A/N: TT~TT I hope you guys aren't mad at me…. I know I haven't updated in over a year, despite the various pleas for me to do so…. Well, I was trying to finish up my first fic, Forgotten and halted progress on my other fics to do this. I still haven't finished that fic because of issues I've been having….

Anyway, I decided to finally write for this fic because I reread the reviews I've gotten and felt really guilty that I just up and stopped writing it because I wanted to finish something else. :'( I really hope I haven't lost any of you readers and that those who've stuck with me can forgive me for not updating for so long. *bows*

Special thanks to Demigod Daughter of Hades, TheRealTayler13, tHeEviLjOkEr, sweetlilsunshine, XD-kaycee, ilovezetsu, and Weiners Commentator Chan for their reviews last chapter telling me to update. Your reviews basically kicked my butt and inspired me to write faster. Really big thanks to xXMoonAngelXx for constantly reminding me to update, update, and update! This chapter is dedicated to you all.

Chapter Five:

To Be King

Grimmjow sat on the couch, staring at Miyuki's sleeping form intently. He rested his head in a hand and absently tapped his foot.

How the fuck do I know this chick?! he wondered, annoyed with himself.

He scratched his neck, wincing slightly when he remembered he had gotten a new bruise there, courtesy of that bastard Ulquiorra on Aizen's orders. He scowled then. It was purely self-defense! The stupid chick lost control of herself! But did that damn Shinigami believe him? No, but the former Sexta could see right through him. Aizen just wanted to go through with his order not to harm Miyuki and see Grimmjow suffer some more.

What the hell? Was losing all his Fracciones really that important to Aizen? If they died, they were weak, and they all knew that when they decided to come with him to the World of the Living. Now he really regretted bringing those fucking idiots along if they were only going to die on him and land him this stupid punishment.

After that had been carried out, Grimmjow wanted to go in his room and rest. It was all just too damn annoying, every fucking thing about living as an Arrancar. If Aizen weren't stronger than him, something he didn't like admitting, he'd have this whole palace and call himself King. Then he'd have all those dumb bastards he didn't like killed and live however the hell he wanted.

He found it kind of funny that he used to word "live" when he wasn't even alive anymore. That was when he began thinking of his human life, though he only remembered small bits of it. He recalled a woman's soft voice singing a French lullaby; a warm fire burning in the hearth. Whenever he tried to think of what her face looked like, however, he drew a blank. The only thing he could figure out was that the woman was his mother and she had the same color hair he did.

Grimmjow furrowed his eyebrows when he remembered that his Fracción lived in France too, and that was how he ended up barging into her room, where he had put her after knocking her out, and sitting on her couch.

He'd been staring at her for hours, just struggling to recall a memory, any memory, that included her. He couldn't come up with anything except for the brief moments they talked today.

Grimmjow leaned back, running his hand through his hair. He'd only met this chick and already she annoyed him almost as much as Ulquiorra or Aizen or even that orange-haired Shinigami bastard. Then he had to save her ass three times from crazy Espadas because she was a fucking idiot and ran her mouth or tried fighting them when she was so damn weak. It's not like he really cared for her or anything, but his property was his property, dammit, and no one fucked up his stuff. She just became an Arrancar and she acted as if she was so bad just because Aizen gave him that punishment. Psh…. The way she kept mouthing off to him like she was so much smarter pissed him off too.

He exhaled slowly then looked back at her. Miyuki slept on like she didn't have a care in the world. The bruise he gave her was already fading.

The former Espada scowled again. Gawking at her like a moron wouldn't help him remember shit. Knowing she spoke French or that she lived in Paris when she was alive didn't give him any clues as to who he was before either. Did he live in Paris? He couldn't say if he had or not. He didn't even know how he knew her as a human, but the feeling of recognition wouldn't leave him. Was she a former friend, an ex-girlfriend, a coworker of his? She had to be someone important for him to have this feeling.

He sighed and slumped against the couch. "Who the hell are ya, Miyuki?"

Miyuki gasped, jolting up with alarm as if waking up from a nightmare. She blinked a few times to focus her vision and realized that she had been lying in the middle of a forest. Enormous evergreens surrounded her, dusted lightly with the snow that swirled in the air. She stood up and marveled at the beauty of it all, exhaling slowly. A white puff of air came from her mouth, quickly disappearing among the snowflakes. She blinked and wondered, Wait, how did I get here?

She whirled around when she heard a twig snap. She paused, her ears pricking up when she heard soft padding approaching. Some sort of animal was shuffling closer. She narrowed her eyes and growled low in her throat, a trick she had learned as a Hollow to make other Hollows leave you be. The shuffling stopped and she smirked in triumph.

The Fracción was about to turn around and try to find out where she was before the animal jumped through the trees with an eerie roar. Her eyes widened and her mouth parted in surprise.

The animal was her, or rather, her form when she was a Hollow. It looked like a normal, pure white wolf, save for the fact that it had a Hollow hole in its abdomen and no fur. Black lines seemed to sprout from the hole, leading down its four legs and the middle of its mask. It bared its sharp teeth at her and snarled, snow swirling out of its mouth.

"How…How can you be here…when I am here?" Miyuki wondered aloud, stepping back. She started to reach for the sword in her sash but found it wasn't there. She glanced down with wide eyes then back at the Hollow. "You…are me…are you not? How—"

"You fool! Why did you fight against me? I would've ended that pig-headed brute if you had just let me!" it snapped at her. In reality, it had barked several times, but she somehow heard its voice in her head.

"What are you talking about?" she wondered, clenching her jaw. She suspected that this was a dream since her dreams never normally made any sense.

"Grimmjow, of course! That idiot you call 'Master'!" it roared furiously. Miyuki blinked and put a hand to her head, remembering when Grimmjow had called her weak and angered her so much that she had let…something take her over. She vaguely recalled fighting for control again afterwards, though whatever it was that had taken over was strong, perhaps even stronger than her.

"That was…you?" she muttered in disbelief.

Her head spun. How was her Hollow form before her now? The only plausible explanation she could come up with was that it was a dream, even if she felt otherwise. However, she couldn't seem to believe her own logic when this dream felt so real….

Her Hollow self seemed to not have heard her. "I will not allow that worthless beast to rule over me! No one may rule over me! Especially you. You have no clue how to use my power! You do not deserve to be the one in control!"

It took a step towards her, growling low in its throat. She took a step back, narrowing her eyes. She looked around for something to be used as a weapon. A fallen, pointy branch, a large rock, something useful. She bit her lip when she saw absolutely nothing, only the dark pines and soft snow around her.

She glanced at the wolf-Hollow again and commanded in a stern tone, "Stop! Don't come any closer, or I'll—"

"You'll what?" the Hollow barked at her. It took another menacing step forward. "I am not intimidated by a weakling like you!"

Miyuki scowled, concentrating with all her might on summoning that ice power she had used earlier. She had no idea how it worked, or how she could use it in the first place, but she had to try.

Her reiatsu rose slightly, though it seemed it was not enough. The wolf-Hollow opened its mouth and let out a cackling noise. "Trying to use my power in front of me? How amusing."

She blinked, bewildered. "Your power? But…this is my power! I—"

It snarled in rage, cutting her off. "You dare insult me by calling my power your own? I am the only being who may rule over ice," it declared, lifting its head and puffing out its chest.

Miyuki stared at it with a mixture of bewilderment and anger. How did her Hollow form know what she was trying to do? And what was it talking about, calling her power its own? Nothing was making any sense to her.

It stalked forward slowly, its lavender eyes gleaming with hunger. For every step it took towards her, Miyuki took a step back, her mind racing. She had no weapons, nothing around her to use against it. Nothing but these ridiculously large trees….

Wait, yes, this was perfect! She would have preferred if she had her katana with her, but she had to make do with what she had. Which, right now, was little to nothing.

Her back hit the rough trunk of a tree and she tensed as a shiver went up her spine. Her legs quivered slightly and her palms began to sweat despite the freezing temperature.

The Hollow snarled at her, its lips curled inward, revealing its razor-sharp fangs. Miyuki held her breath and waited tensely for the right moment.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, and her instincts screamed at her to run now. She pushed the feeling down with difficulty. I have regained my sense of reason, she thought, steeling herself. Acting on impulse now would only prove I am nothing more than a beast in human form.

The Hollow crouched, preparing to pounce. Miyuki gulped and firmly kept ordering herself to be patient…. Patience was key for what she had in mind.

A low growl rumbled in its throat and it finally leaped, its jaws aimed for her throat. Miyuki's eyes widened and she quickly darted to the right. She then twisted, hoping the wolf-Hollow had crashed into the thick trunk of the tree and knocked itself out, or at least received a concussion, and skidded back to see if her plan worked.

Much to her astonishment, the Hollow shifted its body in mid-air, landed its paws on the trunk, and used its gained momentum to ricochet towards her. She had no time to react when the wolf tackled her to the ground and reached to tear at her throat.

Miyuki's eyes suddenly snapped open. Sweat drops had beaded on her forehead and she found she couldn't stop trembling. She then saw that there was a white ceiling above her, not her sadistic Hollow form, and let out a breath in relief.

So it had been a nightmare after all…she thought and brought a hand up to rest on her forehead. She shut her eyes and took several deep breaths, letting the frightened feeling ebb away.

It was then she heard steady breathing close by and Miyuki opened her eyes. She sat up, surprised that anyone would be in her room. Her lavender eyes widened when she spotted someone dozing soundly on her couch. The tuft of blue hair told her the identity of the intruder.

"What on earth…" she whispered to herself as she slipped out of bed.

Miyuki approached him silently, as to avoid waking him. Why are you here? she wondered, staring down at him as he slept.

She thought it rather odd to see him so vulnerable for once. The furrow in his eyebrows was gone and his mouth was open, allowing for soft breaths and drool to escape. He lay on his left side, so it covered the fact that he was missing an arm. Miyuki's eyes flickered to his bright hair and she had a strange longing to reach out and pet it. It looked prickly to touch, but was it really? Maybe she could—

Miyuki stopped herself. She shook her head then glared at the hand that had begun to move itself towards his hair. What am I doing?! she scolded herself mentally.

She shifted where she stood, becoming uncomfortable being near him. The Fracción frowned then steeled herself to do what she didn't want to. She reached out, gripped her master's shoulder, and shook him.

At first, he didn't react, but after a few seconds, his eyebrows scrunched together and he began to frown. He made an irritated noise then exhaled in an annoyed manner. He peeled his eyes open and he turned to face her, squinting with the lack of light. She quickly withdrew her hand for fear of being grabbed and having her arm broken.

"What…" he started but was interrupted by a yawn.

His vision focused and he spotted his Fracción standing by him, an uncertain expression on her face. He raised an eyebrow and shifted so he lied on his back. "So ya finally woke up. Took ya forever…. Geez."

She furrowed her eyebrows at this and asked, "How long have I been unconscious? And why are you in my room? Were you waiting for me to wake up?"

Grimmjow scowled as he sat up. She took a step back to allow him to do so. He scratched his head and grumbled, "I just fuckin' woke up. Don't ask me so many goddamn questions." He proceeded to yawn again.

Miyuki crossed her arms. "Can you at least answer them?" she demanded.

He looked up at her seriously and replied, "Yer a pain…. It's been two days. Usually, I wouldn't've kept track 'cause I don't care, but ya fuckin' wouldn't get the hell up. I shook ya, yelled at ya, hell, I poured water on yer head and ya still didn't move. If I hadn't sensed yer reiatsu, I'da thought ya died 'r somethin'. Woulda been bad fer me 'f ya did."

"You poured water on me?!" she shouted, outraged. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

He glanced at her hands and his brows shot up, though his eyelids lowered a bit, giving him an unimpressed air. "Is that all ya heard? Damn yer deaf."

"No, I heard all of it!" she protested hotly. "Why did you even bother waiting for me to wake up anyway?"

"'Cause I need ta train ya. Ya let yer Resurrección take over ya when ya got mad at me fer somethin' stupid, and ya were a fuckin' pain ta deal with 'cause of it," he explained, scratching his chin while doing so.

"Wait, what is this Resurrección? When I questioned you about it, you laughed at me. It is not the ability to resurrect yourself after dying, is it…?" Miyuki inquired doubtfully, beginning to feel foolish she ever thought of it.

Her master smirked. "Pfft. Hell no. Besides, we're already dead, smart one."

"But…we can still fade, if our soul is wounded enough. That is like dying," she pointed out.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He stood up and stretched his only arm out.

"You still did not answer my question, Grimmjow."

He scowled again. "You 'n yer damn questions…" he muttered to himself before replying, "A Resurrección is when 'n Arrancar releases their zanpakuto, their sword. Now, when ya become 'n Arrancar, the regular soul part takes over yer new body, right? So, the Hollow parta ya then links with yer zanpakuto and becomes yer power. They usually stay within ya 'till ya need ta use 'em. When ya were 'n Adjuchas—"

"Adjuchas? What is that?" Miyuki interrupted before she could stop herself.

Grimmjow glared at her and exhaled impatiently. "Oh my fuckin' God. Can ya learn ta shut the fuck up for once? I'm tryin' ta answer one question, then ya ask another one! What the hell?!"

She frowned and retorted, "Well, you don't explain things in a way I understand."

"Bitch, I'm explainin' it the only way I can!" he yelled, stepping towards her.

"Well, why do you even want to train me? And train me in what?! You might think you're being clear, but you're just making it more confusing to someone who was just brought into this life!" she shrieked, turning to fully face him.

Much to her surprise, he took a deep breath and backed off. She blinked at this and wondered why he did so. Her master was not the type to willingly step away from an argument, even a petty one such as this.

"Che…I keep forgettin' how dumb ya are. It's pointless tryin' ta do this. Whatever. Just do whatever the hell ya want from now on. See 'f ya can last a month without bein' able ta control yer Hollow side." He stalked off, bumping into her to demonstrate his annoyance.

Afraid of his warning, though unclear of its meaning, Miyuki blurted out, "Wait…."

He paused then glanced back, an eyebrow raised. "The fuck do ya want now?"

Her face flushed in anger but she reluctantly set aside her pride and asked, "Please, explain what you meant…. I…I admit my ignorance of all this, but it is only because I just became an Arrancar not too long ago."

"Ya already said that, dumb shit," Grimmjow grumbled pointedly.

She frowned at this but merely stated, "I wasn't sure if you were listening at all."

He scratched his ear and replied, "Psh, ya were fuckin' yellin' at me. I'da been deaf 'f I hadn't heard ya. Or you since ya can't seem ta hear shit."

The Fracción clenched her jaw and said through gritted teeth, "I can hear perfectly fine."

Grimmjow just stared at her, his expression dubious. She felt her face become warmer and snapped, "Don't look at me like that! It's not as if your hearing is the best either, you hypocritical—"

"Shut the hell up! Yer the one who wanted me ta explain stuff ta ya, and ya keep fuckin' talkin'!" he yelled, cutting her off. "God, yer like a baby bird that won't stop chirpin'. Annoyin' as hell…."

She flushed darker at being compared to such an animal but bit her lip. She hated to admit it, but her master was right. She'd get no answers if all she did was argue with him, and it wasn't as if doing so would make him realize just how vulgar he truly was, to her and others.

Grimmjow sighed, more in relief that she was silent rather than an expression of irritation, and grumbled, "So I gotta train ya ta use yer Resurrección, not 'cause I want ta, but 'cause I don't wanna deal with ya losing control and then I get in trouble fer defendin' myself. I swear, Aizen is just so goddamn bored right now that he has nothin' better ta do than mess with me. Had that bastard Ulquiorra fuckin' hit the pressure point on my neck."

"Well, I do not think that he should, as you say, mess with you. As a ruler, shouldn't he demonstrate more restraint? His army would respect him much more and would be more willing to follow his orders," Miyuki stated but he wrinkled his nose at this.

"Che, the only kinda king that ever thinks of himself as equal ta his subjects is a weakling that doesn't know how to rule right. And ta be a king over Hollows, ya can't be someone like that. Ya gotta be stronger than everybody else. Ya gotta be willin' ta fight every goddamn day if ya have ta. And if anybody dares challenge the king, the king's gotta kill that person ta show everyone else their dominance."

"So…to be a king over Hollows, you truly believe that one must revert to raw instincts? Even when we Arrancars have our sense of selves and reason back?" she wondered incredulously.

Grimmjow looked confused. "Well, yeah. We're still Hollows, even 'f we do have some Shinigami powers. We may have our reason back, but what good'll that do when Hueco Mundo is just a desert full of heartless monsters that wanna eat each other? Ta survive, ya gotta trust yer instincts, and yer instincts only. If some of the other Hollows are dumb enough ta cross ya, then just devour them all. And if ya can't, well, yer dead."

Miyuki took a moment to digest this information. After about a minute of silence, she said, "Well…that's certainly a narrow viewpoint. Not all Hollows are looking to climb up the food chain or lust for power."

The former Espada scrunched his eyebrows together and wondered, "What the hell kinda Hollows are ya talkin' about?"

She pursed her lips at his response but continued, "If we've gained our reason, then should we not use it? Using reason against scores of beings who don't have any is more effective than simply going by impulse, especially if you want to be the king of Hollows."

"Just 'cause ya just got yer reason back, yer willin' ta turn yer back on yer instincts?" he breathed out incredulously. He shook his head. "The hell do ya expect ta come outta that? Ya think that's strength? That ain't strength! It's just a way for weaklings ta reassure themselves they can get stronger just by thinkin' about it."

He turned around and paced the floor, still shaking his head in disbelief. "That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard! Like I said, how's reason gonna help ya when yer in a place where yer instincts are the only way to survive?" Grimmjow twisted back to her with a disgusted look. "Yer Hollow side must hate ya right now for even saying that."

The Fracción scowled at this. "But…what about Aizen? Doesn't he rule with purpose? He wants to get rid of all the Shinigami, right?"

"Ya think Aizen's driven by that one purpose? Psh, hell no. Why the hell would Hollows follow someone like that?"

Miyuki decided to take a guess. "…Because he's the strongest?"

"…Ya better shut the fuck up about that…" he grumbled, clenching his hand into a fist. "And no, that's not it. It's 'cause he's after power. In a way, he's sorta like us. He wants ta be 'atop the heavens' or whatever the hell he calls it, but everyone knows he just wants power. I guess some Arrancars stick with him 'cause they wanna believe he'll share some of it with them."

He made a face at the very thought. "Those guys are just deluding themselves. Like Aizen would ever wanna share his throne with a bunch of Hollows. He's still a Shinigami. Just 'cause he wants ta kill his own kind doesn't mean he's gonna abandon who he is."

The Fracción was stunned into silence by her master's words. He was much smarter than she gave him credit for, and she was nearly convinced of his view of things. Still, she couldn't just abandon all reason and live like a desperate animal again.

She steeled herself and inquired, "Then, why did you decide to follow him, Grimmjow?"

He raised an eyebrow, probably not expecting the question. "Me?" He ran his hand through his hair and thought about how to answer.

Finally, he let out a sigh and admitted, "I don't follow him out 'f a sense 'f loyalty 'r 'cause I hope he'll give me more power. The only Hollows who do that are weak. Those guys depend on him ta lead them on the path they wanna be on 'cause they can't do shit for themselves."

He stared her in the eye and asked, "Ya really wanna know my reason for following that bastard?"

Miyuki paused to consider if she really wanted to know, ducking her head down slightly. She bit her lip and nodded.

His eyes darted to the side, as if making sure no one else was listening. She furrowed her eyebrows at this, wondering if it was something embarrassing for him to admit, or something that would get him in trouble for saying aloud.

His cerulean eyes then flicked back to her, startling her enough to make her jump. He replied calmly, "I wanna be King someday. I could care less if Aizen wins or loses this war. Either way, I'm takin' my throne once he's gone."

A/N: Erm, I hope this was a good enough chapter for you guys, even if I haven't updated in over a year…. -_-" Was it worth the wait? o-o Was the ending a weird cut-off point?

Miyuki and Grimmjow kind of got philosophical for a while there. XD I thought it was an interesting conversation when I wrote it, but I don't know if you guys agree.

Again, to those who reviewed last chapter telling me to update, thanks so much! It's really helped me write faster (by making me feel bad for not updating XD).

Please take the time to review! Reviews let me know what you guys think, what you guys like, what you guys think I need to improve on, and you can even ask me questions you might have about the fic. Of course, I probably won't reveal too much to you if you do ask, but it doesn't hurt to try, right? :3

If I do take a while to update again, I sincerely apologize to you in advance. I plan to update sometime in January of next year, but it's not a promise. If you don't see any updates in January, then feel free to PM me to kick my butt into writing again. XD

On a side note, I was sort of laughing when I wrote Miyuki's Hollow side claiming to be the only one to "rule over" ice. Psh, Toshiro ("That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you!") and Rukia have ice-element zanpakuto too…. Not like the Hollow knows that. XD