XVIII

The sky was getting darker as the artificial sun was moving toward the horizon. Dust and smoked filled the area around many towers that had collapsed. The normally white sand was dyed red with the blood that had been splattered in the battlefield. Many bodies lay lifelessly on the ground.

Las Noches, which was once perceived as an unbreakable stronghold, had fallen.

A huge hole tore through the sky, as a big group of Shinigami made its way into the fallen fortress. Leading the group was a Shinigami with blue-haired and gold teeth, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Although he was a captain, he opted to wear a white lab gown instead of his captain robe.

Once he got down to the ground, he dug inside his pocket for a pair of latex gloves. He later turned around towards his subordinates.

"Alright, we have wasted more than enough time to help Urahara Kisuke move Karakura Town back in its place, so let's get to work before that fake sun goes down," he said. "Scatter around and search for all Arrancars whether they're dead or alive. If they're dead, embalm them and take the bodies to the lab to dissect. If they're alive, make sure you capture them and don't harm them much. Life specimens are always good for testing."

"Yes, sir!"

As all Shinigami were about to turn around and moved to different directions so they could do as their captain order, Mayuri called, "Not you, Nemu. I need you to help me with that giant over there."

As he said 'giant', Mayuri pointed toward the massive body that was Yammy Llargo in his Resurrección form.

"It would take a lot of embalming fluid if we want to preserve a body of that size and not to mention he's too big to be put into the lab anyway, so let's dissect and get rid of him before the body decomposes," said the mad scientist.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," Nemu nodded as she rolled her sleeves up, getting ready to open up Yammy's lifeless body. "I shall begin the procedure at once."

With that said, Nemu changed her hand into a chainsaw and began the cutting. Meanwhile, Mayuri stepped aside to watch from a safe distance from all the bloody mess that was caused by the chainsaw.

"Seriously," he began, "I would rather cut up either Aizen Sōsuke or Kurosaki Ichigo to see what they are made of, but they just had to take that traitor back to be judged by those old fools in the Chamber 46 and that Substitute Shinigami had the nerve to lose all of his spiritual power before I had a chance to dissect him. And what's with all Shinigami and Visored having survived? I'd expected that at least a couple of them would die, so I could run a few tests on them as well. What a shame! Now I'm only left with these dead Arrancars. I swear nobody sees the value of science anymore. Oh, well, at least this one was an Espadas. I'd see if I could find and test on all ten of them."

After he was done with his little ranting, Mayuri rolled his yellow eyes and moved back to begin dissecting his first specimen. It looked to him like he would have to stay in Hueco Mundo for quite a while to label all specimens and conduct all freaky tests on them.

Unbeknownst to the mad scientist and his subordinates, one of his potential test subjects had sneaked out of the great wall of Las Noches during the time all Shinigami that invaded into Hueco Mundo left Las Noches unguarded and went out to Karakura Town to back up their comrades in a war against Aizen.

Grimmjow had been more than a little surprised to have regained his consciousness on top of one giant pillar. All the wounds that had been inflicted upon him earlier had already been healed and even the scar he had chosen to keep on his chest was also removed. The only evident that indicated that he had indeed been in a battle against Kurosaki Ichigo was how his spiritual pressure didn't quite reach to the level that it had been before and his zanpakutō was still pretty much broken.

He could hear someone, possibly Shinigami, talking about how Aizen was defeated and how they needed to go back to the human world to finish some mission before they would come back to run some researches on Arrancars corpses before all of their presences all disappeared right afterward.

Grimmjow gingerly stood up only to see many smokes and fires going on around Las Noches, and he could even see some dead bodies lying around in the desert, the most prominent one being of Yammy. No trace of Shinigami could be detected, but what Grimmjow saw confirmed on what he overheard earlier – that Las Noches was no more.

Once that fact sunk into him, Grimmjow frantically searched for Ulquiorra's spiritual presence, as he knew that for someone who had been as loyal to Aizen as Ulquiorra, there would be no way for the man to allow those Shinigami to take down Las Noches when he was still alive.

After a short moment that seemed to be forever, Grimmjow finally detected a faint presence that was similar to the Cuarta Espada's. That trace of spiritual presence came from somewhere at the roof, so Grimmjow gathered his strength and moved up to the dome with Sonído.

It was as if he was having a déjà vu when he went to the top and found a lot of rubble scattering on top of the roof as some pillars had collapsed. Since he couldn't see Ulquiorra anywhere, he tried to locate the other Espada by his presence, and he had to hold his breath when he followed the trace to one fallen pillar and saw someone lying there in a pool of blood.

Grimmjow ran there and dropped to his knees when he saw that the body was actually Ulquiorra's. He reached his hand out to feel the man's pulse, but he halted slightly before he actually touched him as if he was afraid of what he would find. Holding his breath, he finally pressed two fingers to the side of Ulquiorra's neck then sighed in relief when he felt soft pulses under his fingers.

The Sexta Espada quickly searched for any injuries on Ulquiorra's body only to find none, which made him curious as to why there was that much blood on the ground beneath Ulquiorra's unconscious form. However, Grimmjow decided that it didn't matter what happened as long as Ulquiorra was still alive.

Grimmjow looked at their surrounding once again, and decided that it would be best to move Ulquiorra to somewhere safer. Although Las Noches's medical hub might sound as a good idea, Grimmjow didn't think there were any souls there after the Shinigami's invasion, and he didn't think it was a good idea to stick around in Las Noches when the Shinigami could come back at any time, and even if they did not, there were chances that some Hollows might come to the palace in order to feast on the death. Although he wasn't afraid of fighting them off, he didn't think it would be the wisest thing to do when he wasn't at his top form and had Ulquiorra to protect.

"We've gotta get outta here," Grimmjow decided.

And thus, he carefully lifted Ulquiorra's unconscious form and carried the man on his shoulder before he slowly made his way down from the roof and then headed away from Las Noches, constantly looking back to make sure that their tract had been removed from the sand so that they wouldn't be discovered by any enemies.

It was impossible to tell how much time he had spent wandering in the desert, but soon he decided that he had got them far enough from Las Noches, he used some of the spiritual energy he had gradually regained to blow a hole into the sand and opened a pathway to the forest of Menos which was located underneath the desert.

When he got into the forest of Menos, he scanned the area for threats and once he was sure there wasn't any, he made his way to the nearest cave then gently placed Ulquiorra's body down on the ground before he checked the man's breathing again. Once he was certain that the Cuarta Espada was still alive, he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Don't you fucking dare die on me, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow demanded, torn between the urge to grab Ulquiorra's shoulders and shake the man awake and the fear that any unnecessary touch would send the man closer to the brink of death. "I didn't lock you away in Caja Negación so that you would come out and get yourself beaten to death."

Although he wished there was something more he could do, it was beyond his capability. He was not Inoue Orihime, so he didn't have that godlike ability to heal anything, much less someone who was at the verge of death. And with that woman being rescued and the Shinigami taking over Las Noches, all he could do was sitting there and praying that Ulquiorra would come to soon.

"Well, I'd never cared if anybody should die before, so good job making me worried," Grimmjow grumbled while he took off his jacket and rolled it before he used it as a makeshift pillow and put it under Ulquiorra's head, hoping to make the man lay more comfortably. "How the hell did you manage to get yourself in this state when you've got a regenerating power anyway?"

Surely enough his question went unheard. However, despite the attitude he had put on, anxiety still reflected in his azure eyes.

"Seriously, don't die on me now," he said, much softer this time. "There are tons of things we still haven't discussed."

Grimmjow sighed. His worried eyes still hadn't left Ulquiorra's unconscious form since he laid the man there. He still couldn't quite understand how he had come to care so much about the man when not so long ago he still hated Ulquiorra with passion and would have laughed his ass off should the man ever be defeat by anyone.

It was strange how much things could change in such a short period. Or perhaps it was him who had changed.

Without any time telling device, it was difficult for Grimmjow to tell exactly how much time had passed since Las Noches was seized. He only knew that he had dozed off for a few of times due to fatigue, and even so, he would wake up in a start not too soon afterward as his subconscious mind was filled with anxiety.

After he woke up from yet another involuntary nap, Grimmjow moved over to where Ulquiorra lay unconscious to make sure that the man's condition hadn't gone worst while he fell asleep. The Cuarta Espada might be blessed with power of regeneration, but said power also had its limit, or otherwise he would have already been awake by then.

"Damn, you still look pale. Not that you're not always pale anyway," Grimmjow mused as gingerly brushed a strand of hair away from Ulquiorra's face. "Maybe I should sneak into the living world, kidnap that woman again, and force her to heal you."

The Sexta Espada had contemplated carrying out that plan for quite some time already, but in the end, he always decided against it, knowing that he couldn't risk leaving Ulquiorra alone in Hueco Mundo in such a condition, nor could he risk them being found by one of the Shinigami. The truth was he didn't mind dying if it were only himself, but it was a different story when Ulquiorra was also involved.

"Shit! I've really gone soft, haven't I?" he wondered. "And to top that off, I'm talking to myself like I've gone totally insane."

Sighing, Grimmjow stood up.

"Oh, well, whatever," he said. "I'll go look around for some food before I really go crazy."

With that, Grimmjow left, not forgetting to close the cave's entrance with some huge rocks to make sure nothing could get to Ulquiorra while he was gone.

Grimmjow didn't expect that when he returned to the cave, carrying a dead Huge Hollow that he intended to cook for dinner, the rocks that he had strategically placed to protect the cave would have been gone.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow exclaimed, dropping the Hollow to the ground. His heart dropped as he rushed inside to check up on his lover.

Unlike how he left it, the cavern filled with complete darkness that even though Grimmjow was quite capable of seeing in the dark, he still had problems finding his way around. Although he didn't sense any intruder's presence, he couldn't feel Ulquiorra's presence either, and that was definitely not a good sign.

Just as his eyes were about to be used to the complete darkness, he was dazzled by a flash of red that suddenly flared in the middle of the room before it went flying towards him. His instinct told him to dodge and prepare his own counterattack, so he charged up his Cero and blindly aimed at the direction he believed his enemy was, but he missed his target as he tripped over something in the cave while he dodged what appeared to be a Bala.

Grimmjow's Cero went flying to the roof, blowing it open and allowing some light from the outside to shine in just enough for him to see, and he had to blink in surprise when he saw his attacker.

"Ulquiorra? What the hell?"

"Oh, it's you," Ulquiorra said. Even after he saw that it was Grimmjow, Ulquiorra still let one last Bala flew towards the man.

Grimmjow dodged. Although relief had washed over him, he just couldn't help asking, "Oi, is that all you've got to say – 'oh, it's you'? And what the fuck was with that last Bala? Are you trying to kill me or something?"

Grimmjow didn't even have time to blink when Ulquiorra suddenly moved towards him, using a Sonído. Then the Sexta Espada could only blink in surprise when Ulquiorra reached out to touch his chin and not so gently turned it left and right to inspect his face. It appeared the stoic Espada was satisfied with what he saw because he then let go of Grimmjow's face so he could feel up Grimmjow's torso.

"Quite a little forward today, aren't we?" Grimmjow commented, still not quite getting what Ulquiorra was trying to do. "Not that I'm complaining, but are you sure nothing's wrong with your head?"

Ulquiorra didn't respond right away, but simply rest his hand on Grimmjow's chest for a moment longer as he closed his eyes and sighed.

Grimmjow furrowed his brows. "Um? Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra opened his green eyes, and Grimmjow could see rage flaring behind them as Ulquiorra suddenly lifted his hand up and slapped him across the face so hard that Grimmjow could hear his ear ringing.

"What the fuck was that for?" Grimmjow asked, rubbing his cheek. That guy certainly knew how to hit, and he most definitely didn't hold back when he did it. "That ain't how you're supposed to treat your lover."

"Then perhaps I should greet you with a kiss then lock you away in a Caja Negación, because that's exactly how you're supposed to treat your lover," Ulquiorra returned, glaring venomously at Grimmjow.

"I was just trying to protect you!"

"Protect me?" Ulquiorra asked, disbelieved. "For all we know, Caja Negación is capable of locking someone in there for all eternity, so tell me again how exactly is putting me in that godforsaken realm supposed to protect me? Just admit it, Grimmjow, you only did so because you want to make sure I wouldn't lay a hand on your prey!"

Although he should have just apologized and ended the quarrel there, Grimmjow shouted back despite himself, "I didn't! Besides, you're already out here now anyway, so why complaining?"

"Why can't I complain? You don't know what it was like inside that thing. And not to mention after you went through all of those troubles, you couldn't even defeat him. You would've already been dead if I didn't break out of there and got to you in time."

"You what?" Grimmjow asked, not quite believing in his ears. After everything he had done to prevent Ulquiorra from fighting Kurosaki Ichigo, it would seem he was the reason those two had to cross paths in the first place. Grimmjow almost felt guilty about it, but then another thought fueled his anger before he could think about apologizing. "Wait! So you're saying that it's a bad thing that I tried to protect you, but it's fine for you to protect me? What's the hell is with that logic?"

"I could say the same to you, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said, solemnly. "And even if I could convince myself that you locked me away to protect me, I still couldn't fathom what made you believe even for a second that you were able to do so?"

"The fact that I was the one who dragged your ass out to safety, for a start," Grimmjow returned, feeling his fury rising. Ulquiorra might be his lover, and the man might have a higher rank than him in the army, but it didn't give him any right to look down on his ability.

"Well, I didn't ask you to."

"So you expect me to just leave you there to be dissected by some crazy freak of a Shinigami?" Grimmjow shouted back. "And what the fuck is with you always thinking of yourself as superior to me in all aspects, anyway? Because Aizen dubbed you as Cuarta Espada? That number doesn't mean any shit!"

"You said it meant nothing, yet you had killed Luppi to have a number back on you."

"That's completely irrelevant!" Grimmjow yelled. "The point is you've never considered me as an equal, have you? You never really give any shit about me. You started this relationship out of curiosity, and then you just played along because you thought that was an appropriate reaction. We don't even have to go so far as to talk about love and all those cheesy stuff people talk about. The truth is you never really want me, do you? You only agreed to it because I told you that I wanted you and you pitied me – that's all."

After he had spoke his mind, Grimmjow was surprised by how many things he had kept bottling up inside of him. He wasn't a type to repress his feelings. He normally expressed himself loud and clear without any fear of consequence. However, for some reasons, he never told Ulquiorra about the things that troubled him about their relationship until then, and he wondered why.

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows.

"Pity? Is that what you always think it is? Since when did I impress you as a type to waste my time to pity something?"

"Oh, yes, you'll just call it them trash and cast them aside, that what you'd do. God knows why you've tolerated this relationship for so long."

"You think I've tolerated it? I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Grimmjow, but if I don't want to do anything, I won't put up with it. If I find no point in having a relationship with you, I would never bother to continue. It would be much easier to end it."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Well, you can say whatever you want, but that ain't convincing at all."

"Fine! How should I prove my point to you, then?" It was easy to see that anger was burning in those emerald pools of Ulquiorra's eyes. "Do I have to push you down and take you right here, right now until you beg me to stop to prove that I want you? Will that make you happy?"

By that time, Grimmjow already saw red with fury that he failed to put any thought into Ulquiorra's words so he simply took it on as one challenge.

"Yeah, that'd be a start, but I doubt you'd be able to do it."

The truth was Grimmjow had always wondered why Ulquiorra had never showed even a slight interest in taking him. It wasn't as if he was anticipating or not anticipating it, but normally Ulquiorra would at least offer to do whatever Grimmjow had showed him in bed to Grimmjow in return that Grimmjow had made up his mind to agree to it should Ulquiorra ever express any interest in topping him, since he already decided he wanted all of that man in every way he could possibly have him. However, Ulquiorra never did, and it was why Grimmjow doubted whether Ulquiorra was only accommodating his needs without actually wanting him at all.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. "Very well, then, don't complain about it later."

With that said, Ulquiorra pulled Grimmjow's head down and kissed him with enough force to bruise his lips.

It was then that Grimmjow realized what he had put himself into and how dead serious his partner was. Even so, Grimmjow didn't plan to back out. It might not be clear for him whether Ulquiorra really wanted him or simply accepted the challenge out of anger, but in any case, the man would have to fight for it.

With the resolve, Grimmjow responded in kind then pushed Ulquiorra back against the cave wall as their tongues fought for dominance. Ulquiorra didn't allow himself to be caught in that position for too long before he grabbed a handful of Grimmjow's hair and yanked it back to break the fierce kiss. After that, he used his hand and body to push hard against Grimmjow so their position was flipped, and Grimmjow was now the one who had his back against the wall.

Ulquiorra dove in for another hard kiss. This time Grimmjow could taste some blood, though he wasn't quite sure if it was his partner's or his own, and the sensation sent a strange thrill down Grimmjow's spine.

Grimmjow pushed Ulquiorra back slightly to gain some space between them so he could unzip Ulquiorra's jacket and pull it off the man's body. Taking the chance that Ulquiorra released his grips on him to take off the jacket, Grimmjow pushed the shorter man back towards another side of the cave.

He then broke the kiss so he could use his mouth to suck at a certain spot on Ulquiorra's neck that always made the man tremble with pleasure. His hands also stroked firmly along Ulquiorra's exposed chest to play with the man's erect nipples, earning him a sharp gasp, before he moved them backward and down toward Ulquiorra's backside.

Ulquiorra's green eyes became wide once he felt Grimmjow's hand on his rear. He had allowed passion to overtake him to the point that he almost forgot what his aim was at the start.

Catching Grimmjow's wrists, Ulquiorra tackled the blue-haired man down to the ground. His green eyes were darkened as he pressed the man down with his full strength while still seizing the man's wrists in his iron grips.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he leaned down and bit Grimmjow's earlobe once before he whispered heatedly into the man's ear, "I said I would take you this time, didn't I?"

Grimmjow somehow felt his manhood twitched in anticipation. He didn't mind being on the receiving end of Ulquiorra's passion, if it would prove that Ulquiorra desired him to a certain degree, but he still had some doubts.

"Right. So just do it. If you can actually get hard, that is," Grimmjow spit back.

Grimmjow wasn't sure if it was actually a chuckle he heard from his partner when the man ground his crotch against Grimmjow's own, proving to him that what the blue-eyed Espada said was not the problem and giving the man a tingling feeling at the same time.

The Sexta Espada let out a low purr as his lover made a trail of urgent kisses and bites down his neck to his shoulder and then down to his collarbone as if he was searching for Grimmjow's pleasure point. He would say that Ulquiorra was quite rough with his moves, but Grimmjow wouldn't stop him at that point. Instead, he simply urged the man on by raking his fingers into the man's hair. After all, he had already made up his mind to take all Ulquiorra was planning to give.

Taking Grimmjow's lack of struggling as a good sign, Ulquiorra made his way down to Grimmjow's chest with alternations of his lips, tongue and teeth. His left hand made a firm stroke down Grimmjow torso and stopped just above his lover's groin before it moved back up and then repeated while his right was fumbling on the tie of Grimmjow's hakama. The sensation was driving him crazy, that Grimmjow decided to take the matter to his own hands and helped Ulquiorra rid off the garments that stood between them.

Ulquiorra took a moment to stare at his lover's exposed flesh. While it wasn't the first time they touched each other, it was the first time that he had actually taken the lead, so he wasn't quite sure what to do next.

Grimmjow purred when Ulquiorra began stroking along his engorged length with one hand, while massaging around his opening with another. He hissed softly when he felt Ulquiorra's finger inside of him, but Ulquiorra was quick to distract him from that uncomfortable feeling by increasing the speed of his stroke on Grimmjow's hardened member.

Although he was quite distracted by the amount of pleasure that was building up, Grimmjow still knew what was going to come next, and he also knew that with that level of preparation from Ulquiorra's inexperience hand, it was definitely going to hurt - a lot, but he wouldn't even begin to pretend to care. He wasn't a masochist, but a little pain wouldn't kill him. What might kill him, however, was if Ulquiorra decided to stop and leave him high and dry.

Ulquiorra certainly didn't keep his lover waiting long. Grimmjow felt something much larger than Ulquiorra's finger prodding at his entrance, and he did his best to relax without forgetting to brace himself for the pain to come. Even so, Grimmjow still clawed into Ulquiorra's forearms when Ulquiorra entered. Ulquiorra winced but voiced no complaint. He even kept himself still, giving Grimmjow a moment to adjust. Biting down the pain, Grimmjow took a deep breath in order to relax his muscle so that neither of them would get even more hurt than they already got.

Taking the fact that Grimmjow finally released his claw from his arms as a signal that it was fine for him to move, Ulquiorra began to move himself slowly back and forth then gradually increase his depth and speed. And soon afterward, Grimmjow also bucked his hips to meet with Ulquiorra's every thrust.

All sighs and moans echoed in the cave as the two Espadas rocked themselves against one another with abandon. It didn't take long for both pleasure and pain to weave together and build up into a strange sense of euphoria, then they came together in a mind-blowing climax, leaving them both feeling spent, yet fulfilled.

Grimmjow lay prone on the ground, catching his breath. He wouldn't even bother to pretend that Ulquiorra's rough treatment didn't hurt him since all the blood, the bruises and the teeth marks on his body would suggest otherwise. Even so, he couldn't say that he wasn't satisfied.

Having always thought of himself as a king, Grimmjow never imagined that there would be a day when he would ever allow anyone to top him or touch him in such a rough manner, yet it seemed Ulquiorra was always a special case. And after everything that had been said and done, he still wasn't sure if it could prove anything other than what he had already suspected – that Ulquiorra had a raw, violent side that he tried to suppress but didn't quite succeed.

Having finally calmed down a little, Grimmjow decided that he didn't regret it. After all, it wasn't every day that Ulquiorra would display that much emotion, and for the man to lose his stoic mask and blow his fuse over something, it meant that he had to care a lot about the subject.

He felt a cool finger tracing his cheek where it was hit earlier. The touch felt somewhat soothing against the throbbing he began to feel on his face. Grimmjow turned his head slightly to see that Ulquiorra was looking at him with an undecipherable expression. Those green eyes, however, didn't look as dead and unfeeling as they usually were in the past.

"I'm sorry," Ulquiorra said as their eyes met. "It must have hurt."

It would be a blatant lie to say that it didn't, especially when he suspected the area might have turned black and blue already, so he decided to reply with, "Just a little."

There was a huge pause before the Cuarta Espada said softly, "I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't worry about it," Grimmjow replied with a shrug. "I ain't gonna break that easily. Besides, I kinda pissed you off and got myself into this."

"Even so, I still shouldn't have used violence."

Ulquiorra really looked like he regretted his action, but to be completely honest, Grimmjow didn't really mind it that much. They had both lost their cool, and considering their respective records of violence, it was more surprising that the fight didn't get nastier. After all, it wasn't as if they were the gentlest souls in the universe.

"Yeah, well, I always know you're a sadist," the Sexta Espada commented. "And it's not like I couldn't put up a fight."

Ulquiorra looked away for a moment before he remarked, "You could, but that was beside the point. The point is I complained that you mistreated me, yet I ended up doing the same, if not worse."

Grimmjow nodded.

"Like I said, don't worry about it, but if you really feel guilty, then don't do it again," said the Sexta Espada. "Though I've gotta say it was the first time you showed me that much emotion since we knew each other, and I'm kinda glad that you did. Not that I enjoyed being hit, but at least it meant that you care enough about me that you couldn't just stay indifference."

Grimmjow's words reminded Ulquiorra of the fight they had earlier and about some issues that his lover had about their relationship but had never brought up to him before. Perhaps it was because Grimmjow was still holding on to what Ulquiorra had told him earlier – that he still couldn't see the Sexta Espada as a lover yet – when Ulquiorra had already viewed him as one.

Perhaps it was his fault that he never made his feelings clear to Grimmjow and simply assumed that they had an understanding. How could he have expected that Grimmjow would miraculously understand him, when he never made an effort to explain himself?

"I do care about you, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra remarked solemnly. "I won't deny that I started a relationship with you out of curiosity, but I could easily end it and walk away at any time I wanted. I don't have enough time to waste on a subject that doesn't interest me. As for me tolerating all this, I wouldn't call it that. Indeed there are times that I have gone out of my ways to do something, but it's not because I'm forcing myself. I simply did so because I wanted give my best to you and to this relationship. Is it really that wrong of me to try to do that?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "Not really. No."

"In the matter of whether I desire you nor not, Grimmjow, I wouldn't have just laid there and let you do whatever you please if I had not wanted to," Ulquiorra noted. "You might have been under an impression that I put up with it for the sake of learning new things about sex, but if that was the case, once was more than enough. And for the matter of topping you, it wasn't as if I was never interested. I have an urge to dominate you from time to time, but I felt it would be best if I left it just as that – an urge."

"Why?" Grimmjow wondered.

"Why?" Ulquiorra repeated the question as he traced his fingertip on the bruise he left on Grimmjow's wrists. "As you have experienced first hand, bats can be quite aggressive in their mating; and I'd prefer not to hurt you. Besides, I had a feeling that you'd prefer being dominant over being submissive."

Grimmjow sighed.

"It'd be a lie if I said you were wrong," he admitted, "but I did say I wanted to be treated as an equal, so it wouldn't be right that you're the only one who's yielding to my wish. I should do the same in return, too. That's why you shouldn't hold yourself back with me. If you want something, just say it. If it's within my ability, I'd give it to you. If we keep suppressing ourselves, it wouldn't work in the long run."

"I see," Ulquiorra nodded. "I suppose there's still much for me to learn."

"I won't disagree with that."

The Cuarta Espada sighed.

"Anyway, that much is the depth of my feeling. I don't know if that's equivalent to what humans dub as love, but if the word would give you some peace of mind, I can say it to you."

Grimmjow shook his head.

"Nah, you don't have to," he replied. "Those human words have no real meaning to us anyway. It's your feeling that really counts to me."

With that said, Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra down so that the man lay down in his arm. Silence hung in the air for a long moment, yet neither of them felt any urge to break it. After all, there was comfort in that silence.

"Anyway, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow eventually asked, staring into Hueco Mundo clear moonlit sky. "What do you plan to do from now on? I mean, I heard some Shinigami saying that Aizen was defeated and captured, and now that Las Noches has fallen, Hueco Mundo would soon become a chaotic place like it used to be in the past."

Ulquiorra sighed and furrowed his brows.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised to hear this development," the Cuarta Espada commented. "Though I don't know what we could do except for accepting that fact, and perhaps finding somewhere that isn't too chaotic to live."

Grimmjow tilted his head so he could look into his lover's eyes. He had thought that Ulquiorra was very loyal to Aizen, and that the man would at least want to go to Soul Society to try to rescue their boss should the man be alive after being captured or to avenge the man should he be given a death sentence.

"You're not planning to go to Soul Society and try to rescue or avenge Aizen?"

Ulquiorra turned to look at Grimmjow for a moment before he asked, "Will you go with me if that is what I'm planning to do?"

"Of course, I will," Grimmjow replied without thinking. "There's no way I'm gonna let you go there by yourself."

Ulquiorra nodded.

"That's why I wouldn't go," said the Cuarta Espada. "I'm grateful for what Aizen-sama has given me so far, but I suppose having returned from the verge of death changes my perspective on life somewhat. Because when I lay there on the rooftop, believing that it would be the last breath that I took, it wasn't Aizen-sama that I was thinking of, nor was he the first person that came to my mind when I opened my eyes and found out that I've lived."

Looking at Grimmjow, Ulquiorra continued:

"It was you. And fighting Soul Society now, when even Aizen-sama was defeated, is no more than a suicide attempt. While I'm happy to know that you're willing to die with me, I would prefer to live with you instead."

Having heard all those words, and seen the honest look in Ulquiorra's green eyes made Grimmjow's heart race. He really felt like kissing Ulquiorra right then, so he cupped the man face with his hand and moved in for a kiss, only to stop just before their lips made contact.

"You won't regret this choice someday?" Grimmjow wondered.

"I doubt it. Though I must say that it saddens me to think that in the end we are left to wander in Hueco Mundo without any real purpose once again."

Considering what he knew about Ulquiorra, Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra was telling the truth. The man had spent the most part of his life searching for reasons to be, and without those, he would feel like he had been in the past – an empty meaningless soul.

"Then let me be your purpose in living from now on, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow suggested, "and you'll be mine as well."

Ulquiorra didn't have to take any time to think before he nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan."

With that said, Ulquiorra closed the small gap that Grimmjow left between their lips in a gentle kiss. Once again, he would have to wander around the endless desert of Hueco Mundo. Just like the time he was still a mere Hollow, he didn't know what kind of future awaited him along his path. However, this time, he wouldn't have to face it all alone. Grimmjow would be there with him to experiment that new purpose in life. And somehow he believed the result would turn out to be just fine.

End of Affectional Experiment

Thank you for your supports whether they are in a form of review, or listing it in your alert or favorite or even C2 community m(._.)m. I hope you enjoy this sappy... um... I mean... happy ending. If not, you can always forget this chapter and just read the manga or watch the anime for canon ending. (To be honest, at a certain point, I was tempted to give this story a tragic ending just to tie it up with Lost and Found as some sort of weird prequel, but then I decided I'd better not ruin that story.)

I kinda have a love-hate relationship with this story all along, so as much as I'm glad it's finally over, I would probably miss tearing my hair out writing it. However, all good (or even not so good) things must come to an end, so this is time to say farewell to Affectional Experiment. Once again, thank you very much. I hope this story was able to entertain you to the end.

~ Amaratta