Disclaimer: I don't own anything! I just own the ideas is all!

Author's note: I just came out with another story! Also, another is on the way so go check em' out if you love me! (lol) Anywho, let me know what you think of this story!

One more thing! This Chapter is dedicated to RenjisGirl12 for giving me the inspiration to write! Thank you~!

Chapter 4: Target: Ichigo

Opening the door was the easy part. Once it closed behind me I felt exposed…vulnerable to the world I didn't know before and didn't know now. It had been several years since I had been here and in those years so much had changed…Some parts of the city had been destroyed- most likely done by Aizen himself when he lead his little demolition when I was KO-ed; some of the other buildings looked new and finally replaced by simple, yet effective architecture. Why the hell was I admiring the scenery? "Welcome back Grimmjow." I muttered to myself as I continued to scan the area. Nothing seemed familiar, except for the fact this was Karakura town, but other than that it seemed like I had landed on Mars- completely alienated. Hell, who knows…maybe I was on Mars- I did say I was a tad rusty on creating the door way from Hueco Mundo to the Human World. Well, damn. Unfortunately I didn't see any four-eyed, eight limbed critters running and scurrying about…so this was Earth and not Mars. No Martians today. Sad day…A sad day indeed.

Glancing around at the humans that strode easily past me without a second glance, I felt an anger rise up inside of me. They weren't paying any attention to me. Not at all. I was a fucking Espada for damned sakes! I had a gaping hole in my chest! I had a bone fragment on my cheek, and on top of that my looks were damn right amazing! So- oh…yeah. "I'm in this…this gigai? Was that what they called this thing?" Rolling my eyes, I swallowed a deep breath of air before I began to walk the side walks as if I were a mere commoner. Ha. If these roaches knew who they were walking beside they'd be begging for their lives right now! Grimmjow, I, wasn't to be taken lightly! I was a freaking Hollow! I eat these things for food!

But here I was playing the Hero.

That word left a bad taste in my mouth…I didn't even have to speak it and yet I still felt the grossness of the non-bad word. Bleh. And on top of that I was technically human for the time being. Human. Some part of me, I don't really know what part buried deep within, actually enjoyed the feeling of it. No one stared at me like I was some freak or a monster. No one coward in fear of me and my sight or abilities. But then that dominate side of me, the Espada, detested the mere thought of being human- They are food Grimmjow…You aren't food. You are king. Show them Grimmjow! Show them what you are and why you are to be king of this realm! Humph, how annoying was this damn voice in my head, telling me to rip these measly humans apart. As much as I wanted to- I couldn't and wouldn't. At least, I reasoned with myself, until I was done with this Hero gig and back as the bad guy. Why did I have to do this exactly? Oh, yeah- because I said I fucking would. What the fuck was going through my head at that moment? But then again…I could just forget about this mission and just waltz outta' sight; never to be heard from again. The dumb bastards gave me such room- leeway…as if they trusted me. Trust. Ha. Another word I was unable to really understand. No one understood that word in the world of Hueco Mundo, no one understood anything but power, ambition, greed, hate, and what not…

A very lovey-dovey place is it not?

Stopping abruptly on the side walk I felt oddly down, my spirits were at an all time low and my desire to really do…anything was as strong as the rock that I was about to step on. It didn't feel like moving and neither did I. Something didn't feel right. I felt…alone? Was that it? I never did care about such trivial things…so why now? All of the other Espada were dead… "I'm the only one left." I bluntly stated to myself. "I'm the last fucking one left." Of course there were other Arrancar now, and possibly new Espada chosen. But none of them were the former members of the squad that Aizen had led. I hated them all…or at least most of them. But still, I never did give a rat's ass about any of them- if they died or lived, but now… "I'm definitely losing it." I hissed under my breath as some people shot glances at me. I was in the middle of the side walk, muttering to myself. Great. Now the people of this place thought I was a complete loon.

Well, they weren't completely wrong…I was losing my mind. Or at least, so I thought-

Finally getting the will to move, my stride was easy, yet tense. I continued to walk around the city, attempting to pick up any clues to the where-abouts of the orange-haired annoyance. But to my dismay- nothing. Absolutely nothing. But then again, trying to find him here when his own friends couldn't locate him was a retarded idea. They were all born and raised here, so the first place they would've looked would have been here. So…where else would he go? Feeling more than irritable, I punched the closest thing next to me…which happened to be a human. He/she flew backward into the wall, landing on hit with a loud thud against it. "Shit!" I spat as I whirled around to see whom I hit (thank God…or whatever I am to thank I am in this gigai). The person was a male, his emerald green eyes stared up at me in a questioning manner, but he didn't say a word. There was no pain in his eyes, nor anything else for that matter. They seemed…vacant. The same vacant stare that belonged to…No. It couldn't be…

The male took a breath before asking, "Why did I deserve that stranger? Is it my turn?" His movements were very simple, graceful almost. Like it was easy to live. Easy to take a punch. Just like- "I take your silence as a yes." He murmured in reply as his fist made contact with my gut. Again, no emotion laced his face after he punched me- he did nothing but begin to walk away like this whole ordeal was something normal.

Staggering back, I couldn't tell if it was because I was in gigai that it hurt…or because he was- "Ulquiorra…" I breathed- how could he? All of the Espada were dead! And Ulqiorra never had a gigai. This human bore no mask fragment or the crushing spiritual pressure that the Fourth Espada possessed. So why the hell did he look so much like him? It was unnerving staring into his eyes…those demonic eyes that looked down on me for so many years. Those eyes that made me of all people feel insignificant.

"Who?" He asked his eyes still unfazed by anything. "I'm sorry, but you've mistaken me for someone else stranger." The man took another glance at me before turning his head away from me…

"Ulqirroa! It's me…Grimmjow!" I blurted before I really had a chance to think about what I had just said…damn I sounded completely desperate. It pissed me off- I wanted to punch myself in the gut for just saying that. Shaking my head I couldn't help but feel emotionally distraught. Maybe I was just seeing things and this guy really didn't look like him. But again why? I didn't care about him, or, hell, any of them!

"Grimmjow?" The other male quietly repeated while his unemotional eyes scanned me, "You remind me of some one." He finally said after a few moments as his hand went to his left pocket to pull out a vibrating phone. "Hello?" He asked into the phone- moments later his lips curved into a small (very small) smile while nodding his head as he listened to whomever was talking to him. "I'm around the corner." And with that a girl emerged after closing his cell phone. She bore long orange hair that complimented on her bright eyes- she seemed too happy for her own good. She was all smiles as she met up with the Ulqiorra look alike. That is…until her eyes met with mine.

"You…." She breathed, her eyes widened in disbelief and what seemed to be fear. For some reason I was really beginning to hate that look. I absolutely became drunk off of such a look before…when I was an Espada. When had so much changed? Was it because I slept for so long? No…Grimmjow you are just dreaming! That's it. This is all a dream and when I tell Ulqiorra about this later he will give me that non-feeling look and call me an idiot and walk away. That's what will happen. I know it will.

Yeah…right.

"You're that girl…" I responded to her one word sentence with a quiet tone of voice. "The one that Ichigo protected all those years ago." I wanted to get out of here. I didn't want to see anyone else that reminded me of the old days…I wanted things to be normal again. When I was feared (and I enjoyed it). When killing humans was a plus rather a minus. When I was actually an Espada and not some human loving hollow hippie! Dammit! Things were going down hill for me. Damn. Damn. DAMN. "I'm not after you…" I added hoping that expression plastered on her face would disappear when I extended the peace offering of good will. Ugh. This was just humiliating.

Like I had hoped her expression softened into a delicate smile. "I see…" She murmured as she held her hands in a child-like manner. She hadn't really changed much- the only difference was a scar that ran across her right cheek. From what I didn't want to know, nor did I wish to ask. Some things were better left unsaid. "Welcome to the human world then." She suddenly blabbed, the boy beside her only grinned at her innocence. It, to me, was irritating.

"Orihime, we should get going." The onyx haired male stated before he began to walk in the opposite direction of where I was standing. "We are about to be late for out reservation."

The girl nodded but stood next to me, "I'll follow you in a minute!" She called after him before turning my attention onto me. Her eyes locked with mine…it felt as if she were reading my very inner being. It felt damned weird, but I said nothing as she continued to say nothing. It seemed forever before she finally concluded, "You seem to be lonely." Before I could protest she then threw a curve ball at me, "He is Ulquiorra."

Looking back at her, my eyes narrowed. "First of all I am not the fuck lonely. Second- how the fuck can that be him? He's dead! They are all fucking dead and I'm the last one left! The only reason why I'm alive is because of that damn Ichigo who is no where to be fucking found!" I felt myself venting my anger out on this poor girl…she didn't deserve it, but I needed to badly take it out on something. She was just the unlucky one. Later I'd go kill some random Hollows. Hopefully it'd ease the tension at least a little bit.

Then the crying came.

I inevitably regretted taking out my frustrations on the girl. Ha, Ichigo would have my balls for this. I inwardly laughed at the thought, knowing full well, that Ichigo wouldn't do a damned thing. He was hiding from the world- God or whomever only knowing why. What ever it was- needed to wait because of this girl crying up a storm. "Look- I didn't mean to…" My voice trailed, not exactly knowing what to say to comfort her into stopping that horrid crying. Great, now I was being what they called 'nice' to her. Things continued to go down hill- as if falling down it was bad enough, now it was as if someone stuffed me in a tire and rolled me down.

The girl sniffled and looked up at me, "You mean it?" She asked her voice unstable and her eyes threatened to spew out fountains again.

"I- uh…." I had no choice, "Yea…"

"Oh okay!" She instantly went from gloom and doom to bright and happy. As if she had a switch that made all the bad and nasty disappear. I gapped at that, I could feel my eye begin to twitch at the sight as well. I was played. And played good. "Look, Grimmy, there is a lot to explain…" I grimaced at the nickname she gave me- Grimmy? What the hell kind of nickname was that? But again before I could respond with a witty come back, her voice became serious, "but to summarize, do you know what happen to Espada when they die?"

"The hell should I know?"

Her eyes motioned toward the direction the boy that looked like Ulquiorra had gone. "They lose all their memories and become human."

"That's so full of shit that it stinks." I pinched my nose to emphasize how much of this crap I believed. There was no way he was Ulquiorra. He was dead. Deader than a door nail as the ole' saying went. "I don't need your pity for me nor do I need this shit. I'm leaving."

Before I took a single stride, she grabbed my arm- "Grimmjow, that is him. I swear it." And with that, she released my arm before turning around to go her own way. The same way that 'Ulquiorra' had gone.

This whole ordeal really made me think. Could it really be him…? And if he weren't why would that girl be with him? "Whatever." Right now wasn't the time to dwell on the past. He was gone and that was that. Espada didn't become human after they died. When they died that was it. Growling, I took my leave. I would investigate on the matter later, for now, finding clues was priority number one. Ichigo had been gone a long time it seemed. The entire town all claimed his absence had been over a year when I had asked earlier in the day. For now: I wasn't making any progress. It was a damn stand still. AND what made matters worse was: I. Had. No. Money.

My stomach growled in reply to my thought. Eh, there should be some small fry Hollows about…I could eat those. Shaking my head, I knew there were more pressing matters at hand. Food wasn't one of them. I could last weeks without such. But, then again, I had only woken up a few hours ago…so who knew when the last time I ate was. "Shit." I cursed under my breath while following the path of the side walk until there was none left. "I'm lost as fuck."

"I think you could use a hand Grimmy." DAMN again with the nickname.

"Who-" I turned around to see a man with tattoos galore and bright red hair pulled back into a spiky (I do mean spiky) ass pony tail that could poke out an eye. His black kimono made it clear what he was. "Oh- its you."

"Renji. It's Renji. C'mon Grimmy say it with me! Re-n-ji." Again my eye responded by twitching. Later on I'd need to get it checked out, because it won't stop because of these people. And hell! I've only been awake for hours! It hadn't been a full day yet!

"I know who you are." I muttered as I attempted to ignore him. "And I don't need you're help!" The ignoring, unfortunately, wasn't going as smoothly as I had hoped.

"Look, Grimmjow, I can help- I've been looking for him too. And I think I've found something on his location." He grinned at me with his Renji-just-won grin. Ha. Sooner or later I'd smack that grin off his face and onto the concrete. I was really getting annoyed with all of these appearances. Like hell I wanted to see any of these people.

"What kind of information?" I asked anyway, I needed any kind of lead I could get my grubby little paws on. "It better be good." I threw in.

Renji's playful expression was now gone and his face was now hard, "I've been told that a lot of Hollows have been disappearing lately from here." He pointed at a location on the map he was showing me. "They say something has been wiping them out. And some have even claimed to see a orange haired boy…with a mask-" Renji then took in a sharp breath of air before continuing, "They also said he's been devouring them. In droves." Renji's eyes held a fear for his best friend…if this was truly him then things were not good. To be honest, I had no idea that this could be the reason why he had left…could the Hollow part have gotten the best of him? Is that why he sent the others away? And told them never to follow? What else was Ichigo hiding?

"We need to go now." I replied. "C'mon." I had already accepted the fact that this Renji was going…there was no stopping him and I did need the info he had already collected on his own time. It was much easier this way (at least for me).

The red head nodded, but then threw in, "Let's go back to Kiske's…I need some things before we go."

Growling, I crossed my arms and dealt with it. "It's almost nightfall any way. We will leave in the morning." I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, but even with years of sleep, I was exhausted. My limbs weren't used to actually moving and whatnot, so resting a bit before leaving was a good idea. Sighing, I began to follow my newest team member toward this 'Kiske's' home...as I did so, my thoughts and fears began to float about in my mind. If worse came to worse…would we have to kill Ichigo? If he truly had gone berserk would that be so? My eyes went from the ground to the sky. At the moment only a single star lit it…and with that one star one of the memories with my childhood friend resurfaced. A chant about a single star in the sky…of course I couldn't remember it, but it still brought a smile to my face. At least something eased me finally.

Star light star bright- the first star I see tonight…

Chapter end~

Author's note:

WHEW this is the longest chapter I've ever written! And they continue to grow longer! ;D I hoped you enjoyed his chapter kiddies!

Let me know how you think the story is coming along! Thank you for reading~!

Next Chapter: Monster

~Corie