, of course, that she (a human) didn't belong in the world of hollows. Yet Grimmjow's words went deeper than that. She was so completely different; she contradicted the essence of Las Noches, just as much as the white walls did.

"So why are you here?" Grimmjow asked her again.

"I don't know," she answered again.

Why was she here? Why had Okashii left her with Grimmjow instead of Halibel or Ulquiorra? At first she had thought that they had been wandering around and Grimmjow's room had been closest, but that didn't seem likely. Okashii must have had a reason for leaving her with Grimmjow, as opposed to the others. What was Grimmjow doing that the others wouldn't? A thought struck her. What wasn't Grimmjow doing that the others would? Take her back to her room. Of course; Okashii obviously didn't want Orihime to be in her room. But why?

"Okashii…" she whispered to herself. Grimmjow's enhanced hearing caught it perfectly.

"How do you know Okashii?" he asked, sounding… hopeful? No, Orihime must be mistaken.

"We've… talked a few times," she answered unsurely.

"About what?" he pressed.

"Stuff," she answered vaguely.

He growled. Did he have to play twenty questions with her? Did she remember Abigail, or not? He was growing impatient. The wedding was tomorrow, and if she didn't remember Abigail, she could make a huge mistake. He did not want to resort to plan B. It looked like he wouldn't have much of a choice.

He stepped towards her, and she felt fear rise in the pit of her stomach. Why was he getting so close? Why was he staring at her shirt? Her heart beat faster. "G… Grimmjow? What're you doing?" she asked nervously. His eyes flashed, before he smiled slowly, predatorily.

"Shh," he purred lowly, recreating the scene as best he could. How far would he have to go before she remembered? She shuddered slightly. Next came the kiss. Why couldn't she remember on her own? She owed him, big time.

He kissed her softly, just as he had before, careful not to let his excessive strength hurt her. She was definitely doubtful about this kiss. Oh well, at least he hadn't torn off her shirt. She should be thankful for small mercies.

She almost lost herself. His kiss was so tender, so contradictory to his nature, that it was hard to think clearly. Yet she could quiet the voice in her head that was screaming at her that she was kissing another person she wasn't engaged to. But even that was hard to focus on when kissing Grimmjow Jaggerjaques.

His tongue prodded her lips for entrance and she froze. Not because she had had an attack of morals, which she would have welcomed, but because she felt an increasingly familiar spiritual pressure right out side the door, which was pushed open revealing Ulquiorra and Halibel.

You've got to be kidding me, Grimmjow thought darkly, as he detached himself from Orihime. How does this keep happening to me? Ulquiorra flashed forward, pushing Orihime back so that he stood between the two of them.

"What were you thinking?" Ulquiorra asked coldly, but his eyes asked,' How could you do this to me again?'

"The wedding is tomorrow," Grimmjow emphasized," I just wanted to help her relax."

Ulquiorra's eye flashed with comprehension. "And did it work?" he asked, sounding apathetic.

Grimmjow sighed," No."

"Halibel, please escort Orihime out of here," Ulquiorra said, his eyes still locked on Grimmjow's.

Halibel nodded, and began leading Orihime out of the room.

"Please don't fight!" she called desperately. "It's not his fault!" A complete lie, but she didn't care.

"Orihime," Halibel murmured lowly," Just leave it be." She waved her hand in front of Orihime's face, and the girl stopped struggling, falling limply into Halibel's arms. She carried her away.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow. "So she didn't remember?" he asked.

Grimmjow shook his head.

Ulquiorra sighed.

"She's been talking to Okashii," Grimmjow said suddenly.

"She has?" Ulquiorra asked. He remembered seeing the two of them together in Orihime's room. But that was before he knew…

"Even that didn't jog her memory," Grimmjow said in a frustrated voice. "Even talking to Elizabeth herself couldn't wake her up."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N- Okashii is the spy, the spy is Elizabeth… Things are heating up. So sorry if this chapter sounded rushed, because it was, and it was probably riddled with mistakes. Blame my sadistic teachers, who insist that any minute without homework is a minute unfulfilled.

PLEASE REVIEW. I love it when people add me to their alert lists, but I also like to hear what you guys have to say. See you all next week!