I wonder... When was it... that I forgot what hope felt like?

Long, spiky, orange hair flew out with the wind, while brown eyes shone dangerously as they glared at the three teenage boys in front of them. The ever present frown, even deeper than usual.

"Hey, bitch. What the hell are you doin'?" One of the boys, a tall guy with black hair that was in a afro, shouted at the girl.

The girl huffed, moving a little to hold her bag over her shoulder. "I should be asking you lot that." She pointed behind her at something on the ground. "Tell me. What the Hell is that?!"

The three boys looked behind her at the thing on the ground. It was a small bottle filled with flowers, but it was laying on its side with all the water on the ground, the neck of the bottle was smashed and a crack running down its side.

The girl pointed at one of the boys, a short guy with a bowl cut and sun glasses. "You, Ugly! Your answer!"

"Huh? Me? Uh, an offering to someone who died here?"

"Ding ding ding. Check out the brain on this one." The girl said in mock appraisal. "Question two: Why is it on its side and broken? You, Afro Boy!"

"Because... We knocked it over with our boards..." He answered.

"I see..." She said quietly. "If that's the case... then you ought to apologize to him!" She finished as she pointed to a little boy with a bloody face and body behind her.

The boys shrieked at the sight of the little ghost kid and ran like hell. The girl huffed at the cowardly display and turned to the little boy. "I don't think they'll be coming back again."

The little boy smiled at her. "Thank you, Ichigo."

Ichigo had turned around and stared heading off. "I'll bring new flowers tomorrow if there aren't any Hollow attacks."

It had been months since the events that had made Ichigo become a substitute Soul Reaper and the rescue of Rukia from execution. Things where beginning to work themselves into a routine. School, home or hang out with her friends, interspersed with Hollow attacks and occasional visits to Soul Society. But even still, there were still times when she had nothing to occupy her mind with. And her thoughts would drift to a little blue furred cat that she'd found a long time ago.

Ichigo walked up to her room and opened the door to find Rukia sitting on the floor in front of Ichigo's bed. Now that inning of itself wouldn't have surprised her. The open box full of old memories in front of her however... that did the trick.

"Rukia! What are you doing?!" She shouted.

"Oh! Ichigo... You're home..." Said Rukia, trying to sound innocent. Needless to say, it wasn't working.

Ichigo dashed in and snatched the box away then started looking around for its lid. "What have I told you about messing with my stuff?!"

Rukia frowned. "Hey! This time it wasn't my fault! It looks exactly like the box I keep my Soul Reaper equipment in!" Rukia breathed in and calmed down. "But still... I never pitted you for a cat person."

At that comment Ichigo suddenly paused in her mad search for the box lid.

"You want to talk about it?" Rukia asked gently.

Ichigo sighed. "May as well. You already know about my mom, may as well tell you about him too."

She sat down on the bed, the box, still open, resting in her lap. Rukia walked over and sat next to her. Ichigo was silent for a little while longer, as she stared at the photos in the little box. Then she took a deep breath and started to explain.

"It was back when I was little. My mom and I were walking home from the dojo when I started to hear meowing."

*Flashback*

An eight year old Ichigo, with hair tied up in two pigtails, walked down the path home with her mother, holding her hand as she always did. As the passed the park Ichigo suddenly stopped and looked in toward the park. Masaki, noticing her oldest daughter stop looked back at her.

"What is it Sweetie?" she asked.

Ichigo turned her large innocent eyes to her mother. "Don't you hear that? It sounds like a kitty."

Masaki blinked and listened. Yes, now that she was actually listening for it, she could hear the cry of a scared cat. Ichigo let go of her mother's hand and went into the park to search for the distressed animal. Masaki followed close behind, not wanting to let the girl out of her sight. Ichigo followed the crying to the swing set, and there was a small blue furred kitten, tied to the seat of one of the swings with rope. Ichigo ran over to the poor cat and reached out to it. The cat hissed threateningly at the little girl. Ichigo smile reassuringly.

"Don't be scared kitty. I'm not gonna hurt you." She said gently as she reached for the ropes again.

The cat was still tense but let ichigo close enough to untie the ropes holding it. When Ichigo untangled the last rope the cat sat there for a few moments, as if not believing that someone had let it free. Then it leaped at Ichigo knocking her over as she gave a startled cry. The cat, now sitting on her chest, started licking at her face and butting it head against her chin. Ichigo giggled at the affectionate cat, patting its head. Masaki smiled at the sight, it was so cute.

"Oh, mommy, can we keep him? Please?" Ichigo begged her mom, giving her the puppy eyes.

Masaki giggled, she knew this was coming. "So long as you take care of him it's alright."

"Yay!" Ichigo cheered, holding the cat up to look at him face to face, "your part of our family now Grimmy!"

"Grimmy?"

"Well I can't call him 'Blueberry'." Ichigo said.

"He became my best friend. Every time I was down, he'd always be there to pick me back up. Eventually he started following me everywhere I went. According to goat-face, he was the only thing that kept me smiling after mom died. But one day…"

Ichigo, now ten years old was walking home after getting into a fight with some kids from school. Beside her, Grimmy trotted a long in pace with her.

Ichigo huffed. "Those guys just piss me off. Who do they think they are?" Grimmy meowed, as if agreeing with his owner.

They continued to walk for a little while until Grimmy stopped. He arched his back, puffed out his fur and started looking around hissing.

"What's wrong, Grimmy?" Ichigo asked the little blue cat.

Grimmy butted his head against Ichigo's leg, as if telling her to go somewhere. Ichigo obeyed the cat, moving into an alleyway and behind some trashcans. There the cat stopped and turned around to hiss again.

"Well, well. What a lovely morsel." The voice was from directly above her.

*End Flashback*

"The next thing I knew, I was at home in my bed. Dad said that a neighbour had found me asleep under a tree in the park and brought me home. We looked everywhere for Grimmy… But we never found him." Ichigo looked down at the box in her lap. "These are all the things I have left of him."

Rukia was speechless. She'd lost her mother, and then she lost her best friend. Rukia put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "I can say this much. Grimmy was one amazing cat and he clearly loved you."

Ichigo smiled at her friend.

A few weeks had passed since Rukia found out about Grimmy. Ichigo was walking to school, feeling a little depressed. First there had been that attack from those weird hollows, what did they call themselves again? The Arrancar? Then there had been that training with the Visored, that had not been fun. In total, it not been a good few weeks.

"It's at times like this that I really wish Grimmy was still around." She muttered to herself.

"Is that so?"

Ichigo span around so fast her hair whipped her face. There standing behind her, was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Odd name, she knew, but at least it wasn't one you forgot easily. Ichigo tensed, she hadn't brought her soul dispenser and Rukia was already at school, she couldn't turn into her shinigami form. She was a sitting duck. Grimmjow, however, made no move to attack, just continued to lean against the wall, smirking at her.

"I would have thought you didn't need a kitty cat to help you feel better."

Ichigo decided not to ask about how he knew that Grimmy was a cat. Under the current circumstances, it was kind of irrelevant.

"But since you asked in that, 'you kick my kitten' voice. I suppose I can oblige."

Ichigo didn't have the time to ask Grimmjow what he meant, for before she could react, he was off the wall and in her space in the space of a few seconds. The attack that she expected never came. Instead, Grimmjow started lapping at her face with his tough, much like a cat would. Ichigo went ridged from shock and Grimmjow took the opportunity to French Kiss her. This snapped Ichigo out of her daze. She pushed the blue haired man away and took a step back, wiping at her face furiously, not only to get rid of the saliva, but also to hind her furious blush.

"WHAT IN HOLY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" she yelled at him face completely red.

Grimmjow grinned. "I'd think that was obvious. I'm helping you feel better. Licking your face always help before."

"What in the hell are you talking about?!"

Grimmjow's grin broadened. "Ichigo, that hurts. I thought I was your kitty. I even found that silver necklace for you. You said you'd always wear it." He lunged at her, reached a hand into her shirt and pulled out a small silver medallion, with a swirling paten, on a think rope. "And you still do."

Ichigo's eyes widened. How had Grimmjow known about her necklace? She always kept it under her shirt, not even her family knew where it had come from. The truth was, Grimmy had given it to her. They were in the park when Grimmy had wondered off somewhere, a few minutes later returning with the necklace in its mouth.

"How did you?"

"'How did I know about the necklace'?" Grimmjow asked teasingly, "Because I gave it to you."

What?

"Hollows have an amazingly complex mating ritual. First we are tied up with bonds that only those we are compatible with can undo. Then we mark them with our scant, one of those ways is to rub it off on them." Ichigo's eyes widened. This was starting to sound very familiar. "Next after some days of courting, we give then a necklace of silver effused with our own Reiryoku. Finally there is a test. The hollow is somehow separated from their potential mate, leaving the necklace behind. If the mate continues to wear the necklace, despite not knowing whether or not the hollow will return, it shows that they are devoted to the hollow. As they wear it the Reiryoku slowly seeps into the mate, changing their hormones to react only with the hollow that gave it." Ichigo could see was Grimmjow was going to say next. "You really grew into a fine woman, Ichigo. I remember when you were only little, with pigtails and skinned knees."

Ichigo was mad, to say the least. "You jerk!" She started pounding on the big man's chest. "Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka." Grimmjow wrapped his arms around the infuriated girl. "Jerk, stupid, TEME! I thought you were dead for crying out loud! You baka!"

"I'm sorry." Grimmjow said gently.

After some more yelling Ichigo finally calmed down. Mate. She was Grimmjow's mate. Wait, 'mate'?

"Hey hold on a moment." She said leaning back a bit. "I don't recall losing my virginity to a cat."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "When I say 'mating', I mean it in a very loose way. A Hollow's mating ritual is… sort of like a marriage proposal. Only it takes a lot longer." He grinned down at the girl. "Although, if you like, we can easily fix that little 'virginity' problem of yours."

"Oh, no you don't." Ichigo said pulling away. "I still have to school, which I am late for now because of you." She smiled. "We have plenty of time for that after I graduate. And after I figure out a way to explain this to my friends and family." With that she ran off to get to school.

Married to a Hollow. Well there are worse things. Especially… now that could finally look forward to tomorrow. Rukia was right, Gimmy really did love her… Enough to marry her.