DISCLAIMER: I don't own BLEACH. BLEACH is a property of Tite Kubo, and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only. This fanfiction story is inspired by a real life event. Any resemblance to any real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

DISCLAIMER PART 2: I would like to apologize if my "translated words" were not accurate, I got them from Google translate, so... I apologize.

DISCLAIMER PART 3: This one's not edited because I'm too lazy, and I just wanted to go to sleep. I'm Sorry. T_T

...

I woke up from a light tap on my shoulder. It feels so nostalgic, very familiar, making the image of my mom appear in my head for a very short moment

I sighed opening my eyes expecting myself to be in that familiar, and warm room, my room, with my mom sitting beside me, waking me up to go to school, but all that greeted me, is darkness and gray.

Looks like we already arrived.

I rose slowly, trying to shake off my sleepiness thinking about where we are.

It was a nice sleep.

I was able to forget that my parents just died with my baby sibling, yet to be born.

I inhaled heavily, trying to clean my chest once more with the emotions. Because I can't cry here. I have to be strong, and continue on living.

"Hey, vous êtes bien?"

I heard someone said in French. I looked up to see this D Roy guy beside me. I think that he's waiting for me to answer. So I nodded.

"Où est Grimmjow?"

He pointed outside of the truck, and I tried to suppress a yawn as I stood up and walked towards the exit without even waiting for D Roy.

I think he said something about being careful but I didn't listened. I just went and got rid of the tarpaulin door, squinting a bit because of the light.

I can't believe that it's already morning.

I looked around for a bit, trying to absorb the surrounding as I felt D Roy walk past me and jumping down from the truck without even thinking twice.

He held out his hand for me, to help me I guess, but I don't really need it so I just smiled and motioned for him to go ahead of me.

He frowned towards me for a few seconds, then shrugged and went inside the house saying something about not going out on my own.

Once he's inside, I jumped out of the truck, landing not-so-gracefully unlike D Roy but it's not that bad.

Then I looked around once more.

This place is making me think that I died instead of being saved by Grimmjow.

This place is so gray. Mud covering the streets and smokes can be seen from a far.

Very far away from the image of Oradour-Sur-Glane.

I frowned as I felt a familiar pang in my chest, making me grasp my shirt tightly.

Of course. Glane is gone. And it's because of those mother-fucking Germans-

"Are you alright kid?"

A deep baritone voice startled me, making me turn fast to see who it was that interrupted me.

And as fast as my self-defense being triggered, all of my emotions flew away the moment I saw him.

"Grimmjow…"

He was standing three feet away from me, looking straight into my eyes.

He's trying to read me.

He walked after a few seconds and stood beside me, looking straight towards the direction of the rising sun.

Silence engulfed us.

It feels like he know what I was thinking about a few seconds before. And I can't blame him if he's going to be angry. He's also a German.

But I'm not blaming him. Because the moment I saw him yesterday in Glane square, I know.

I know that he's different.

And unless I say something, it feels like this silence is going to stretch on forever.

"How's your shoulder?"

I said. I saw him shrugged, flexing his wounded shoulder a bit before wincing. Yes, I caught that wince.

"Fine I guess."

He answered in fluent Japanese. Now that I noticed, we've been talking in Japanese ever since I got out of that church. That made me wonder how he managed to learn Japanese in this place.

"Do you remember your town?"

He suddenly asked. I sighed and directed my eyes to where I think he was looking.

"What makes you think that?"

Then I heard him chuckled. This made me frown looking at his now laughing form again.

"What's funny?"

He stopped, obviously trying his best to suppress his laughs.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that yesterday you were so clingy towards me, but now you're acting like a cool-kid from high school."

My frown deepened, feeling myself suddenly heating up.

"I was not clinging towards you!"

"Oh no you were!"

He insisted with a face that could put all of the bullies in Glane running back towards their mother.

But instead of being scared, I can't understand why I suddenly got really angry. I wanna punch him. I wanna scratch that handsome face so that no one else, no one else would like him other than me.

I don't understand why I'm suddenly being selfish. And selfish because of him, of-all people!

But this feeling is very foreign for me. That's why I don't know how I am going to react.

And so, instead of doing my original plan of scratching his face, my eyes just wondered towards his eyes, those perfectly deep-blue eyes that's making me feel like I'm drowning, they were, they were absorbing my anger.

They're calming me.

"Kid, you might want to stop looking at me like that..."

He said without even looking at me. That made my frown deepen.

"What's wrong with how I look at you?"

He chuckled once more, still avoiding my eyes.

But instead of explaining why I should avoid his eyes, he leaned towards me, until his lips touched mine.

But as fast as it happened, in a blink of an eye, he's standing straight once more.

"Because you're technically asking me to do that, with those eyes."

My eyes went wide as my brain slowly absorbed what he just said.

But that's impossible! I'm a boy! And no matter where I look at, I'm sure as hell that he's also a man!

That's just…

I looked down and exhaled, my frown returning as I looked back towards the smokes far ahead, thinking about what just happened.

Why? Why would he kiss me? Is he playing a trick on me?

That's it. He must be just making fun of me.

Then I heard him sighed as I felt a hand patted my head.

"I definitely thought that your head is far more advanced than the others, but seems like it's not."

I returned my eyes towards him.

"Are you saying that I'm stupid?"

I suddenly remembered how hot-headed I used to be, suddenly punching whomever would make fun of me. But now, by just looking at those blue eyes, I would become calm as Buddha.

Then I saw him smiled. I don't know what's with those smile but it made me lose my anger, again.

"No, not stupid, just oblivious."

Oblivious. Of what?

Well, he's not the first person who said that to me. Giselle once told me that I'm not very aware of how people around me feels.

Sighs. I guess I am, oblivious.

Then as if to remind us of our current situation, sounds of cannons being fired somewhere far away filled the air.

My eyes went wide again, suddenly remembering what happened to me just a few minutes ago.

I didn't know that I was shaking until he pulled me into a hug.

He hugged me really tight. So tight that it felt like our souls were melting, and melding at the same time.

"Don't worry kid, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

I closed my eyes once more and sighed. Calming myself and blocking those horrible sounds.

"I know."

XXXOOXXX

"I think that they're all getting cocky."

Yylfordt mentioned out of the blue. They're currently at the living room of Grimmjow's house. Gathering supplies and cleaning their guns.

"You think so?"

Shawlong answered, making Grimmjow close his eyes and lean his back on the sofa that he's now sitting on with a sigh.

Here they go again.

"Yeah, aren't you feeling it? First, it's England, then Russia. Now, even America-

"It's our fault Yyl, don't forget that."

D Roy commented as he wipe his medical instruments, one by one.

"Yeah, sure. It's the Germans. Not us. We were not really Germans, have you forgotten about that? We were just included to their ranks because we surrendered. But that was after they tortured us."

No one answered.

Each of them suddenly remembering how those SS ranked Germans tortured them to their hearts content.

Until Grimmjow came.

"Fucking Germans."

Yylfordt continued.

"Yylfordt."

Nakeem's booming voice filled the room making him earn Yylfordt's attention.

"That's enough."

Nakeem continued as his eyes moved towards Grimmjow's place, who's eyes are still closed and back still resting at the backrest of his seat.

Yes, they forgot that Grimmjow is a German too. A living proof that not all of those SS-ranked Germans are assholes just like Nnoitra.

Grimmjow is different.

Grimmjow is God, well at least for them even though he's 10 years younger than Shawlong himself. Grimmjow is God because he saved them right when each and every fiber of their bodies were screaming for the Nazis to just kill them. Grimmjow freed them, and pulled them out of that hell.

Grimmjow is their savior.

And just like that, the room was filled with silence, with only the occasional clinks of their weapons filling the air.

"Well, I'm not saying that you should forgive those bastards."

Grimmjow's voice filled the air making most of them jump.

He opened his eyes and sat down properly, looking at each one of them with his piercing blue eyes.

"Well I myself, sometimes wanna twist their necks like a screw every time I would see how fucking-"

Grimmjow clenched his fist as hard as he can, his face suddenly twisting in anger, not knowing what word to say, what word to use to describe how he really feels as memories of those children being butchered on each town that they visited flooded his mind. Then he released his hands with a sigh, resting his back once more.

"…I'm sorry. I wish that I could say something more. Something that could make you guys feel at ease but, right now, it's the only thing that I could offer you guys."

Everyone looked down, everyone, except Shawlong, a deep frown engraved on his face as he looked at Grimmjow.

"You, wanted to save him huh."

Everyone's attention went back to Shawlong.

It was not even a question, but a statement. Grimmjow just sat down properly once more, looking straight at Shawlong.

"And not just save, but to run away with him. Am I right?"

Grimmjow exhaled, shrugging.

"I don't know."

"You say you don't know, but I can see that you've already decided."

Shawlong confirmed again.

"Run away with him? Who? Ichigo? That kid? What about us?!"

D Roy's high pitched voice caught their attention. His instruments discarded on the floor as his gaze jumps from Shawlong to Grimmjow and back.

"D, calm down. It's not like he's going leave us behind."

Edrad said calmly. But it's very obvious that he himself doesn't believe what he just said.

After all, Grimmjow only saved them. They should be thankful with just that. Because Grimmjow has his own life too, and he can't be with them forever.

"What about Starrk?"

Yylfordt added, his usually carefree-handsome face is now filled with worry.

"Stop that. It's not like I'm going to leave you guys alone."

Grimmjow stated like it was the most obvious thing to do.

"Well, an officer suddenly disappearing is not really a big deal, specially during a war. But a whole squad, without any reports about their plan before hand is quite suspicious."

Shawlong answered with a frown.

"You know- forget about disappearing, I wanted to know what's with that boy that you're willing to turn your back from your father?"

He continued. It was Grimmjow's turn to frown.

What's with that boy? With Ichigo?

Now that he was asked about it, Grimmjow doesn't really have an answer to that.

"We used to think that you have this, father-complex thing. Because no matter how hard the mission is, no matter how it pains you to kill innocent people, you would still follow him. You said you wanna make him proud. But now..."

Shawlong paused for a moment to see if Grimmjow would try to defend himself. But what he saw made him lose his will to reprimand Grimmjow with his actions.

Those are the eyes of a person that already made his decision. Maybe he's not yet aware of his decision, but it's already there.

Shawlong sighed a deep one, covering his eyes with his right palm.

He's fucked up.

"But now, you changed."

Shawlong raised his head to see D Roy continuing his sentence.

What the fuck are you doing D Roy?

"You said that you will protect us, that you will not let those things to happen again."

D Roy continued with that pained look.

If there's a possibility to deepen the frown that's already occupying Grimmjow's face, now's the time for it to appear.

He just can't understand why they're giving him a pain in the ass right now.

He doesn't have answers to those questions yet.

So the only reason for them to shut up about it, is if he's going to tell them the truth.

Another sigh came out of Grimmjow.

"I don't understand why the fuck you guys are going nuts about it. I mean, I'm not asking for anything. I saved you guys, I saved Ichigo, end of story."

Grimmjow stood up and started walking towards his room. And just as he reached the door, he turned and looked at them once more.

"You know what? I think that it should be you who should understand Ichigo's situation above all people! But instead, you're all acting like a bunch of pussies getting jealous just because there's someone new inside the house. Give me a fucking break. I can do what I want."

He continued.

"Shawlong, please fucking make yer' sisters understand that will you?"

Then he opened the door to step inside his room, following it with a loud bang of his door as he closed it.

The living room was suddenly filled with silence as the group contemplated with what just happened.

"I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-"

"Shut it D Roy."

Nakeem interrupted.

"Just give Grimmjow a break. He's fucking stressed right now. "

Shawlong continued as he himself stood up. He was about to say something when the door suddenly opened, surprising them all.

"Yo, what are you guys doing here? Where's Grimmjow?"

All of their eyes grew wide as their suddenly slow-brain absorbed the image of the man that's now standing at the door a few feet away from them.

STARRK!

...

Translation

Hey, vous êtes bien? - Hey, are you okay?

Où est Grimmjow? - Where's Grimmjow?

Thanks for reading!

-Zelly