I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

Four to Love

Summary: Ulquiorra has everything he ever desired – a respectable career, money to spare, and a girlfriend that could rival any supermodel. But things turned upside down the day of his high school reunion with his old classmate Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

Chapter One: How is your life so far?

He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Even though he had made the effort to get a trim, he still found his hair too long and wild for his liking. Yet the last time he had cut it short she had pouted for months until it grew out, and he decided it just wasn't worth it, so instead he reached for the gel and attempted to slick it back, just enough to keep it from falling into his eyes.

"Oh baby, don't do that," she crooned from the doorway.

He looked up and met her gaze in the mirror, his hand frozen in midair. Her big, expressive eyes smiled teasingly at him as she walked closer and took his hand in hers.

"Leave it alone," she ran her fingers of her other hand through his black locks, messing it up so that his hair fell in complete disarray around his face. "You look so much sexier like this."

"I have no need to look sexy," he replied evenly. "This is a high school reunion. Everyone there knows what I look like. Besides, you will not be with me, so there will be no one for me to impress."

A bright smile lit up her face and she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "You are so sweet."

"It was just an honest observation," he replied, but noticing her smile slip and her eyes turn downcast, he quickly added, "Still if you wish for me to wear my hair like this I will. At least then, every time it falls into my eyes I will be reminded of you."

She giggled childishly and he felt his own mood lift at the sound. It was one of the things that attracted him to her. She had such a positive outlook on life, which balanced out his rather dark and morose moods. Even today, after almost three years in this relationship, he still couldn't believe that she was his. Girls like her never paid him notice, but she had, much to the surprise of all who knew him.

She was what his mother would have called, with disdain in her voice, bohemian. Her eclectic style of dress, the way her hair flowed wild and free in waves down her back ending at her waist, and her carefree manner, had initially caught his attention. She was so different from other girls he had known in school. And he would be lying if he denied that it gave him a heady thrill to see the way other guys looked at her. She was beautiful - her figure much shapelier than those of the typical models that adorned the fashion magazines. Her long legs, full hips, and heavy breasts turned many heads, both male and female. Yet she was his and his alone.

Suddenly he felt himself growing hard at the recollection. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm his carnal thoughts. She though leaned closer, her breasts pushing against his back. Reaching around him she began to undo the buttons of his collar.

"You should leave this open as well," she breathed against his ear. His body grew even harder, regardless of his attempt to curb his desires. "A little skin is in. Besides this is a party, not work, you need to lighten up a bit."

"You say lighten up, but what you mean is dress like a disheveled mess," he replied coolly, "Besides I cannot leave it unbuttoned when I will be wearing a tie…"

"No, not a tie," she pleaded. "Believe me no one will be wearing a tie."

"The tie will compliment the outfit," he reached up and buttoned his collar once more.

"At least let me pick out the tie," she tried, "Maybe one with some color."

"There is nothing wrong with black…"

"Just give me a minute," she said and then quickly disappeared into the bedroom.

He took in a deep breath and then bending down turned on the faucet and began to wash the gel off his hands. He then splashed a little of the cold water on his flushed face, hoping to calm his libido, which was still troubling him.

She returned carrying a colorful tie that she had given him last Christmas.

"The Dali tie," he said deadpan.

"It's so beautiful," she began excitedly, "I absolutely adore him, and people will be impressed by your artistic flare."

"This is not fitting for a grown man," he started but she began to pout again.

He hated it when she pouted like that. It was the one thing he could not resist, and when she used it she always got what she was looking for. Letting out a tired sigh he held up his hand to take the offensive piece of clothing.

"No let me," she insisted as she pressed against him once again.

He grit his teeth together at the sensations, but as he looked at his reflection, with the silly tie around his neck, he found his erection ease. This tie was unacceptable, he thought, but it made little difference. She would not be with him, so discarding it once he was away from her would not be a problem. He would simply need to put it back on before he came home tonight.

She looked at him in the mirror and smiled, "Perfect," but then her brows knit together and she frowned. Taking her fingers she placed them on either side of his mouth and lifted the corners, forcing a smile from his lips. "Better!" she giggled with delight.

"I should be going," he said as he turned in her embrace.

"I'll miss you," she placed a soft kiss against his lips. He responded lightly and then stepped away.

"You could still come with me," he stated as he walked towards the bedroom to get his suit jacket and black shoes.

"You know I can't back out of this event," she said sadly, "Or I would be there by your side."

He sat on the bed and put on his shoes, "If you want to look at graffiti you can simply take a trip on the subway any day."

She laughed lightly and sitting down on the bed next to him said, "This is a highly toted event in the art community. This exhibit finally gives stencil graffiti the recognition it deserves."

"Just saying," He rose to his feet and grabbed the jacket, "You can go spend the day with Dontae down at the corner market and you will glimpse all the graffiti you will ever care to see."

"True," she rose as well, "but us gallery owners have to stick together. I can't just skip it."

He shrugged into his coat and walked over to her. Kissing her gently on the lips he said, "Do not worry about me. The reunion will just be a boring gathering anyways."

"You may have fun." She returned his kiss with a more passionate one, "Who knows you may meet up with an old buddy or two and rekindle a friendship."

"Unlikely," he remarked.

He had no friends in high school. Okay maybe one, but he doubted that loud, obnoxious fool would be there.

He entered the car garage and unlocked the door to his black, 2012 Camry Hybrid. Sliding into the driver's seat he closed the door and inhaled deeply. The smell of new car assailed his senses. She hated the smell, and always tried to mask it with some horrid flower smelling fragrance.

Yet it wasn't just the smell that bothered her. Where he preferred a car that got good gas mileage on the open road, and had plenty of safety features in case of an accident, she liked something flashy and reckless. When he had come home with the vehicle, she had pouted for a week, complaining that he should have taken her, so that she could have helped him pick out something more daring, which was code for buying a deathtrap of a car that guzzled gas. It made no sense, but she was like that sometimes. Her desires took precedent over what was practical.

He loved her, but sometimes he really didn't understand her. Her need for fast cars and dangerous leisure activities bordered on irresponsible. They were twenty-eight years old, it was time to settle down and live responsibly, but he wondered if that would ever happen.

Taking the tie from his neck he folded it carefully and swapped it out for the black one he kept in the glove compartment for emergencies like tonight. Her sense of style worked for her, but on him it looked very out of place. Satisfied with the switch he then checked the rearview mirror and slowly backed out of his space in the parking garage. Driving at a steady pace he came to a complete stop before turning onto the street. Even though he knew exactly where he was going, he set the GPS and followed the directions as he made his way through the early evening traffic.

His thoughts once more drifted back to her. She hated when he drove, but the last time he had allowed her to take the wheel she had crashed into a parked car while trying to avoid hitting a squirrel that had darted into the road. It was her third accident in less than a year, and as a result their car insurance had skyrocketed. She though merely laughed it off, saying that they both made enough money to cover the extra expense.

He though could think of far better things to spend his hard earned money on than car insurance. In fact he had recently taken to stopping at the jewelry stores and pricing diamond rings. Three years was long enough, wasn't it? He needed to more forward with this relationship. After all they were happy, so marriage seemed the next logical step. And then in a few more years they could start planning a family. Of course she would have to get a safer driving record before he was going to allow her to drive anywhere with his offspring.

As he made his way through the loud, crowded room he wondered once more why he had decided to come tonight. The art show would have been less excruciating than this. Few people said hello, but he hadn't expected anyone to be friendly. In fact if he was being completely honest with himself, the true reason he had come just may have been to stick it in the faces of all his previous classmates that had ridiculed him and made his life a living hell back in high school.

He was pretty successful now, lived in an upscale apartment, and had a girlfriend that could rival any super model. As he scanned the room it became clear that many of his classmates had not fared so well.

"Trash," he whispered under his breath as he took a seat at the bar. He ordered a rum and coke and then sat listening to the band play songs from the year he graduated.

He sensed someone approaching, but remained facing forward, ignoring whoever it was. Suddenly a loud voice boomed in his ear, "Damn Schiffer, never expected to see you here."

Before he could even respond he was almost knocked from his stool as the owner of the voice whacked him rather hard on the back. Managing to keep himself from falling off, he turned around, shooting a rather annoyed look at the offender.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez – why was he not surprised? Only an idiot like him would think to approach someone in such a way. The man was seemingly unchanged. His trademark electric blue hair was a scattered tangle atop his head, and his clothes, while stylish, were a crumpled mess, which made him wonder just what the man had been up to before he arrived at the reunion.

In all his years in high school only one person had been able to get through the defensive walls he had constructed and that man now stood before him. Grimmjow was deceptive. Most wrote him off as a fouled mouth idiot, but Ulquiorra had found no one who could engage him in verbal sparing matches better than the crass jock. Off course he had surprised Jaegerjaquez as well, trouncing him anytime their verbal matches turned physical.

His eyes now held those of his high school friend, daring the man to do anything further. Deciding finally to push back he said sarcastically, as he rose smoothly from his chair, "Of course only trash like you would come up with such an improper greeting."

Both men just stood facing each other, and for a moment it looked like they would start a fight. But then Grimmjow laughed and pulled Ulquiorra into a rough embrace which he found himself returning after only a second's hesitation.

Author's Notes:

This story started in the mind of my beta and friend, lilarin. She wanted to write a collaborative effort and shot this idea my way. It has been fun exchanging thoughts and playing around with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow.

The basis is this – the story follows the same plot, only she writes from Grimmjow's perspective and I write from Ulquiorra's. The chapters will have similar themes in the beginning to set the story in motion, but will not be the same chapter (if that makes sense) – so very little wording will repeat itself. After a while the actions diverge somewhat, but the plot remains the same.

I hope that you enjoy both characters perspectives. We thought it best to submit as two separate stories (mostly for ease and preference of readers) – as these truly are two separate works.

lilarin's story is titled - Grimmjow Four to Love - please give it a read as well - it is very funny.

Please let us know what you thought. Reviews are the only true way to gain insights into the reader's mind. And it is the fuel that runs the machine – or at least drives us forward. It is hard to write in isolation. So please share your thoughts.