A/N: Hey guys! I've been incredibly irresponsible… I looked at when I last updated this story and it was on 2-10-12. That's almost four months ago…What happened to my reminders? I want to thank leurelayne for getting in touch with me after so long. I heart you! I want to thank everybody who reviewed, read the story, and added the story or myself to their favorites or alerts. You guys have shown a lot of support for this story which is why I'm updating this first. I had to go back and reread the last chapter and I have to say I love this story! I do make mistakes in grammar and I apologize for those (still no BETA). If I didn't like this story I probably wouldn't finish it. Anyway on with the story!

WAIT! Just wanted to warn you that I got really carried away writing and it ended up being a long chapter (20 pages worth), but it kind of makes up for the long absence? Am I forgiven? I'm working on another story update as soon as I'm done with this one…

Disclaimer: Still do not own anything sadly.

Rating: M

Currently listening to: Let Love Bleed Red by Sleeping with Sirens

Prelim

"Don't forget to submit your assignments online by midnight and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask," the dark haired professor said as closing for the day's lecture. "You can also print your chapter notes from the online learning website. Class is dismissed." Dark blue eyes swept through the small group of students before she made to put away her class roster and other belongings. Class sizes were small at the university and allowed for a more personal relationship between the professors and students.

"Professor Katō," Sakura called out to the young female as she approached her desk.

"Ah, Sakura and Ino," she said once she looked up and noticed the two younger females. "I've told you that you can address me by my first name; I'm not much older than you."

"Sorry… Shizune," the pink haired woman corrected. "Ino and I were actually wondering if there was any campus organizations related to the medical field that we can join."

Shizune smiled in satisfaction at the interest her two students were showing. "Actually there is— it's the Honor Society for our department. You will need a recommendation letter from two of your instructors, but seeing as to how you two are our most promising students I see no problem in you joining. Your lab instructor has already informed me of your continued progress in class."

"Isane is just being nice, she is really helpful and just makes everything so easy to understand," Ino offered as her cheeks tinged slight pink at the compliment and Sakura nodded her head.

Shizune laughed at the girls' awkwardness. "There's no need to be modest girls; I agree with her completely. No matter how easy we may make things as an instructor for our students to learn, if the desire is not there in the first place learning will not be possible." Her expression turned a little sad before she spoke again. "You also forget that not everybody here follows their path through choice."

Sadly it was true— in the world of the elite more often than not the young were obligated to follow some preordained path set by their families. Luckily this was not the case for them.

"You two show a passion and dedication for the medical field that we have not seen in a while and that is what we truly need. If you are this passionate now that the year has just started, I can hardly wait to see where you will be when you graduate." The smile had returned to Shizune's face and then she briefly shook her head. "Anyway, you can go speak to Retsu Unohana— she is the department head— and she will give you the application for the Honors Program. I'll be more than glad to write a recommendation letter for each of you."

"Thank you, Shizune," Sakura answered. "We will go see her as soon as possible."

"You're welcome and if there is anything else that I can help you with you know how to reach me."

As the two friends walked out of the classroom and into the busy hallway, Ino gave her a doubtful look. "So we're really going to do this?" Sakura looked at her before nodding enthusiastically. "It will get challenging since it is an Honor Society after all."

"When have you ever backed away from a challenge before, Ino?"

The blonde looked smug, "True…"

"See, so then it's settled then; we're both joining." As they walked out of the building a head of light blue hair caught her attention.

Ino saw her stiffen and turned her head in the direction where Sakura was looking. When she saw what had made her react that way she smiled. "When was the last time you saw him?"

It had been two weeks since the incident and Sakura had tried her best not to see the arrogant male, which was pretty difficult to do when they attended the same university, lived in the same building, on the same floor, and not to mention the fact that they were practically neighbors. She had memorized the times he came and went from the apartment almost perfectly— only so that she would not run into him.

At Sakura's silence Ino laughed incredulously. "You've been avoiding him!" She practically yelled. Sakura made to glare at her for the outburst but saw that the object of their conversation had already noticed them and was heading their way with a smirk on his face.

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It had been little more than two weeks since the last time he had seen her. At first he blamed it on the fact that she was a freshman and he a sophomore, but as the first week had passed and there were times he saw flashes of pink only to fully focus his attention and find out nobody was there, he knew it was no mere coincidence. They lived two doors away from each other for crying out loud! Pink was definitely avoiding him but it did not deter him in the least. He was bound to run into her sooner or later.

The morning was going just as it usually did— by the time he left his bedroom Ulquiorra and Tōshirō were long gone. His first class started after ten in the morning, waking up any earlier than that was just unnatural. Grimmjow walked down one of the many long sidewalks on campus on his way to his first class. Although the song he was listening to usually put him at ease, the wailing guitar riffs and trademark double-pedal-drums-backed-choruses that his favorite band was known for, it was doing absolutely nothing for him now. His thoughts were chaotic, constantly coming back to an emerald eyed female who had evaded him for the better part of two weeks.

Not far from him a flash of pink and yellow caught his attention and he quickly looked in that direction before it vanished like it had many times before. This time he was rewarded with the sight of the one who had plagued his thoughts moments before. She was accompanied by her blonde roommate and it looked like they had spotted him before he did; Pink was looking all around her as if searching for an escape. Now he was sure that she had been avoiding him. The two females were talking but he still wasn't close enough to distinguish the words. Right when Pink was about to make a run for it, he saw the other female grab her arm and he smiled, Blondie had quick reflexes.

He stood in front of them seconds later and the smell of cherry blossoms assaulted his senses, he inhaled deeply on reflex. He then immediately noticed her flushed countenance and how her breathing had become rapid despite the fact that she was desperately trying to control it, she had yet to meet his gaze. "Funny running into you here," Grimmjow said as a greeting and his voice came out lower than he had intended. It took him all of two seconds to see that the skin on her arms had prickled at the sound of his voice. He smirked, "I was starting to think you were avoiding me and I wouldn't see you again."

At that Pink finally looked up at him defiantly, the flush still present on her face. "Of course I haven't been avoiding you." She looked away nervously, "W-we just have different schedules, that's all."

Grimmjow knew she was lying, she was so easy to read, but he decided to leave it alone for now. She was standing right in front of him and he would make damn sure she wouldn't go disappearing on him again. "Where are you girls headed?" He decided changing the subject would put her at ease somewhat, why was she on her guard?

Her blonde companion decided it was her turn to intervene, "Sakura was actually headed to her next class." He could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she turned to look at her friend. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to walk with you to class like I wanted to. I have to meet up with Tatsuki before she goes to the dojo."

Grimmjow saw the look of realization plain on Pink's face as her face paled. "Wait, Ino-"

"Luckily, Grimmjow showed up he can walk with you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind," the blonde named Ino was now looking at him expectantly, strangely he preferred to address her as Blondie and it suited her better.

He recognized his cue. "Where's your next class?"

"In the Communications building," Pink answered several seconds later.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Fuck it, my class is in the Fine Arts building next door." He saw her flinch and he wasn't sure if it was from the idea of him walking her, from his word choice or perhaps both.

"It's settled then! Grimmjow can walk with you since it's on the way." The blonde girl smiled and Grimmjow was blinded momentarily. Blondie's just one big fucking ray of sunshine. She hugged her pink haired friend, "Don't forget that we're all going to get together for lunch at the Union. You are more than welcome to join us if you don't have any plans." Her deep blue eyes were now looking in his direction.

"Only if Pink doesn't mind me coming along."

Sensing Pink's apprehension Blondie interjected. "Well, I'm off. See you during lunch!" She was gone before either of them could reply.

They stood together in awkward silence until Grimmjow cleared his throat. He did not get nervous around the opposite sex, he was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez for fuck's sake! When he had her attention he spoke, "Lead the way." He placed his large hand on the small of her back and instantly regretted the action. Upon doing so he heard the sharp intake of breath from the small female as his hand came in contact with bare skin. She recovered before he did, but still not fast enough for both to realize the effect that brief contact had on them.

As she started to walk, Grimmjow finally had an opportunity to look at her. She was wearing her hair down and was free of accessories; her face looked almost completely natural, with only the minimum hints of make-up. She was wearing a long sleeve, black and white thin striped shirt that had a neckline that was a bit too wide and exposed her left shoulder. Now that her back was towards him he saw the reason for the skin on skin contact; the shirt was shorter on the back and was cinched together by a piece of black fabric. Her distressed, straight-leg jeans fit her curves just right and hung low on her hips exposing even more of her lovely back and Grimmjow was incredibly grateful for the view. As his eyes finished their path down her body, he saw black and white Chuck Taylor's on her feet then smirked as he looked at his own feet donning the same thing. The deep burgundy leather messenger bag that slung across her shoulders swayed in rhythm as she walked.

Finally looking over her shoulder once she noticed he had not followed, Pink tried to give him a smirk but failed miserably. "You comin'?"

As she stood there Grimmjow saw numerous male students looking her way and she remained blissfully unaware. He smirked mostly just to show her how a real one was done and was next to her in no time. His answer was a strong arm thrown over her shoulder as he half dragged her to class; he suppressed the urge to laugh when he heard her squeak and turn a deep shade of red as she fought to get away from the embrace but to no avail. Better he lay his claim now before anybody got the idea she was available.

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Sakura stumbled into class just as the professor walked in behind her. She dazedly sat down and took out her notebook to write notes. She was feeling too many different emotions at the moment and she didn't know how to react. She went through everything that had happened that morning and she realized that she was furious! Ino had left her alone with Grimmjow on purpose and then invited him to lunch! She was going to get her back for this one…

After she somewhat steadied her heartbeat, she thought back on Grimmjow and that despite all his teasing he actually seemed glad to see her again. Sakura could have sworn she saw relief on his face when Ino had stopped her from running away and she saw something else when Ino gave them that lame excuse for leaving and then inviting him to eat with them. She quickly shook her head to stop her thoughts from leading her down that route. Sakura didn't know much about him but she could tell he was a total playboy. Even though she was almost certain of that she still wanted to know him.

She liked how his mere presence was overpowering yet was softened somewhat by his hair and eyes that reminded her of the clearest skies. Sakura felt that he hid behind that strong exterior; something must have happened to make him so guarded. Strangely, Grimmjow reminded Sakura of herself. She briefly thought back on what had happened at the beginning of the summer and willed her bad thoughts away. She knew it was too much to ask for, but she hoped that he would be waiting for her when class ended even if it was to turn down the invitation for lunch. After avoiding him for the last two weeks, Sakura realized that she wanted to see more of him.

When class was dismissed and Sakura put away her belongings, it wasn't until then that she noticed she had taken out the wrong notes. She laughed at herself for being distracted to that point. As she exited the classroom she saw the person she had been secretly hoping to see standing out in the hallway waiting for her. When Grimmjow saw her look of surprise he gave her a real smile and shook his head before dragging her away from the crowd.

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As they walked to the Union, Grimmjow couldn't help but stare in wonder at Pink. When she saw him waiting for her after class she had been completely surprised, but then he saw what could only be interpreted as relief wash over her. Pink had been glad to see him there and that gave him the slightest bit of hope that he might be able to win her over. Then when he told her that he would be joining them for lunch he saw her try to hide the smile that threatened to reveal itself.

He was further intrigued as he saw her talk animatedly about her friends and offer warnings about some of them. He made a mental note of everything she said; he had already met her closest friend Ino, and he thought that was a good thing since Blondie was okay in his book. It was because of her that today had been possible. They had all known each other for almost their whole lives and were incredibly close. That was the main reason they planned to attend the same university together and had even managed to live in the same complex. Grimmjow wondered what families Pink and her friends came from if they had managed to pull those kinds of strings.

Then he remembered her last name, Sakura Haruno, and something clicked. It could not possibly be that Haruno— can it? He wouldn't outright ask her but in their circle there was only one Haruno that he knew of, Atsushi Haruno, the incredibly wealthy banker. He remembered his father mentioned several years back that he was married to a beautiful woman and had a daughter that looked just like her. If Pink was that daughter, her not flaunting her family's status was a good sign. He could count in one hand the people he had met in their circle that didn't— his roommate Tōshirō was among those few and that was why Grimmjow could tolerate him… he also had to admit the kid wasn't that bad.

Inside the Union he saw not much had changed since he had last been there; small groups of girls sitting together were scattered by the entrance and as soon as he walked in with Pink he felt all eyes on them followed by furious whispers. It reminded him of precisely why he had stopped going there in the first place and opted for eating off campus or at the apartment. When he glanced over at the envy of the other females, he saw that she had not noticed the attention she was getting and had a smile on her face. Grimmjow felt the tug of half a smile on his lips.

As they approached the heart of the Union he saw a large group gathered at the northernmost corner; Grimmjow had never seen a large group appear so… happy. When a few of them noticed their arrival he heard them call out to the pink haired female.

"Sakura," a lavender eyed girl said as she approached them. He had never seen eyes like hers and her dark blue hair was another distinct characteristic; she looked almost doll-like.

"Hinata," Pink called the other girl as they hugged, "I haven't seen you all week."

Hinata nodded when they pulled away, "Since our last movie night but we will be getting together again on Friday. I believe this time it's at your apartment?" Grimmjow thought her voice matched the softness of her features perfectly.

Pink seemed to think for a moment. "You're right, it's our turn." When Hinata glanced briefly in his direction Pink took it as her cue for introduction. "Hinata, this is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Grimmjow this is another one of my closest friends, Hinata Hyūga."

He recognized the last name immediately it was just as he had thought. The Hyūga extended her hand towards him and he took it. "Nice to meet you, Grimmjow," then she smiled and thoughts of sunshine invaded his mind. He could only attempt to smile back.

Pink then proceeded to the person behind Hinata. "This is-"

"Tosh," he said for her and she looked at him questioningly. "He's my roommate," he answered her unasked question.

"Jaegerjaquez, never thought I'd see you here," the shorter male said as he looked in Hinata's direction.

It did not go unnoticed by Grimmjow and he lifted his eyebrow in question. "Is she the one-" Tōshirō quickly cleared his throat to interrupt him. The younger male had been spending less time at the apartment lately and when Grimmjow jokingly suggested it was due to a girl, Tōshirō quickly denied it. If the blush on his face now was any indication, the white haired male had been lying. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders to show his roommate that it was no big deal. The girl is very pretty at least he has good taste.

As they approached the table he saw that they were already eating. "Hinata tries to feed us at least once a week, it is a fairly large group but she loves doing it for some reason. None of us complain though because nobody can cook like she can." Laid out on the table he saw several trays packed with food and it all looked delicious, he felt his mouth water. Pink saw the look on his face and giggled.

A brunette stood up from her place and quickly embraced Pink in a hug. She pulled her away a bit from the rest of the group, "Somehow I'm not surprised to see him with you, did you finally give up on trying to avoid him?" She teased in a hushed voice but Grimmjow was still able to hear the conversation. He heard the brunette laugh and he turned to see that Pink had turned, well… pink.

He finally recognized the brunette, he vaguely remembered seeing her at the apartment when he had gone to return the MP3 player. "Grimmjow, this is my other roommate and best friend Tenten Xié." She looked to where Tenten had been sitting and she signaled one by one as she said their names. "That's her boyfriend Sasuke Uchiha, next to him is Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akimichi, then Tatsuki Arisawa, Orihime Inoue, Uryū Ishida, the tall one is-"

"You can just call him Chad," an orange haired guy interrupted and Pink laughed.

"The strawberry is Ichigo Kurosaki and the tiny girl sitting on his lap is his girlfriend Rukia Kuchiki."

"You're one to talk," the strawberry told Pink as he gestured towards her hair and she rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," she said as she continued pointing out the people gathered around the table. "The loud-mouth next to them is Naruto Uzumaki and next to him is-" Pink stared between the blonde and the brunette with piercings blankly.

The little one named Rukia nudged Naruto hard enough to almost knock him off his chair. "Hey, what was that for?" The loud mouth exclaimed. She sure wasn't lying when she said he was loud.

"You haven't introduced your friend to us, idiot." She stated obviously.

"A few of us have met him already but you don't bring somebody new to the group as a whole and not introduce him." Shikamaru interjected. "Geez, if I didn't know any better I'd swear nobody taught you any manners."

"Yeah, stupid you were too preoccupied over stuffing your face with Hinata's food," Sasuke offered and most of the table laughed.

"Don't be greedy, Uzumaki! Leave some for everybody." Chōji said while still chewing the food in his mouth.

"He's our roommate, Kiba Inuzuka." The Uchiha introduced him and the brunette waved his hand in a peace sign as greeting towards the group. Grimmjow was still debating whether the red fang-like markings on each of his cheeks were tattoos or birthmarks.

Naruto had just put another piece of rolled egg omelet in his mouth. Grimmjow wasn't sure if he had actually chewed his food before he swallowed and reached for another. "Well, you can't blame me! Oh man Hinata, nobody can cook like you can! If it were up to me I'd go over to your apartment everyday so I can get some of your homemade meals!"

"What are you talking about, you practically live there! You spend more time there than I do!" The one he remembered was Tatsuki pointed at him accusingly. Grimmjow saw Naruto flinch slightly at her tone and Grimmjow thought the smaller girl was gonna beat him up. He remembered Blondie had mentioned a Tatsuki and something about a dojo. If this was the girl she had mentioned he was sure she could do it; something about her body gave it away.

The voluptuous girl sitting next to her tried to get the little pistol to sit down. "But, we don't mind him going over," she protested.

"You and Hinata are too nice, Orihime, that's why he takes advantage of it." Inoue pulled on her arm again when she looked about ready to jump over the several tables between her and Uzumaki.

"Now I know where you have been disappearing to. You lied when you said you were training at the Arisawa Dojo." Sasuke confronted Naruto.

Tatsuki scoffed, "Please, as if he would set foot in my dad's dojo. He wouldn't survive even one session with me as his sensei. Even little Hanabi has more guts and skills than you do!" At that a collective "oh" was heard throughout the group. Her anger aimed at the blonde had completely disappeared now that she was making fun of him and Grimmjow was almost convinced that this was a routine occurrence.

Pink leaned closer to him, "Hanabi is Hinata's younger sister. She is a sophomore in high school and has been training with Tatsuki for years. Their cousin Neji Hyūga is a martial arts prodigy and has had Tatsuki's father as his sensei for a while now— even Hinata is quite gifted." Grimmjow looked over at the Hyūga who smiled warmly as she talked with Tōshirō and had to admit he found it a little hard to believe, but then again looks could be deceiving. "Most of us have trained at the dojo at some point."

He looked at Pink inquisitively, yes she looked kind of small but he remembered how toned her body had looked and wondered if she could put up a fight. As his lip curled up in a smirk, Pink blushed before quickly turning away, no doubt she figured where his thoughts had strayed. Grimmjow looked around the group— their talking had been reduced to a buzz as his thoughts drifted— and recognized their last names when he recalled them. Everybody that attended this university had to have some sort of wealth or fame, if not they wouldn't have been admitted in the first place, but he realized that most of them were at the top of the food chain. The people surrounding him were the Elites. The Hyūgas, there could only be one family they were referring to and the same thing with the Uchiha. He had finally met the heir to the Ishida conglomerate, the Kuchiki family was practically royalty, and he couldn't forget about Pink.

He only had to ask one question and his deductions would be confirmed. "Is Tatsuki's father the Seto Arisawa?" Pink didn't turn to look at him and only nodded slightly. He was still unsure of what to think regarding this group of very interesting people. The one thing he was convinced of was that if they had not flaunted their identities like anybody else in their position would surely have, they were definitely not like the type of people he had been forced to deal with.

"Naruto, you better not have finished the omelet!" He became aware of his surroundings once again when he heard Blondie's voice and saw that she had the loud-mouth in some sort of choke-hold. Naruto, fang boy, the strawberry, and mini-me had already moved and added another table with chairs for the newcomers.

Pink pulled on his arm as she led him to their seats and then grabbed a pair of chopsticks for him before she got her own. He couldn't help but smile inwardly. "Then you should be glad we brought more food," Grimmjow heard another female's voice behind him.

A new tray filled with food was placed in front of them followed by another. "You're a lifesaver, Hanabi, and no Naruto you can't have any more. You probably ate everybody's share!" Blondie exclaimed as she punched him in the shoulder. Naruto laughed sheepishly, he heard the Nara mumble "troublesome", and saw Blondie send him a warning glare.

The younger girl walked quickly towards Hinata and embraced her tightly. She then ruffled his roommate's hair affectionately. "Shiro, good to see you have taken over my cousin's job and refuse to leave my sister's side."

"It's Tōshirō, Hanabi," the white haired boy corrected, completely disregarding her other comment.

"Hanabi," Hinata scolded lightly. The younger Hyūga started to make her way around the table to greet the rest.

Grimmjow didn't notice the tall brunette with long, sleek hair until he was standing next to Hinata. She looked up at the brunette with eyes that were almost identical to hers and pulled gently on his arm. "Neji, grab a chair and sit next to me." The males on either side of the Hyūga exchanged nods. So this must be the Hyūga prodigy.

Blondie pulled up a chair between fang boy and Pink. Before she sat down she extended her hand towards the brunette and gave her most disarming smile, "Ino Yamanaka." The girl was dangerous.

He took it and introduced himself as he gave one of his own refusing to be one up'd by her. "Kiba Inuzuka pleased to meet you, Ino." In the brief greeting Grimmjow got the feeling that Blondie had met her match.

"Hey Sparkler, aren't you supposed to be in school? Are you skipping so early in the year?" Naruto asked Hanabi when she was between him and mini-me. Grimmjow saw a vein twitch beside her left eye. Sparkler?

"If you must know, no I am not skipping school— I spent the morning at the office because of school. Afterwards, I stopped by the dojo to get Neji so we could make a pit stop and bring more food because you always eat more than your share, idiot!" Feisty… She introduced herself to Kiba and hugged Ino. "Who's your friend?" She asked Pink as she pulled away from the embrace.

"This is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Grimm, this is Hanabi Hyūga." He saw the brief flash of recognition cross her expression at the mention of his last name and was glad when she didn't mention it.

"Nice to meet you, Grimmjow, haven't been scared off by Naruto yet?" He wasn't sure what she meant by it and thought that she was joking, but when he looked at her he saw a brief warning. He'd have to find out about what she meant later.

"What's that supposed to mean, Bottle Rocket?" The loud blonde asked. Grimmjow noticed earlier the glances he snuck towards Pink and didn't like it. It all began to click.

"No," he answered. "I'll stick around as long as Pink wants me to." The one in question looked at him in surprise and when he looked back at the youngest of the Hyūga he saw that she was satisfied with his answer.

She quickly pulled up a chair between him and Neji then sat down to eat. "Pink, huh?" She asked in afterthought. "I like it."

He chuckled and handed her a pair of chopsticks. Hanabi Hyūga was something else— for being so young she was a lot more mature than she looked. If he stuck around he wondered what their relationship would turn out to be.

"Try the omelet and the meat. I can assure you that you have never tasted anything like it." Hanabi suggested sounding confident.

He grabbed a piece of meat and popped it in his mouth. Upon contact with his taste buds there was an explosion of flavor unlike anything he had tasted before. He could have sworn his eyes rolled to the back of his head; she was right he had never tasted anything this good. On either side he heard Pink and Hanabi laugh; his reaction must have shown his approval. "It's like-"

"-an orgasm in your mouth," she finished for him.

"Hanabi!" everybody chided at the same time. He laughed at her choice of words but because he was thinking along those lines. Everybody else laughed with him then.

"What, that's what Hidan compared it to and it's not like I would know." She defended.

"You've been spending too much time around Hidan," the two Hyūgas said simultaneously.

"Yeah, yeah," she answered them. Hanabi gave him a piece of the omelet to try and he had the same reaction; if this had all been made by Hinata, Tōshirō was one lucky guy.

Everybody continued to talk amongst themselves while eating; Hinata between the male Hyūga and Tosh as well as including Hanabi and Tenten from time to time, the Uchiha stayed silent for the most part. The ones furthest away from him talked over each other constantly; the strawberry constantly bickered with his girlfriend, Ishida, and the lethal weapon— as he remembered Tatsuki. Blondie and Kiba looked like they were getting along very well, and for the most part he had Pink's undivided attention which is what he really wanted. Hanabi preferred to join in on their conversation versus the rest of the group and oddly enough he did not mind one bit.

The food was practically gone and he saw one last piece of omelet on the tray. He reached for it only to clash with two other chopsticks going for it too. When he followed the arm that had reached for his food he saw it was the strawberry. Neither was willing to give it up.

"I saw it first, Grimmjaw."

"How original, Strawberry, did you come up with that all by yourself?" Oh no, he was not letting him take the last piece. He heard the others snicker and his girlfriend the munchkin burst out laughing.

"Laugh it up all you want, we'll see who is left laughing when I get the last piece!" He did some crazy maneuvering with his chopsticks and just like that the last piece was gone. Grimmjow was still in shock as he looked at the strawberry chewing at an incredibly slow pace flaunting the fact that he had outwitted him. He almost growled in annoyance.

"Whoa, calm down there King of the Beasts," Hanabi said next to him as she tried to get him to clam down. "Nobody has been able to beat him, not even the blockhead over there," she pointed as she referred to Naruto and he yelled a 'hey' in complaint. "Ichigo always gets the last piece."

The strawberry was looking smug and Grimmjow hoped the food made him sick. He felt a soft hand on his right arm. "Grimmjow," he gave his undivided attention to his favorite girl. "He didn't get the last piece." She blushed as she lifted the last piece of omelet with her chopsticks and offered to feed it to him. He smiled from ear to ear.

"Hey, Sakura that's not fair he's the new guy!" Ichigo protested.

Grimmjow opened his mouth and leaned into her slightly trembling hand. He exaggerated his mouth movements so only she was able to see and heard her breath hitch. He chewed his food thoroughly without breaking eye contact until he was finished; then he leaned closer and brushed her hair behind her ear. He felt the shiver that spread across her body at the contact and to say that he enjoyed it was an understatement. "That was the best egg omelet I've ever had." She inhaled quickly and when she exhaled her breath ghosted across his skin. She quickly swept her tongue across her lips to moisten them and Grimmjow had never before had to fight the urge to kiss somebody like he did then.

Behind her he heard somebody cough and when he looked up he saw it had been Blondie. He send her a grateful look; if they had remained that way for much longer he would have taken action and she nodded in understanding. He discreetly looked around the group and saw that not many besides Blondie had seen what had happened. Tenten and her serious boyfriend were the first he noticed looking his way, while she looked almost excited for her friend, the Uchiha shot him a warning look and Grimmjow wondered what that was about. Orihime, Hanabi as well as Hinata had also noticed— the Hyūga kept on looking between them and Naruto sympathetically. Pink was looking at him in a dazed manner as if still unsure of what had transpired between them.

As their lunch time was almost over, the group gradually began to decrease as they went their separate ways, but before doing so they all agreed to meet up again for lunch the following day and if not then for their next movie night. The first to leave was Ishida and Chad followed by Naruto, the Nara and Chōji. Blondie volunteered Kiba to walk her wherever she was going and he offered no protest. The strawberry and the munchkin left soon after but not before the guy demanded a rematch from him the following day and he gladly accepted the challenge. Grimmjow was actually glad that he was welcome to come back and when Pink didn't say "no" he definitely took that as a good sign.

The one he remembered was Tenten leaned against her boyfriend and wrapped her arm around his waist, the Uchiha leaned his head against hers as he whispered only something she could hear. While the display was minimal he could still see the connection between the two. He could tell neither one was big on public affection, but when he looked at Pink he saw the downward spiral her mood was headed towards. Grimmjow wondered what the story was behind them; he had never seen such a sad look in her eyes and he wanted nothing more than for it to go away. Grimmjow lightly graced the side of her hip and when she looked at him he saw the dazed look fade as whatever memories had come back to her drifted away.

"You okay?" He mouthed the words.

Sakura looked back at the couple one more time then angled her body towards him and gave him a sad smile as she barely nodded. That smile said more to him than if she had actually told him. He saw her eyes had become glossy and she preferred to look at his right arm that now rested atop the back of her chair. He lifted his left hand and placed it on her head ruffling her hair gently, conveying his understanding the only way he knew how. Pink angled her head up and smiled at him honestly— the message had been received loud and clear.

When they remembered that they were not alone and regarded the remainder of the group, they saw that all eyes were on them; the couple on the opposite side had long pulled away from each other and Pink fidgeted beside him. Grimmjow gave his trademark smirk he was not going to hide his interest in her, better they know from the start. "Ready to go?" He asked his companion. She consented and he stood up first then helped her to her feet.

"Hey, King of the Beasts," Hanabi called out to him once they were standing. "We will see you again, right?" She tried to hide the hopefulness from her voice but he still caught it.

He ruffled her hair in a way an older brother would his younger sibling. "You can bet on it, Fury." She didn't protest at his choice of nickname and only grinned widely. Grimmjow realized his feelings of acceptance towards her were mutual.

They said their goodbyes and walked out of the Union in silence. Once outside, Grimmjow felt that Pink wanted to tell him something but he refused to ask unless she spoke first. Finally giving in she gave an exasperated sigh, "Thank you for- for whatever you did in there."

Grimmjow laughed and he pulled her suddenly to his side in an embrace as they continued walking side by side, the flush he loved to see on her rosy complexion was a tell-tale sign of her nervousness. "Don't mention it." Her expression started to shift again to what he had seen earlier and he halted. He turned her so they were face to face and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Pink," when she didn't look up he tried again. "Sakura," he lifted her chin gently until their eyes met. The pained look he saw hurt him, "Look, he's a fucking idiot if he let someone like you pass him by."

He had used those same words countless times before, yet every single one of those times they had been meaningless. He found that now when he truly and honestly meant them, they had escaped his lips before he had even realized what he said. He wished with all his might that this one time when it really counted, the one that really mattered believed him.

Grimmjow saw the threat of tears in her eyes and he did the only thing he could think of, he pulled her flush against his body and hugged her tightly. He heard her gasp and stand unmoving in his arms. He thought she was going to pull away and all he knew was that he didn't want her to. She finally lifted her arms slowly and hugged him tightening her hold on him until he could feel her desperation.

He loved the feel of the much smaller woman in his arms, she fit so perfectly. He felt that what had started as a game was fast becoming something serious to the point where he would not be able to walk away. The more Grimmjow dwelled into her world, the more he wanted to become a part of it. He had never known anything like it— the friendship, the solidarity, the warmth— he had been alone for so long. Whenever she was around he felt that the false identity he had created for himself came crumbling down. She was extremely dangerous and never before had Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez been afraid of anyone.

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Sakura did not know how it had turned out like this. She had been avoiding him for the past two weeks because this was precisely what she did not want to happen. Now she was being comforted in his arms, stunned that he had figured out her most painful secret without any words being shared. He was rough around the edges but she knew that there was a side of him that Grimmjow kept hidden from everyone else, and she as well as her friends had seen a small part of that side. She was sure even he was not aware that he had allowed them a glimpse and she felt privileged to have been permitted to see it.

So close to his body she could hear that his heart was beating as fast as hers and she relaxed a little; his thoughts were probably just as hectic. She inhaled his scent— he smelled of something wild and untamed— it was so like Grimmjow. She had never been embraced by a male other than Kyo but he was like a brother to her, and now that she was being held like this it felt so different… it felt so right to be held protectively by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. She embraced him as tightly as she could, hoping her feelings would reach him.

Sakura was afraid— she did not want to fall for Grimmjow but if they kept on this way she was certain there would be no choice left in the matter. That realization terrified her and her body trembled involuntarily.

Grimmjow must have taken it the wrong way. "What's wrong?" He asked and she could detect the slightest hint of panic underlying his voice.

It was only until then that she realized something else that made her heart soar, and with difficulty she raised her head to look at him— his hold on her was near suffocating but she didn't mind it. Her eyes met light blue and she was speechless for a moment; she could almost see everything she was feeling reflected on them, Grimmjow was just as afraid as she was.

She smiled at him in a way she hoped would reassure him. "Nothing, you just called me by my name."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think so far. I have been wanting to do some fan art for my stories for a while now. I have searched online but have been unable to find anything that is even remotely similar to my stories. I have yet to see any fan art with SakuGrimm, ByuakuHina, or UkiHina! It's so sad…. I wouldn't even know where to start but I have so many ideas that are just begging to come out. If any of you have any experience with this I would be incredibly grateful if you could give me some tips. I would really, really want to do something. Thank you for your constant support it's because of your feedback that all this is possible.

-Wyvernhail