Wordlessly

by Amelie'sHuman

Grimmjow ends up lost in Karakura Town unable to use his powers to help himself because he's been turned into a cat. Luckily he is taken in by an oddly quiet girl. The story has a slow start but it takes a hard turn later. Slow burn story

20. Bruised Pride

No I didn't die or abandon the story. Just busy… Also there was a surprising amount of research that went into this chapter to try and keep things accurate.

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Chapter 20: Bruised Pride

Grimmjow sidestepped a kick from Achiim and retaliated with a gut punch. The young Arrancar staggered but only for a moment before he recovered for a low tackle; curious to see what the boy was going to do from that position, Grimmjow allowed him to take hold. Achiim wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist and jumped up a little to try and throw him down. Grimmjow put his foot down when he was only a little tilted, grabbed the boy and plucked him off then dropped him into a harsh kick. "Never grab someone at the center of their gravity to throw them. You're shrimpy so go for the shoulders and just throw them over yourself."

Achiim stood back up. "Okay."

"Throw me." Grimmjow said simply. The boy clearly knew better than to think that it would be that simple as he closely watched the large man and moved slowly.

Achiim used Sonido to get into Grimmjow's space and the man slammed his fist straight down onto the back of the boy's neck just where it meets the back. The boy's grunted and groaned on the ground but didn't get up all that quickly so Grimmjow shot a weak Bala to encourage the kid to move. Achiim noticed the attack charge and pushed himself up fast enough to only get the outer blast of the explosion.

The little Arrancar jumped back towards Grimmjow but with a punch and when Grimmjow blocked him Achiim jumped a little and kicked at his other hip. His ankle was caught and lifted upside down. With a blast of Reiatsu and confidence in the boy's face he took hold of Grimmjow's jacket at the collar and sleeve and threw all of his weight by clenching his abdomen and curling. He succeeded in throwing Grimmjow but tumbled away with him since the man didn't let go of his foot. "Whoa! Using your shoulder is way easier!" He shouted astounded, face covered in dirt.

"Great." Grimmjow said with a sharpness as he stood back up, grabbed Achiim by the skull and threw the boy like a ball back across the desert sand a hundred or so meters. It wasn't bad that the kid succeeded so quickly, it was just annoying because now he had to think of something else to make him do until he is tired out.

()

Yukiko walked slowly, her heavy footsteps on the wooden exterior hall seemed louder than normal in the cold early winter air. The late night crisp felt relieving to her pained body and she preferred it to the inner halls, especially at the end of her night, when she craved the isolation that came with the less comfortable path. She could see the door that led to the inner hall that held her room and she paused. She instead stood in the cold air and breathed deeply. She had scrubbed herself physically clean until her skin turned red but the feeling of filth never left her. If she went to her room she would surely fall asleep immediately and her daily routine would repeat: wake early, train, take lessons, eat, train… "How was it Mother called it? 'Better the men'? I'm not an idiot! This isn't normal!"

Not for the first or even hundredth time Yukiko looked at the wall that surrounded the house, the shingled roofs beyond, and dreamed of the trees that were further out. She had seen pictures of towns and people outside of the village, knew that they were very different. She wanted to go there, to the outside world that may as well have been as different of a world as the sun and moon. The girl leaned her head against a wooden post and imagined what it would be like to live without dreading the next day. She took a deep breath and resigned herself to call it a night. Inside the building the voices of some men that were either lingering or simply at their guard post and being inattentive. She stayed as silent as possible and made a quick trek to her room but was alarmed to see a flicker of light through the paper sheet of the door. She apprehensively opened it just enough to peek in and see who was in there but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her younger brother.

She plastered a smile to her face and completely opened the door. "Mashiro, what are you doing here?"

"Onee-san! Finally! What took you so long?" The boy said with too much energy for what must have been nearly 2 in the morning. Certainly well past the eleven-year olds bed time.

"You know you should be sleeping right now."

Mashiro shook his head and instead ran to the girl with his arms quickly wrapping around her hips. "I promised myself not to go to sleep until I saw you."

She returned the hug and felt warmed by her brother's words. "What is so important that it can't wait until tomorrow?"

His face craned up to look at her. "Happy 16th Birthday!" Then he stepped away with a deep frown. "Although because you took your time in doing the special training and even soaked in the bath after it isn't your birthday anymore."

Yukiko rubbed the top of his head. "I'm sorry. Thank you for remembering." She honestly forgot herself.

"I forgive you. This time. If you make me wait all night again I won't be so kind." The boy said, causing his sister to frown.

She pinched and pulled his cheek. "Who taught you to speak like that?"

Mashiro struggled with a groan so she let him go. He rubbed his face then readjusted his kimono back to its proper place. "Mother told me that as the heir I am above everyone else. I don't have to be nice or polite to anyone but her and Father." He then looked at her. "But I love Onee-san so I'll be nice to you."

Yukiko wasn't happy to hear that. Her brother was learning to be like their mother, the worst possible person to imitate. She wrapped her arms around him and lugged him toward her already pulled out futon; the child probably borrowed it while he waited. She laid down on the cushioned blanket and held on to her brother tightly. "Do you listen to the words others in the village say about Mother?"

"Why would I? They just say mean things."

"They say those things because she has given them no reason to see her as anything else. She controls people by keeping them afraid of her and gets rid or tortures those that displease her. Don't be like her. It's better to be loved by your followers and spoken of with a smile on their faces, rather than fear and disdain."

"Onee-san, did you do something that she didn't like? Is that why I'm the heir and not you?"

"No. She just has other ideas for what I may be allowed to become." She answered and pulled for her blanket.

Mashiro watched her move. "Is your special training really tough? Your wrist is really bruised."

Yukiko couldn't immediately respond, she just covered her arm at first. "It's the worst. Don't worry, you'll never have to do."

"How can you be sure?" He asked.

"If it's you, it would be pointless." She said.

The boy shot up and looked angry. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Don't be like that." Yukiko tried to calm him.

His face turned red in anger. "Be like what? I'm going to way stronger than you. How could your training be so great that I wouldn't be able to even get anything from it?"

"I didn't say that. It's… It's a type of training that only women can go through." She wasn't entirely incorrect but it was something too much to unload on a child like him. He was still pure-hearted, still learning what kind of person he'll be. The darkness in their house, their family, their history… It wasn't meant for him. She hoped it never would reach his mind.

The boy seemed to calm again. "That's weird."

"You might have endless energy but I don't. I'm going to sleep."

"Oh okay." The boy got up and went through her door. "Good night Onee-san." He said just before he closed it.

Yukiko's fleeting happiness completely left her with her brother and she felt cold. She got up and blew out her candle, leaving her in utter darkness.

...

There was a faint noise in the room but Yukiko didn't pay attention. The noise grew more persistent until a hand pulled her chin and face up, towards Grimmjow's. "Yuki!"

She blinked a few times then waved his hand off to face the man. {"What?"}

"You were completely spaced out."

She shrugged. {"I was just thinking…"} She looked over at the little calendar sitting on the dresser. January 9th, her birthday was in two days.

"Fine! Whatever! I was just talking!" Grimmjow said with a surprising amount of edge and he laid down beside her. His head was resting on her calf, his forehead and nose slightly touched her thigh while an arm wrapped over it below her skirt hem and seemed to hold it against himself. His mouth and cheek were blocked by his mask fragment but the bend in his brow told her he was frowning. He was being ridiculously cute. {"What are you doing?!"} She asked in a frantic way but he wasn't looking so the question was unknown.

Yukiko repeatedly tapped his face to get his attention and when he opened a glaring eye she gestured to his whole position. "You won't listen when I talk so why would I bother to tell you."

He was pouting. Full on "you hurt my feelings but I don't want to admit it" pouting. It made Yukiko's heart clench and body quiver. Unable to help herself she got up just enough to move her body down and back so that her face was even with him and kissed him. He refused the gesture so the woman pulled up a little. {"I'm sorry I stopped listening to your hundredth complaint about the Arrancar child."}

"Actually pay attention when I talk to you." He demanded.

*I promise.* She signed with a smile.

"I won't forgive you if I catch you ignoring me again."

She rolled her eyes. {"What does that mean?"}

He rolled them over so she was beneath him with a wicked smile. "It means there's a punishment next time."

She tilted her head a little. {"What will it take for me to get a reward?"}

"Every day I come here is a reward." He said shamelessly.

Yukiko couldn't stop the jolt in her shoulders and the scrunch of her face as she tried to repress her immediate need to laugh.

He immediately kissed her, possibly because it is an effective way of stopping her. He wasted no time in invading her mouth and taking her breath away. The man traced his fingers down her thigh then jumped to her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself enjoy the feeling of him. When he stopped she took the chance to catch her breath but he just moved down to her chin and neck, nibbling and licking. It sent shivers down her spine and she wondered how teeth could actually feel good. He left her neck and bit her stomach through her shirt before lifting it up enough to give him access to her flesh. Yukiko clenched her hands and her shoulders and arms tensed.

Grimmjow apparently noticed because he lifted up. "Seriously? Are you going backwards or something? On Christmas you let me do much more before panicking."

Yukiko sat up now. {"I was also drunk."}

She saw his eyes glance toward the refrigerator, the thought of making her drink probably crossing his mind, but he didn't say anything to the effect.

{"Sorry."} She said, not looking at him. He wasn't wrong to be annoyed, she was getting annoyed. Yukiko didn't want to be the way she was. "Those bastards ruined me…"

Grimmjow sighed and tilted her head up by the bottom of her chin. "Shit, I think I bruised your face again."

It amazed her sometimes how relaxed she was with him otherwise. "Probably because we got to know each other during a time where there was no thought of the possibility of sex." She thought back to their days together when Grimmjow was just a black cat living with her. It was kind of fun to watch the changes in his behavior as he grew to be more comfortable with her. It was especially fun to watch as he appeared to hide how much he liked her giving him baths. {"I wish this place had a bath…"} She sighed.

"What?" Grimmjow asked, apparently not paying as much attention as normal to her words.

"A bath." An idea crossed her mind. {"My birthday is in a couple of days. How about we go away over night to a hotspring or something?"}

"Nice. Why?" He seemed equally unexcited and curious.

She felt her face flush a little and she mumbled out her answer but knew full well he couldn't understand. She reached for her sketch book and flipped over to a blank page and hastily scribbled her thought while she had the nerve then held it up so that he couldn't see her face. "I thought maybe if we took a bath together it would be nice."

Grimmjow ripped the book away and Yukiko tried to hide her bright red face from him with her hands. "I'm in. When can we go?" He was smirking and leaning in close.

She pushed against his face, her sanity desperate for some space between them. {"I'll need some time to find somewhere cheap and make a reservation. It definitely won't be by my birthday but we can just hold off on doing anything until then."}

"Who said we were ever going to celebrate it?"

She frowned playfully at him and flipped him off with both hands. {"Fuck you."}

He grinned wickedly. "Please do."

Yukiko started lightly beating on him with her fists so Grimmjow grabbed her wrists and resumed kissing the woman.

It only took a few days to get information on several hotsprings and traditional inns, which were admittedly Yukiko's preference, using travel books. She narrowed down her selection to only three based on the room types, bath accessibility, and location. She liked traditional Japanese settings, wanted a full personal bath as it might be difficult for her and Grimmjow to be alone in the public bath, and she wanted it to be somewhat close to Karakura. Once she had the choices narrowed she went to the public library and used the computer to look at current pricing and contact information. One resort in particular was advertising for cheap prices, only 11870 yen per person per night for the next four weeks. Her guess was the price reduction was because of slowed business as couples waited for the upcoming Valentine's Day to make a trip. Next, she had to contact them. First: set up an email account; second: email them to inquire about a reservation for a one-night stay.

The reply came quickly, and by the time she checked her new email the next day the hotel had already sent her an electronic reservation form. She and Grimmjow would go on January 18th only a short eight days away. The trip would be cheap for what it was but it still wasn't going to be cheap. She picked up extra shifts at the grocery store to help pay for it which didn't seem to sit well with Grimmjow. He was starting to attack more frequently now and while it wasn't on purpose he was leaving more marks than ever, not that Yukiko was complaining. She liked his attention; his voice, hands, the way he would sigh contented when they would settle in for the night. It was after their kisses that his sighs had a bit more of a growl and his mouth would pull back, frustrated.

At work two days before they departed for the trip Yukiko was stocking shelves with another employee named Sana in the store and had to reach up high, her sleeve pulled away a little. "Oh, Ametsuchi-san what happened?"

Yukiko looked at her, confused.

Sana pointed to Yukiko's wrist, which was wrapped in a light purple tint. Yukiko recognized it as Grimmjow's handprint. She grabbed the little notepad and pen that the manager instructed her to wear while she worked. It was more than a little demeaning and made people mistake her for being deaf which led to a lot of exaggerated waving and taps on her shoulders by customers followed by slow speaking and unnecessary hand gestures. Yukiko was almost ready to write on the back her shirt "I'm not deaf!" But for now she wrote on the notepad to answer her coworker's question. "My boyfriend accidentally grabbed me too hard."

"What do you mean grabbed you too hard? Is he also the one that bruised your face last week?"

"Shit… I was worried this might happen one day." Yukiko thought to herself. Without even waiting for the woman to answer Sana was on a muttering, flustered tangent about what could be happening to the disabled girl behind closed doors. Since there was no chance to convincingly deny the accusation she tried to curb the panic. "It was an accident. He's really strong and can't always control his strength. He actually treats me very well."

Sana got very close to Yukiko's face and she leaned away some. "That's what all women in your situation say!" Yukiko held in the disgusted face she wanted to make at the smell of the other woman's breath but Sana just grabbed her hands. "You don't have to be afraid. Just tell me what's happening and we can get through this together!"

Yukiko stood up and the woman fell forward. "Please do not try and paint me as some battered woman. If I say something is an accident, it is an accident."

With a painful silence the two finished restocking the shelf and parted ways for other tasks to take care off. When she was almost alone in the back corner of the store to start sweeping she looked up. {"I'm surprised you haven't said anything yet."} She said to Grimmjow who was standing a few meters from her. He entered the store at some point during her previous task and definitely saw the exchange between Sana and herself.

"There ain't anything to say. Whatever that woman thinks she knows is wrong." He said with absolute certainty.

Yukiko rolled and growled silently. {"I already get treated like some helpless toddler. I don't need anything else for people to pity me over."}

"No one will look down on you if you show them who's superior."

The woman looked at him with half-lidded eyes. {"I'm not going to beat up everyone that does something I don't like to me."}

"Can't or won't?" Grimmjow questioned.

She went back to work rather than answer. "Hey what was it you called me?"

She looked back at him now. {"My boyfriend?"}

"Don't." He said simply.

{"Why not?"}

"It sounds like a kid's word." He said with a groan.

She huffed out a laugh with a crooked smile. {"Adults say boyfriend and girlfriend too."}

"Well don't."

She leaned her cheek against the tip of the broom handle, still wearing her smile. {"What should I call you then? Lover?"}

"Only if you want me to throw up, and I will make sure it's on you. How much longer are you going to be here."

{"An hour."} She answered.

Grimmjow sighed. "Fine. See you later."

{"Where are you going?"} Yukiko asked but his back was already turned so she didn't get an answer. She sighed then returned to her job.

()

Since he had some time to waste Grimmjow decided to go to the shopping district and look for a boxing or fighting program to watch. Even though they had a television in the apartment now they would apparently need to pay extra to watch those shows, which Yukiko absolutely refused especially now. It was fine by him since he could at least use up some time with the walk. While he was on his way there he realized the boxing gym that he had previously seen Kurosaki's tall friend with the Fullbring arms was near his route. He decided to take that detour and see some fights in person instead.

He entered the gym where the opening door garnered little attention from the humans inside as they were all busy with their respective workouts and sparring. Sado was in there as well so Grimmjojw approached him. "Hey you. Fight me." He demanded.

The man looked at him and seemed to frown slightly. Maybe… "I don't have a death wish, so no."

"Fine, I won't use my powers, just give me a good fist fight."

"If I wanted to try and fight evenly with you I would need my Fullbring and even then I still can't since no one can see you. It would scare the others and I might get kicked out of here if I start getting injuries from an invisible opponent." The human said in a hush before walking back to his human training partners.

Grimmjow groaned and took a step forward to force the man into a fight but he looked around. He might not have any love for humans but he could feel respect for the place he was at so he restrained himself.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and left the gym in a huff. "Being here is boring!" He shouted at the air when he was outside. His only options for entertainment in the World of the Living were going and watching TV, hanging out with Yukiko while she was distracted at work and not likely to offer any real conversation, go back to the apartment and do nothing or watch even more boring TV, or worst of all, walk around with nothing to do. "Fuck this, I'm out!" He declared and opened a Garganta to return to Hueco Mundo.

He didn't want to go to Las Noches, he's there all the time and knows that there's nothing for him to do so he entered the barren desert somewhere else. He went back to the ruined outpost where he met Riverra. For the first time all day something right happened and the man he was hoping for was indeed there, sitting against a crumbling building.

"Hey!" He called to the darker man.

The tiger Hollow looked up. "Jaegerjaquez-san. What brings you here?"

Grimmjow got in close and stood above the other man. "Let's fight."

Riverra looked at him for a moment without saying anything then cracked a smile. "Alright."

After saying that, without pause, he swept both of the Grimmjow's legs with a kick. The panther caught himself on his hands and thrust kicked up towards Riverra's face but he jumped away. Grimmjow got to his feet and chased him with a punch ready. The tiger stopped running and instead intercepted the strike with a punch of his own. When that happened both Arrancar happily exchanged a barrage of punches with each other. Grimmjow wasn't currently interesting in a fight to the death, just a fight to enjoy and it seemed that Riverra picked up on that as neither made any attempt at escalating it to go beyond their fists. They would land their punches and send the other back a step or not and neither would move a centimeter from their stance. At no point did either reach for their sword or even try to use their surroundings to break through the other's defense, they were simply enjoying the feeling of a good fistfight.

Riverra punched straight with his left and Grimmjow caught it so he used his right for an uppercut while Grimmjow used his left to punch his forehead. Both returned to their feet and resumed the punching spree. He wasn't sure how long they were at it but eventually Riverra raised his hands and spoke with a pant. "I think I've had enough."

"What are you talking about? We're still standing!" The other man said, somewhat out of breathe too.

"Not really…" The tiger replied as he dropped back onto the sand, arms and legs splayed out while his chest rose and fell dramatically.

"Fine…" Grimmjow sighed but it was covered by a pant, and sat down next to him.

Riverra laughed a little. "You certainly have a lot of stamina."

"I'm going to be the King, I can't let anyone be stronger than me," He declared.

Riverra looked up at the night sky. "King huh? Ambitious."

"What's the point in existing if you're just going to settle for less than the strongest?" He challenged.

The darker man was silent for a moment then he held up his Zanpukto in its black sheath. "I suppose I always thought existing was the point."

"Well that's boring as hell."

Riverra looked over at him and smiled slightly. "It can be. That's why I agreed to fight you. Something to take the boredom away."

Grimmjow smirked. "Good. Now I know who I can go to when life is being dull."

"Is your life often dull?"

"Lately it is. I stay in the Land of the Living most of the time but when my human is busy there's nothing for me to do."

Riverra sat up and let his arms lay relaxed in his barely covered lap. "You stay with a human there? Why"

"I stay there because my human belongs to me. If I'm not around she'll end up in a stupid situation that will inevitably piss me off."

"You keep a human companion? Being around others for nothing more than companionship is a rather human activity. Shouldn't a Hollow behave like a Hollow?"

The words made Grimmjow pause. It was something he would say, without a doubt. In fact he had said something similar to Nelliel and Harribel. "Did I fucking ask for your opinion?!"

The sudden outburst made Riverra jump a little. "Okay but, out of curiosity, how does that even work?"

"Huh?" Grimmjow looked at him in utter confusion.

"How do you touch her without hurting her? From what I understand about them, humans are very fragile."

"I do have control of my strength dipshit." He declared and looked elsewhere to try and discourage any more conversation. He looked at the ruined building and tried to make sense of the structures. He might be looking at a wall, or maybe a square tower. He then looked at Riverra and realized the clothe he was wearing was different and more exposing. It was tattered and seemed to have a straight hem on one side and he could discern what might be some type of wing from a crest in the fold that held it to the Arrancar's body. "Go to Las Noches already so you can get some fucking clothes!"

"What's wrong with what I have?" He asked innocently before getting an annoyingly wide grin. "You know, I had to make do with what I could barely find here since you ruined my previous cloak."

"I don't care! I just don't want to fight you again if I have to worry about your dick flying out."

"Alright, alright. I'll go and get proper clothes, just for you. But then I'm coming back."

"Good." He said simply then opened a Garganta.

"Going back to your human?"

Grimmjow pointed behind the other man. "Las Noches is that way. There's a big ass dome around it and it's a fucking castle so you can't miss it."

"Thanks." He said with a quick wave as Grimmjow exited Hueco Mundo and returned to the apartment.

Yukiko was there and he could hear the shower running. "I'm home." He called out. He wasn't expecting a reply but after a few seconds her head popped out of the bathroom. {"Welcome home."}

He only had a second to take in her appearance: hair dripping water and soap suds still on her face, before her expression changed to a confused one and she disappeared behind the door again and resumed her cleaning. She exited again in two minutes at most, clothes slightly plastered to her still damp body. She gently touched his face. {"What happened?"}

Apparently his face was bruised and or bloody. "I went to Hueco Mundo and fought with Riverra since I had time to kill."

{"Who?"}

"Riverra. That Arrancar I fought a while back when I was sent to look for Starrk."

{"You didn't mention a name before."}

"Well it's Riverra." She got a crooked smirk on her face and Grimmjow felt like he wouldn't want to know what was going on in her head. "I'm going to shower." He ended their talk and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and tee shirt from a dresser drawer that was half designated for him and went to the bathroom. He had a black eye, split lip and his exposed cheek was bruised.

By the time he got out was already preparing the Grimmjow's futon, hers was more or less permenately put away these days. He inspected her face. She leaned back a little. {"What?"}

"You're already going to bed?"

She nodded. {"I picked up food from a convenience store for dinner instead of cooking since I'm tired."}

It really shouldn't be surprising; she had been working a lot more and he could tell she wasn't used to it. She had less energy the past few days and Grimmjow had to be even more aggressive to get the attention she usually gave him. She was convinced they should go on the overnight trip even though he didn't really get it. If she wanted to take a bath then she should go to a bath house that they've passed plenty of times on their outings. He could just join her in the women's side since others probably wouldn't see him. "Well, she wouldn't talk to me if we did that since there would be an audience to her crazy. She did mention something about a private bath at the place we're going to." He mentally conceded.

He left his thoughts and saw that she was already starting to settle in for the night so he slipped in behind her. Without hesitating a millisecond she shifted to use him for an arm pillow and he wrapped his other arm over her hip and pressed his forearm and hand up her torso, pulling her into him. Yukiko was always warm and soft even when a little wet, not that he was completely dry. Her skin was addicting in both feel and smell. Grimmjow would never admit just how much so but he often found himself reluctant to let her get up in the mornings simply out of not wanting to be separating from the sense of her. He completely stopped getting up first and was having difficulty not coming back to her daily. When he thinks about it, it's rather disturbing how much power she had over him just by existing but at the end of the day it wasn't like he couldn't stay away for days or weeks if he wanted to. He didn't try because he didn't want to.

He shifted his whole body down further the futon and rested his orbital rim against the back of Yukiko's head. He grabbed and trapped one of her ankles between his legs, which she twitched against but he had her trapped. When she gave up he took a deep breath, smelling the only slightly flowery scented shampoo and her, and allowed sleep to take over with a relaxing sigh.

The final day before the trip went quickly. Yukiko pulled out the same bag that she had used when they last traveled and told Grimmjow to pack sleepwear and clothes for their trip home for himself while she was at work. He did quickly since he only had one other set of clothes for sleeping and he decided to wear his black shirt and pants that he normally wears while at Las Noches, just in case he needs to kill someone. It happened last time they went away; best to be ready. He decided to pack for Yukiko too so she wouldn't waste any time when she got home. She needed warm clothes since her human body was sensitive to the weather. He rummaged through her underwear and grabbed a pair according to what he wants to see her wearing. While she didn't own anything sexy or lacey she did have red pair that looked like they might be relatively enticing and a matching bra. Those were tossed in the bag. Next he went to her sparsely stocked pajamas and grabbed the only thing left in the drawer. After that Grimmjow wasn't sure that there was anything else that they was going to take and decided that he had done enough to move along their afternoon when Yukiko got off of work.

He immediately left for Las Noches and after quick feel through with his Pesquisa found out that Riverra still hadn't reached there yet. Since that was the case he was coming on foot and would need a few days. In Hueco Mundo it's practically impossible to open a Garganta accurately somewhere you've never been without something or someone to direct you. The human world is easy, Karakura even more so, since there are relatively few people with any amount of Reiatsu and typically the specific person that they go to is less important than getting to the general area. It hadn't really occurred to him before but with the amount of back and forth he does between the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo his accuracy has become amazing. "Maybe I can go back and forth to such an exact location because I've spent so much time in the apartment and Las Noches. Naw. If that were it then I shouldn't have been able to go directly to Riverra before."

"Whatever…" He said to himself, not that caring about the non-combat power.

"Whatever what?" Nel asked from behind him.

He looked back at her with a smirk. "I've become so amazing that I don't even impress myself anymore."

She relaxed her expression and looked uninterested. "Pompous man…"

"Oh yeah. I'm going to be gone for a couple of days."

Nel stopped. "Really? Big plans with Ametsuchi?"

"Nothing for you to know. I will be with her though so don't worry about trying to get her alone to talk to her again. It won't happen."

"You're awfully protective of her."

He walked in close and leaned down to get a little in her face. "I'm not into sharing what belongs to me."

"A human being is not some object for you to posses. If she's that important to you then you should speak about her with a measure of respect." The woman claimed.

"Since it wasn't clear enough from when you met her, I'll let you in on something. She doesn't need to be treated like some flower."

Nel frowned and slightly looked away. "I remember. She was a little rude." She looked back at Grimmjow. "But you should treat a lady kindly, assuming you don't want her to leave you."

The man smiled. "Fuck off Nelliel."

He left for his room and reclined on his bed. There wasn't really anything for him to do and he considered taking a nap but he had only woken up a couple of hours ago and wasn't really feeling like sleeping. "Ah. I should go out and do some killing now while I have the chance."

Grimmjow left Las Noches and entered the cold expanse of the desert in search of weaklings and potential challenges alike.

He wasn't sure how long he was in the desert but he decided to return to the World of the Living after the fiftieth Hollow he killed. None of them gave him any particular effort but the sheer number of the enemies somewhat made up for it. When he stepped through the Garganta Yukiko was indeed back, dressed for the night and dinner was sitting on the table, covered up to keep it warm. "I'm home." He habitually stated. She looked at him with mild disgust. {"I want to welcome you home but... Why are you covered in blood?"}

"I wanted to have some fun." He said as he sat down.

Yukiko swiftly took the plate away and started pulling the little bowls towards herself. {"Don't eat while drenched in blood!"}

He reached for her and wiped some of it on her sleeve. "It's not like its mine."

She looked at her shirt then him in disdain. {"That makes it worse."}

He reached again and she moved the food further away. "Come on, I've had a long day!"

The woman stood up. {"I'll warm this back up while you take a shower."}

"Fine!" He groaned in an exaggerated way. He got to his feet but before he entered the bathroom he wrapped his arms around the woman and coated her body as much as possible. When he did enter the other room he looked back at the woman who looked pissed and was hovering his dinner over the trash can. He smirked, daring her to just waste the food since he knew she never would.

He stripped out of the bloody clothes and started washing the blood and filth away, turning the water rusty colored. The door opened and Yukiko, who was very clearly looking at the floor, reached in to leave him what appeared to have been the sweatpants and shirt he worn the previous night, only they were folding to show that they had been washed that day. "So shy, even though you planned a whole trip just to see me naked." He said, causing her to harshly slam the door shut.

When he did exit the bath Yukiko was working on placing the steaming food back on the table. Rather than have any conversation with him she gabbed is only clean shirt that wasn't packed away and went into the bathroom. He heard the water run and she exited before he even finished his dinner. She was wearing his shirt and nothing else, leaving her thighs more exposed than he had ever seen from her. "What, you trying to make sure I don't ruin more of your clothes?"

{"I don't have any other pajamas."} She declared.

"Right…" He said as he finished his last mouthful; after he swallowed the food he opened an arm invitingly. "Come here."

She looked at him with suspicion but obeyed. As soon as she was close enough he wrapped his arm around one of her legs, closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against her thigh. He slowly turned until his lips were traced by her flesh then bit. He felt her flinch and put a hand on the top of his head. He licked at the mark, tasting a bit of blood when he did. "Tastes as good as it smells." He spoke though it wasn't really to her, more like it was to her skin. He looked up at the woman's face. Her eyes weren't very focused and face was red. Her lips were parted slightly and she was taking steady breaths. Grimmjow pulled at her knee to force her to fall and crawled over her. Her hands gripped a bit tighter on his shoulders but she didn't try to say anything.

"I'm not going to do it so just sit there and let me indulge a bit in the mean time." Grimmjow spoke before he nipped at her neck and licked the blood. His hands trailed down the side of her body until reaching the back of her knee. His hand rested there while he tilted his face up a little and kissed against her jaw and under her chin. Her breathing was deeper and when he moved to her ear she leaned her head against the top of his. Yukiko started to trail her hands up his back under his shirt, her nails lightly grazing the surface of his skin. He hated the light touch. It was barely there, soft, a little sharp and tantalizing. Such a gentle touch made the skin in the trail's wake twitch for more. He wanted more touches, more stimulation but with the apparent restraint of a sadist, she only gave enough to peak his attention and leave him wanting for more. "Stop." He commanded.

She didn't so he lifted himself up and her hands stayed inside his shirt, keeping them from completely separating. Her eyes were hazy, face and neck reddened, and she was breathing in audible sighs. "Do you even realize the face you're making right now? Like a bitch in heat." He said with his own desires for the situation causing his voice to get husky tone to it.

"We're going to have a problem if we go anymore." He told her. Yukiko placed her hands on Grimmjow's waist and tugged to try and pull him back down.

Grimmjow tensed his hand and nearly dove in. She was OFFERING in a way like never before. As he started to lean back down to kiss her he saw that the dead straw that the floor was made of was slightly crunched beneath his fingers. It made him pause and his face lost all expression. He leaned into her ear. "Why waste the perfect chance that we'll have tomorrow for a first time?"

He completely got off her and took his plate to the sink, being very conscious of his hand as he placed it in the sink actually not nearly damaging the tableware for a change. He could see the reflection of Yukiko's face in the microwave; she looked utterly confused. He saw her breathe a deep sigh then come next to him. {"That's probably for the best. We have an early morning tomorrow."}

He didn't respond. She frowned and pinched his exposed cheek. "Hey! What are ya doing?"

{"Making sure you're paying attention. Could you pull out the futon while I clean the dishes?"}

He didn't say anything but did go to the window and unfolded his. He briefly considered setting up hers too to give him some space from her but was instantly against it. When he glanced back Yukiko stood behind him so he laid down with enough space for her to curl in close like normal. He wrapped his arm around her as he does every night and closed his eyes. He didn't immediately fall asleep like he normally would; instead his mind was running in circles with pointless thoughts. He focused on their trip the next day and thought about taking a bath together with Yukiko. It controlled his train of thought enough to calm his mind and allowed him to sleep.

()

The alarm clock against the wall buzzed obnoxiously. Yukiko stretched her arm out from the cocoon of Grimmjow's sleeping embrace and blindly slapped at the top of the box until it stopped its noise. 6:00. The woman snuggled back into the man who shifted a little from her movements and started to drift back to sleep. "Stupid alarm, waking me up so early…"

The buzzing started again; apparently she only hit the snooze. "Yuki, turn it off." Grimmjow sleepily complained.

{"I'm trying…"} She said despite his eyes being closed. {"Why did I set an alarm anyways?"} She wondered as she actually opened her eyes and looked at what she was doing to ensure it stayed off. Her gaze moved across the room and she saw the packed bag, snapping her wide awake. {"Our trip!"}

She shifted back and patted at Grimmjow's arm. {"Wake up."} No response.

She started patting at his face and he stirred a little so she leaned down and kissed him, ignoring their mutual morning breath. He woke up but seemed annoyed. She pointed towards the bag. {"We need to get up."}

"You get up. I'll find you and catch up later." He said and turned away from her.

Yukiko rolled him out of the blanket, causing him to sit up with a pissed off look on his face. {"Good, you're already out of bed. Go ahead and get dress first, I'll put this away."} She said, completely unfazed by the dark glare. After all, he wouldn't actually try to hurt her.

He grumbled as he stood up and changed into clothes that he had originally packed for the next day, probably since Yukiko was wearing the only other shirt that wasn't bloodied or used for sleeping. "It really shouldn't matter what he wears where since none of his clothes are actually pajamas. They're just sweatpants, tee shirts, that one pair of jeans and the outfit he already had. I should really get him more clothes…" She felt guilty that he had so little to wear but she didn't exactly have an extensive wardrobe herself, though she did have more than two outfits to choose from.

With the futon put up she went to the kitchen and started the rice cooker. When he emerged from the bathroom changed and brushing his teeth Yukiko traded places with him and changed into a brown tunic sweater and black leggings, brushed her hair and teeth. When she was finished she packed the daily toiletries and cooked a quick breakfast of egg-rice omelet. "I still don't get why we have to leave early in the morning to spend the night somewhere. Let's just leave in the afternoon." Grimmjow said.

{"It would be a waste of a trip to not take the time for sightseeing. Nara is supposed to have a bunch of interesting things too."}

"No. It would be waste of a vacation to not relax." He argued.

Yukiko giggled a little, somewhat agreeing with him but was too excited for their trip to really think about sitting around the apartment. {"I don't get you. You complain about being bored but also complain when I take you to go do something."}

"I'd happily go; if it was four hours from now."

She grabbed their plates and chopsticks. {"We can always sleep on the train."} She pointed out.

He picked up the glasses and finished the orange juice in both of them before placing them in the sink under Yukiko's arms. He sat back down and leaned against the folded cushions while he waited for her to finish cleaning up. After the cups were cleaned and placed in the drying rack which was then placed in the sink to drip dry while they were gone. She looked at Grimmjow, who was watching her. {"Okay, we can go."}

He got up and walked to the door so she went back to get the bag, checked that she had her wallet and put on her brown winter boots and scarf. They once again trekked to the subway then transferred to the bullet train. Once on the bullet train the ride was about two hours, about how long it took them to get to Kameoka. Yukiko wanted to sleep but couldn't risk missing their destination so she used the time to draw instead. She drew her favorite subject, Grimmjow. He had fallen asleep without hesitation when they sat down. His face was so peaceful, features far softer in their relaxed state then when he was awake and being snide.

When his portrait was complete she moved on to a new page and drew Mashiro as best as she remembered him. It had been years since she saw him and was certain that her image of him was off even for the age that she last saw him as but it was a comfort to recreate the face as best as she could anyways. It was her way of holding on to the memory of her little brother, even if she had to leave him behind. "Who's that?" The now awake Grimmjow asked.

Yukiko looked at him; his expression was neutral. She wrote that he was her little brother and his name on the paper.

"Why did you lie before?"

Now she gave him a confused expression.

"You drew him before and said he was no one. Why lie then? Or are you lying now?"

Yukiko shook her head. "I miss him so I don't like talking about him. It just reminds me that I can't see him and that if he does ever see me he might think of me as a traitor or his enemy."

Surprisingly, Grimmjow dropped the subject. He did take her book and turned a page back where he saw his portrait. "I don't look like that."

{"Yes you do."} She told him.

"No I don't! You made my face too weak looking."

She laughed at him a little, which did not escape his notice. {"You don't look weak. When you don't scowl your features relax and look a little softer. That's all."}

"I'm not always scowling."

{"No, but you are expressive so your face isn't usually that relaxed."} She pointed out.

He seemed to not want to continue trying to argue his face with her because he moved on to the next picture; it was just scenery from the park the last time she was there. It was just after a snowfall and she like the way the only child out to play left behind a single trail of footprints in the new snow so she sketched it. Grimmjow must not have been particularly impressed because he moved on to the next one then the next and continued like that. The next one he stopped at was a drawing of the outside walkway of a traditional house and a small koi pond with a rocking bamboo fountain fixture just in the frame of the page. A wall was in the background and a butterfly crest displayed. Grimmjow cocked his head a little while he looked at it, his thumb showing what his interest was focused on as it rubbed over the butterfly crest. She patted his wrist to get his attention. {"Something interesting?"}

"Where is this?"

{"It's the outer hall at my family house. Why?"}

"I think I saw this butterfly in some ruins at Hueco Mundo."

She didn't say anything to that.

"This is the part where you tell me why that would be possible." He ordered with a snarl in his expression.

{"My ancestors probably tried to conquer Hueco Mundo. Clearly they failed."} She guessed. Yukiko knew that people from the Ametsuchi clan could travel to Hueco Mundo, it was called Kadoguchi, but she wasn't instructed on any previous invasion attempts.

"It's probably them trying now." Grimmjow claimed.

Yukiko looked away, ashamed, but nodded in agreement.

Grimmjow crossed his arms and leaned back a little. "Whatever, it's not like you're doing anything."

The woman took comfort in his comment and leaned against his arm. They sat like that for the last twenty minutes of the ride until they reached Nara. The pair exited the train and Yukiko grabbed a city map on her way out. They got outside and looked at their surroundings. There were many buildings, not much smaller than the ones in Karakura but they were definitely older looking. The sidewalks were brick and the lanterns were wooden rather than concrete and metal. {"We should go to the inn first so I can check-in then we can walk around."}

"Sure." Grimmjow replied but didn't seem particularly interested.

Since they started walking she wrote on her notebook. "Is there anything you want to see while we are here?"

"You naked. Preferably under me but I will settle for in a bath."

Yukiko barely felt a reaction from the comment and was worried by the fact that she was becoming increasing used to the crudeness of her companion. She opened her map and looked for the best route to their inn. It was a forty minute walk to the inn and she spent the whole walk gazing at the scenery around her. On numerous times Grimmjow had grabbed her by the head and stopped her from walking into a wall or person because she was too distracted by everything around her. Probably thanks to the Arrancar taking hold of the map and towing her the proper way more than her awareness. They entered the inn and a middle aged woman in a kimono was behind the counter greeted her. "Welcome to Nara Hakushikaso. How may I help you?"

Yukiko wrote on her book. "Hello. My name is Ametsuchi Yukiko. I have a reservation for tonight."

The woman read the paper with a slightly confused look on her face then nodded. She pulled a paper out from in front of her but out of sight. "Please present your identification and fill out this form."

Yukiko handed over her citizen identification card and started filling out the paperwork. It was all some standard personal information such as age, marital status, occupation, address and such. Under special notes she wrote that she was mute to avoid the otherwise inevitable deaf girl treatment. The woman behind the counter hands back the ID and takes the paper. She appeared to skim before pulling a rope that rang a bell. Another woman in a kimono walked out from another room. This woman looked over Yukiko. The receptionist spoke. "Soma, this is Ametsuchi-san. Please escort her to room 107."

The new woman nodded. "Please follow me."

She guided the two down the hall and unlatched a door with a little sign that said 107. "If I may be so bold as to ask; would you be needing a second futon?"

Yukiko was a little surprised by the question but Grimmjow answered for them apparently not surprised. "Don't bother. Just make sure it's big enough for the both of us."

Yukiko helplessly nodded in agreement while he walked into the room. The attendant seemed a little nervous. "Will six be an acceptable time for your dinner to be brought in?"

Yukiko nodded and bowed in appreciation before entering the room herself. It was small with two divided spaces for a sleeping area and a dining area. The table was low and had cushions as seats, similar to how she has it at the apartment. Even so it was about two and a half, maybe three, times the size of her residence. Just as she planned there was a private bath next to a private toilet. The woman placed her backpack down and checked out the bathroom. There was a little area with a sprayer and seat and half of the floor space was used up by a bathtub. She was excited and nervous about the coming night all at once. A hand slowly ran down her back and rested on her butt. "Want to go in already?" Grimmjow asked quietly in her ear. She could hear the smirk on his face.

The woman turned and shook her head. She instead went to the table and pulled out the map. He was still standing where she left him, arms crossed and a frown on his face so she waved him over. He rolled his eyes but did come though he didn't sit. She pointed to a location on the map with a bright smile on her face. {"This place is the priority!"}

"Seriously?" He was not impressed by her choice.

She stood and looked at him with stars in her vision. {"It's the best part of Nara!"}

Rather than allow him to try and talk his way out of going she folded her map and put the clothes in her bag into a neat pair of piles then repacked her sketch book. She then took his hand to tow him out of the room. He allowed it.

Yukiko led him down the street and when they stopped and waited at a cross walk the woman took a sharp intake of breath and clenched tightly to Grimmjow's wrist while eyeing a herd of deer that were casually walking around the side walk. She knew that it meant the Nara Park was nearby and it was the place she most wanted to go. She was interested in the temples and shrines in Nara but she had also grown up practically in a temple, she saw one every day. She had never fed a deer!

As soon as the crosswalk was green she took a brisk pace to the other side and immediately went toward the animals. They were not at all bothered by the pair approaching them but they didn't seem too keen on letting her touch them. She would reach and they would bounce away just before she made contact. "You're pathetic." Grimmjow said as he watched her try and fail. He then used his Sonido to practically teleport next to a deer and grabbed it around the neck. The creature started to flail and panic.

{"AH! Grimmjow let it go!"} Yukiko shouted in a panic.

She suspected he didn't understand her words since he just looked at her confused so she pulled at his arm to open it. He let go. "What? You wanted to touch one right?"

Yukiko crossed her arms with a huff. {"You were scaring it dumbass!"}

Grimmjow put his hands in his pockets and looked away. "A little fear never hurt anything."

The woman didn't acknowledge his comment and instead walked into the property of the park. Just within the entrance was a stand with a sign. "Deer Crackers"

Yukiko ran up and purchased two packets, knowing that just one wouldn't satisfy her. She walked a few minutes into the park and opened a pack. Seven deer immediately started flocking to her. She held a cracker out and one ate it in little pieces, allowing her to pet it as it munched. The others nibbled and sniffed at her as they begged for food too.

The woman couldn't contain her excitement and broke a cracker in half so the that she could feed two at once. Their lips and whiskers tickled against her palms and she started to giggle. When she looked at Grimmjow he seemed utterly unimpressed and it made her frown. She grabbed his hand and put a cracker in it. {"Your turn."}

"Don't want to." He said. One of the deer started to nudge his hand and he held it up. "Go away!"

More flocked to him and all tried to reach up for the cracker. Yukiko laughed at him as he tried to shoo away the animals instead of getting violent, possibly since it upset her before. One deer bowed and it stopped both of them in their activity. Grimmjow immediately gave the cracker to that one. "Good deer."

When it stopped eating it bowed again and another did as well. Grimmjow spoke with a sparkle in his eye. "Yuki, give me more. I'm going to make all of them to bow down to me."

She handed him the closed packet of crackers and sat on a nearby stone curb. When she sat a deer nudged her face and she handed it a treat. It munched on it next to her ear and she gently stroked its face before offering it her final cracker. After it inspected her hands to confirm that she had nothing left it left her to join the crowd around Grimmjow. Yukiko laughed as he held up the deer cracker and now four of them would bow to him. He broke the cracker into pieces and gave it to the bowers as a reward. Unable to help herself Yukiko pulled out her sketch book and did a quick sketch of the scene. The lines weren't very solid but that was fine, she would go back and fill in the fine details later as long as she had the image outlined.

When Grimmjow was on his last cracker all eight of the deer bowed to him and he grinned triumphantly at his companion. She smiled back and chuckled, amused by him. The Arrancar crushed the cracker and tossed the crumbs away from him so they would follow them and leave him alone. Yukiko packed away her book and stood. {"Let's go through the park. It has another exit closer to a shrine."}

"Haven't you already been to a shrine? Why do you want to go to another?"

{"All shrines aren't the same."} She informed.

He rolled his eyes but she grabbed his hand anyways. {"It's better than sitting in the hotel all day."}

"Why? You sit in the apartment all day everyday you aren't working." He pointed out.

{"I go out. We go to the cinema, the library and the park regularly. Something different is nice."} She argued back.

"I guess…" He grumbled. "We should eat though."

She looked at him with a raised brow. {"Are you hungry?"}

"No but it will stall us getting to the shrine."

Yukiko shrugged, not really caring. It was past lunch anyways so she was hungry herself. They walked through the park and the woman looked at the many deer as they were either huddled together in the snow or getting food from other visitors.

Once out of the park they went to the first ramen restaurant that they passed. While she was eating the noodles she examined the map and glanced at Grimmjow. He wasn't keen on shrine visiting so she wanted to find something else that they could do that he would like. "This might be something…"

She tapped his hand to get his attention. {"Want to go see a palace instead?"}

"No. I lived in a palace, why go visit one?" He immediately responded.

She shrugged. {"A majority of the tourist spots are shrines..."}

"I'm not going to a bunch of shrines." He stated firmly.

{"The mountain trail is closed for the winter. I figured you'd like Kasuga Shrine best since there is a bit of a trek up the mountain to get there so there'd be less just looking at old buildings though."}

He sighed. "Okay, fair."

They both looked at the map now, tourist locations marked by the station that provided it. Yukiko pointed to Kasuga Shrine then moved her finger down the road and tapped at a location that was numbered to correspond to Yoshikien Garden. {"If we walked up then back from the shrine that would give us time to go to the garden and spend as much time as we want there or just leave. A lot of the other places are nearby so we can find something else to do when we get bored there."}

Grimmjow nodded in agreement.

The pair left the shop and walked to the shrine. The path was covered in snow and the ground and tree branches outside of the walkway looked beautiful and pristine. She wanted to draw it but wasn't certain it would look as nice as she would want so she didn't bother. The shrine itself was a beautiful red, clearly well maintained. There was a number of other tourist that were there and others that Yukiko suspected were local as a few of the women were wearing traditional kimonos. As tradition, she purified her hands and made her offering before walking around to explore the shrine grounds to the sounds of Grimmjow's sarcastic comments. "Oh wow, a red building. Never seen one of those…" Then again a few minutes later. "Hey look over there. A big tree." Or… "Cool, a stone lantern."

Yukiko was getting increasingly annoyed with the man but held her tongue since they were in public. But maybe it was also because… He had a point. Obviously every shrine had its own quirks and characteristics but they were already seen. She wasn't as properly impressed by the shrine itself for a similar reason that Grimmjow wasn't interested in seeing the palace; she had lived next to one, it kind of loses its awe.

After a short twenty minutes of exploring the shrine grounds they left, much to the Arrancar's pleasure. The walk back down the mountain and to the garden took a bit of time which was fine by both of them. Surprisingly so. {"I'm shocked you haven't used your speed to just shorten travel time. You usually don't like the walking part of getting anywhere."}

"If I get us there sooner than you'd tried to drag me to another place to fill the time." He stated.

Yukiko blushed a little and looked forward. He was probably right. "It's not that I want to run around everywhere. I just want to make the most of us being somewhere new."

She looked back up to her companion. {"This will be the last place we go, no matter what. I promise."}

Without hesitating Grimmjow picked her up and jumped into the air. "Then let's get moving already!"

At his pace, the last twenty minutes of the walk turned into five and she suspected that he was still going slow for him. The garden was fairly barren due to the snow and cold killing most of the plants, except for some of the trees and bushes. {"Guess I shouldn't be surprised… I hoped they had a green house area or something though."} She admitted.

"Still more green than Hueco Mundo." Grimmjow told her.

She looked at him and wondered if he was trying to cheer her up. {"Want to play in the snow?"}

"Been there, done that." He said, probably referring to the snowball fight they had on Christmas. "Let's just go back to the inn."

{"What will we do there?"}

"Nap." His answer was simple and actually sounded great. She wanted to go around and see Nara but that didn't mean she was used to walking around so much. Her feet were starting to hurt, not that she would admit that to him.

{"Do you think we can come back in the Autumn? When this place will be packed with color? I want to see it at its most beautiful."}

"Why are you asking me? Just do whatever the hell you want."

{"I don't want to come alone."} She responded.

He looked at her for a moment before saying anything. "Then don't fuck up whatever it is that we have."

{"Sure. Not-boyfriend."}

He growled a little and it made her chuckle. "I hate that fucking word!"

He led her out of the garden but she had to lead them to the hotel since he wasn't familiar with the area. Finding the garden is easy, look for the large open area. Finding a building surrounded by other buildings from above is probably too annoying to try.

When they entered the inn Yukiko stopped at the front desk. "Welcome back Ametsuchi-san. Is there something I can help you with?"

Yukiko wrote on her message. "Could I please have a futon brought to my room?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, of course. Soma will bring it to you shortly."

Yukiko nodded her head in thanks then followed after Grimmjow as he went off to the room. He opened the door without waiting for her and she checked her pocket. {"When did you take the key from?"} Even though his back was turned she spoke out loud.

They both took off their shoes and then the woman sat down and grabbed her sketch book as she removed her backpack; Grimmjow vanished into the bathroom. Before she had a chance to get settled there was a knock on the door. "Hello, it's Soma. I have the futon you requested."

Yukiko opened the door and accepted the large futon from the woman who looked through the door nervously at Grimmjow. The woman nodded in thanks, which also silently allowed for the employee to leave. The Arrancar reached over and took the plush bedding from her, nearly knocking her over as he did. From the pile two blue-gray kimono fell. "I didn't know they provide sleep wear." She thought to herself.

She looked over to Grimmjow, he laid it out in the sleeping section of the room and flopped down without hesitation, limbs sprawled out. Yukiko smiled a little, placed the kimonos in the bathroom then joined him, only she laid on her side and leaned into his torso. His bicep functioned as her pillow and a leg crossed over and hooked around his knee. Just as she got comfortable he turned into her as well and she was comfortably wrapped up. "Weird… How is a spirit so warm?" She slipped her cold hands under his shirt and against his skin and silently hummed in comfort.

She only realized she fell asleep when Grimmjow spoke in her ear. "Yuki, get up. That woman is back…"

She groggily opened her eyes and started to sit up. She tapped Grimmjow to get his attention then gestured since she was too sleepy to coherently speak. *You tell her to come in.*

The man groaned but shouted. "Hey woman, just come in!"

The door opened a little. "Yeah, I'm talking to you." He said to her.

She nodded. "Pardon my intrusion. I have your dinner." She entered, carrying a tray full of food.

While Soma was setting the table Yukiko got up and went to the bathroom. She could hear Grimmjow make teasing comments to the woman. "You're shaking. I guess I would too if I were you. After all, if you don't hurry up I might eat you instead!"

Yukiko sighed and could see her own frown in the mirror. She normally doesn't care when Grimmjow plays around with scaring people, sometimes it's entertaining actually. But the woman was just doing his job…

She exited the room and walked behind the man and cupped his chin in her hand to turn his face up. She leaned in close and shushed him before giving him a quick kiss. He leaned back on his hand and watched her, attention completely removed from the employee, and she walked to the other side of the table. {"Be nice."}

"What? You can't tell me you're not hungry." He stated, clearly knowing her well enough to know that she was already needing an energy pick-me-up.

The employee excused herself out the door. "When you have finished your dinner just leave the tableware out in the hall. It will be collected."

Yukiko nodded in thanks to Soma as she closed the door and grabbed the provided pair of chopsticks, said a quick thanks and started to eat. She ate her fill of the grilled mackerel, brown rice and pickled cucumber. Grimmjow took a few bites of the fish but otherwise left it all for her; he mostly just watched her with a smirk on his face.

Yukiko looked at him with suspicion. {"What?"}

"You can't put it off any longer." He said with a drawn out tone.

She took another bite and chewed her food but never lost her expression. He clearly could tell she wasn't following his train of thought so he pointed to the bathroom door. She looked away and felt her cheeks heat a little, probably blushing. After she swallowed her bite she looked back at him. {"I'm not putting it off. I just wanted to enjoy the day."}

"Then finish your dinner so we can get to it."

{"Weren't you the one who backed off last night, not me?"} She pointed out.

He leaned his elbow on the table and rested against his fist with a frown. "I didn't feel like it last night. And like I said, today would be better."

Yukiko smiled with a slight chuckle. {"How oddly romantic of you."}

"Yeah, whatever. If you really appreciate it then how about you actually do what I want for a change?"

The woman looked off to another corner but nodded. {"I'll move these out to the hall. Why don't you go in first?"}

He got up and stood over her but then squatted down to be eye level. "Don't pussy out on me. If you aren't in the bathroom in the next three minutes I'm going to pick you up and take you in there myself."

She nodded to show that she understood that he was indeed serious in his threat. He got up and started removing his clothes as he walked towards the bathroom. Yukiko put everything she was supposed to out of the room but hesitated in the next step. She took a deep breath and entered the bathroom too. She didn't look at Grimmjow as she took off her clothes in the room while she was still in the towel area. She couldn't stop the nervous frown but denied her urge to hide her body with one of the towels. When she finally looked into the room she saw that Grimmjow was sitting on the stool to rinse himself but was shamelessly staring at her with a focused gaze.

Before she could form the words needed to yell at him to at least try not to stare he looked away on his own and returned to rinsing himself. Yukiko sighed in relief then took a few steps into the room. There wasn't a second stool and sprayer to clean herself with, meaning she would have to wait until Grimmjow was finished. Equally important, she realized that he did not fill the tub yet. She walked pasted him and did so as well as turning on its heater.

Just being in the room felt awkward so she wrapped an arm over her chest and tapped on the man's shoulder. {"Do you want me to scrub your back?"} She wasn't sure her words were coherent but tried anyways.

"What?"

Apparently they weren't so she tried again. {"I can scrub your back for you."}

He held up the soapy rag. "Sure."

She took it and scrubbed his skin, starting at his neck. "By the way, squishing your tits up isn't a good way to keep my eyes off of them."

Yukiko jumped slightly, startled by the statement. {"Right…"} She said to herself and worked further down his back. It was then that she finally noticed that there was a large black number on his skin. She touched the tattoo in curiosity.

Grimmjow turned to face her with a raised brow. "What? You never saw that?"

Yukiko forced herself to not cover her body and instead shook her bright red face.

"You seriously need to pay more attention then. This isn't the first time I've been shirtless in front of you."

{"If you're talking about the time you were injured from your fight with Riverra then if you remember that that wound was on your left side so it's not like I was looking over here."}

He turned a little more towards her. "Don't make excuses for your poor awareness."

She frowned, feeling insulted. {"Not peeking at your body isn't an excuse!"}

"That's where you keep going wrong. Always take the chances you get to look. I sure as hell do."

{"Huh?"} She gave him a confused look.

He smirked in response. "How naïve of you to actually believe I've never seen you naked before."

{"Wait, what?!"} She shouted and he turned around, never losing his grin. She got up and went in front of him. {"Grimmjow, explain!"}

"What's there to explain? I've seen you naked before. It's a simple fact. It shouldn't matter though, since we're even now." He leaned back a little, further exposing himself which prompted Yukiko to reflexively look down at the movement. She saw his whole body and was acutely aware of the fact that she was standing in front of him now. His eyes wandered too so she placed her hands over them. {"DON'T STARE!"}

"How are we supposed to talk if I can't see you?" He asked, apparently able to predict that she would say something.

She slowly lowered her hands. {"Sorry."}

He looked over. "The bath is overflowing."

Yukiko got up and turned the knob; to her surprise Grimmjow wasn't looking at her when she turned back around. She resumed her previous task of washing his back, taking in the sight of its entire expanse as she did. While she was at it she washed his hair too, she liked running her finger through it to begin with anyways. Grimmjow hummed a bit as she did, indicating that he enjoyed it too.

When she finished he stood up and stepped aside. Yukiko took his spot and started rinsing herself with the hot water. She glanced at Grimmjow and he was looking at her but something in expression seemed odd. He got into the bathtub and closed his eyes instead of returning the offer she made to him. Yukiko tried not to be bothered but felt a bit disappointed. She cleaned herself quickly then joined him in the bath on the other end of the tub. He moved his legs a bit so his feet were out of her way and she sat with her knees tucked up a little.

Yukiko patted Grimmjow's leg but he just twitched it away without looking at her. She started to tickle his foot and saw that he did smile and his face tightened a little as if suppressing a laugh. "What?"

{"For all your earlier talk you sure are keeping a distance."} She said.

He sat up and leaned forward until he was hovering over her, the water dripping off his hair. "For all of your trauma you sure seem to like tempting me."

He put his hand against her jaw and held her face still. "I'm holding myself back, so stop pushing it."

Yukiko was surprised by the dark look in his eyes and tone, and was left unable to say anything while he sat back. He wiped his hair back and leaned against the tub wall.

The woman looked at him, a little worried. "What happened? He's been weird ever since we got in here."

They sat in an uneventful silence for another twenty minutes. It wasn't a bad atmosphere but Yukiko couldn't help but wonder if she had done something to upset him.

She started to fall asleep against the tub wall but was jostled when the water moved and splashed. She saw Grimmjow get out and dry himself off. He put on the larger kimono, somewhat surprising her when he did it properly without hesitation, and went into the other room. She had thought he didn't know how to wear kimonos since it seemed he never had an occurrence to do so. Yukiko stretched out in the freed space then submerged herself. "What the hell did I do wrong?"

She popped out with a lot of unnecessary water splashing. {"I didn't do anything and I know it! I think…"} She started certain but couldn't help but question herself anyways.

The woman left the bath and drained it. She dried off and put her own kimono on then went to the other room as well. Grimmjow was already on the futon, back to bathroom door and her. Yukiko walked around and looked at his face. He looked asleep but she doubted that he actually was. Even so he was clearly avoiding her so she didn't join him; instead she went to the table and pulled out the sketch book. She opened it to the rough drawing she made while they were at the park and started to fill in the details. Grimmjow looked so happy and entertained while they were there. He was genuinely smiling in his amusement. He seemed to be enjoying himself to some degree for the entire day, until they got into the bath. After he rushed her into it too! "Was he disappointed in my body?" She thought, mortified. {"No wait… He said he had already seen me naked so it can't be that."} She remembered, still a little embarrassed, though he had a point about them being even now since she saw him in his full glory.

She looked back at the man, who did appear to be asleep now. He really was amazingly beautiful. His form, scars, Hollow hole, and tattoo… They all seemed to fit his jagged, coarse, wild mind that may or may not be all there. Yeah, she was nervous when she was with him but she wasn't being thoughtless in her words. She knew she wasn't going to change if she backed down every time she felt uncomfortable so she was purposely tempting him but he was now denying her. What could have changed?

Yukiko put down her completed picture and curled up on the open part of the futon, which was behind Grimmjow for some reason. It seemed to be yet another physical rejection of her. Yukiko leaned into him anyways and tightly grasped his kimono. {"What are you thinking Grimmjow? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"}

It was difficult for the woman to fall asleep but she must have because she eventually woke up alone on the futon. She pushed herself up and looked around. Grimmjow had changed into his clothes from the previous day and was sitting at the table with a small plate and two bowls beside him. It must have been her breakfast. She changed, washed her face and hands in the bathroom before going to the table.

Yukiko sat beside the man. {"Good morning Grimmjow."} She spoke to him but he didn't seem to notice. He was looking at the picture she had finished before she went to bed.

"When are we leaving?" He asked, finally looking at her.

{"We can leave after I finish eating. I have to return to Karakura for an evening shift at work."} She told him. Before she was upset about not getting the whole day off but now she was relieved to have somewhere she had to be.

"Okay." Was all he said and the silence resumed.

Yukiko ate, repacked her bag and they checked out of the inn. This time when they walked there was no hand holding or even walking next to each other, Grimmjow was just walking behind her with his hands deep in his pockets.

On the train he still sat beside her but had continued to not say anything. Yukiko opened her book to a new page and wrote then dropped the book in his lap so he can't ignore it. "Why are you mad at me?"

He handed it back to her. "I'm not."

Because he still wasn't looking at her she used the same method. "Then tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing." He said curtly and put the book under thigh so she can't do it again.

She grabbed his face by the cheeks and turned him to her. {"Then look at me."}

"I have been. That's the problem."

Yukiko looked down slightly and mumbled. {"Bastard."}

"Yeah, and?"

Yukiko had nothing to say to that. She couldn't argue with him if she didn't know what the issue was. {"I'm going to nap. Wake me up when we get to Karakura."}

Grimmjow leaned back. "Sure."

The woman ignored the fact that she had barely been awake an hour and tried to force herself to sleep through the trip. Her previous night wasn't very restful anyway.

Her mind wandered into a train of thought about what would happen if Grimmjow decided to leave her after they returned to Karakura. She would be all alone again… She could just imagine the solitary meals and sleep. The lonely mornings and nights. "I can't… I can't go back to being all alone."

Her mind blanked out until she felt a light slap on the top of her head. She opened her eyes and saw that Grimmjow was holding her sketchbook up and had probably tapped her with it. "Wake up Yuki. We're at our stop."

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. Her sleep was still not restful. {"Okay."}

They exited the train and transferred to the local subway. The ride felt longer than it really was but Grimmjow stayed with her the whole way and even stayed with her on the walk back to the apartment. It reassured her that perhaps he wasn't going to leave her. Once they were in the building he walked in front of her and entered the room first. He appeared to check the main room and peeked into the bathroom. She tapped him and he looked down at her. {"What are you doing?"}

"Wasn't there someone waiting for you in your apartment last time you went out of town?" He stated calmly.

For the first time that day Yukiko smiled. She pulled up higher by holding on to his shoulders and kissed him, genuinely happy. {"Thank you."}

He stepped away. "I'm going out. I'll see you later."

She felt deflated again. {"I'll see you tonight?"} Yukiko didn't mean for it to come out as a question but it did. She hoped the lack of sound prevented it from translating.

"Yeah, sure." He responded anyways and exited through a Garganta.

Left alone, Yukiko could do nothing but unpack.

Even after four hours of waiting with mindless television and a home cooked lunch for two, eaten all alone, Grimmjow still did not return to the apartment even though she could feel another dimensional rip open. Yukiko was left with no choice but to go to work without seeing her companion. The moment she walked in to the locker room to change she was greeted by Sana. "Ametsuchi-san welcome back! How was your trip?"

Yukiko used the little notepad she owned specifically for work. "It was fine." She said, not wanting to go into detail with the woman.

She didn't seem to notice anything wrong. "Did you get me a souvenir?" She asked.

{"Ah…"} She quickly wrote one her paper. "Sorry, I forgot. I had never gone on a trip and didn't remember to get any souvenirs."

The woman was definitely disappointed. "Aw… That's fine…" It clearly wasn't.

They went to work. Luckily Sana was on register duty and couldn't continuously harass Yukiko with unwanted conversation. She cleaned the aisles until the floor shined and the products were neatly aligned. While walking around the store on the lookout for customers in need of assistance she could swear that she sensed Grimmjow outside the store but he felt a bit weaker.

She hesitantly approached the front of the store and Grimmjow was standing outside by the door but looked a little odd to her. She looked over to Sana and another cashier as they talked to each other. "I wonder who that man is."

They had Yukiko's full attention.

"Why would someone dye their hair blue? Do you think he's some kind of otaku?"

{"You can see him?!"} She shouted but only Sana noticed since she was facing her, and didn't seem to understand the words.

"Ametsuchi-san, do you know anything about that weird man outside?" She asked.

Yukiko ignored the girls and went outside.

He turned to face her, Hollow mask fragment and green markings both missing. {"Grimmjow, what happened to you?"}

He walked directly to her, grabbed her face and kissed her fiercely. She had to tap out in surrender. When he released her she crossed her fingers in an X to sign for him to stop. {"You can't do that in public. And more importantly why can normal people see you? Where are you Hollow features?"}

"I'm wearing a gigai. Same thing as the cat body, except not an animal."

{"Why?"} Yukiko was confused. Grimmjow and Kurosaki had both mentioned gigai's before but he said he hated it because it makes him almost as weak as a human, and he can't leave it himself.

He looked off to some random direction when he answered. "Your body..."

She grabbed his hand and he looked back at her, face a little pink. He was embarrassed. "You were covered in bruises. I wasn't restraining myself as much as I thought and it pissed me off. The more riled up you got me the less I was controlling myself."

{"A couple of bruises don't bother me."} She told him.

He flicked her forehead and it hurt surprisingly little. "Stop being stupid! It isn't a couple of bruises and what I've already given you isn't the big problem. The other night when I stopped us wasn't because I wanted to wait until we were in Nara. That's fucking stupid! It was because I had damaged the floor while we were kissing and I thought about what will happen when we do fuck. Then I thought I was overreacting until we were in the bath and I saw all of the damage. I would break you arms just by holding you in down." He leaned into her ear next. "I'd definitely shatter your pelvis."

Yukiko looked away from him, taking in his words. He was probably right. He had a complete understanding of his strength, she did not. {"So this is your solution."}

He stepped back and sat down on a short wall that isolated some dirt for landscaping. "It's the only solution."

{"Why didn't you tell me this was going through your head?"}

"Why should I. Telling you wasn't going to change what I do."

{"No, but I would make me feel less like you're going to leave me!"} She yelled at him, he was surprised by her outburst. {"I thought I was going to be all alone again! I was scared that I wouldn't have anyone with me!"}

Grimmjow stiffened and looked uncertain about something. She didn't realize why until she felt the tears trickle down to her chin. {"Why would you let me think that if you were just going to get a gigai?!"}

"Hey! Don't cry! I hate crying!" He stood and shouted back.

{"Well then don't make me cry, you bastard!"} She yelled again.

"Excuse me…" They both looked at the nervous voice that interrupted them. It was Yukiko's manager. "Ametsuchi-san, please return to work. We can't have fighting outside the store, especially not one involving an employee."

Grimmjow growled at the man. "We're talking here. Go the fuck away!"

Yukiko wiped her eyes then reached up and kissed his cheek, causing him to pause and look at her. {"Go home. We can talk there. Tears free."}

He frowned but seem satisfied. "Fine. I'll be at home. Oh, right! I wanna eat sukiyaki tonight."

She smiled and nodded. {"Okay, okay."}

After Grimmjow started his return home Yukiko faced her superior and bowed in apology. Once back in the store Sana and the other employee, Gou, rushed her. "Ametsuchi-san, who was that?!"

She wrote on her notepad. "My boyfriend."

Their eyes widened.

Yukiko added to the message and was unable to hide her smug grin. "I told you he isn't intentionally rough."

---

I hope everyone made it to the end of this. I actually had some more that I wanted to include in this chapter but it feels too long already. Alright, until next time.

Yay Comments! (´｡• ω •｡`) :

Guest: That chapter was ridiculously fluffy for Grimmjow and it kind of popped up some in this but I don't think it will ever get to that point again.

SandsWinchester: Thank you. I hope you made it to here!

Angel0y: Thank you. I'm constantly worried about making fluffy scenes with Grimmjow and how he interacts with people the further in the story I go. By the end I expect his personality be noticeably different from the end of his time in the official series so making it a smooth process is probably going to be the hardest part for the whole story.

Beautiful-note2895: Riverra is back already! He was a last minute addition to the chapter but I decided he was perfect for an upcoming event so he needs to be around in advance. Every time (sort of) they get closer. They are running out of hurdles though, so soon…

XD-kaycee: For the time being I'm going to continue making their relationship development central to the story so it's just going to continue with mostly chapters like the last one and this one until I'm satisfied.

Velonica14: I love don't teach doctors! I need to know that Quinn is okay ASAP! I'm sure she will be but still…
Hating everyone in the hospital until the end with Sato was intentional since it was from Yukiko's perspective and she saw herself as a prisoner. I don't know what teenage boy you are referring to so I'm not sure. Also keep Yukiko's family in mind, they will show up. It'd be a waste of a lot of set up if they don't.

Immersivedreammg: I finally update! As I said above, it didn't intend of being away for a long time like this, so I'm sorry.