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Pina Colada Espada	By : KaiBlueOtaku Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 3027 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters are owned by the talented Tite Kubo. I own only my story, and am merely borrowing them to tell it. I receive no payment for my writing.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
A/N: This story is one in a series. The first is Resolution, which is found on this site, and contains Lemon. There is also a “scrubbed” version of Resolution posted on the FanFiction.net site, which has had the Lemon content edited and reduced to heavy Lime. The second story in the series, Urahara’s Arrancar Rehabilitation Center, is a two-shot (no Lemon) which may now be found here on AFF as well. This is the third story in the series. If you do not read the first two, this one may not make much sense, though I did my best to make it strong enough to stand on its own merit. This is only the first chapter; since there will be more to come, the warnings I have listed are primarily in regards to later chapters. Thank you for reading, I treasure every review and rating I receive. Please enjoy.
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            “Um… What are you doing over Spring Break, Grimmjow?”

            “Ne? Spring Break?” Grimmjow shielded the sun from his ice-blue eyes with the Guitar Universe magazine he had been reading. He leaned back in the lawn chair, staring up at the well-endowed figure of his housemate, Orihime Inoue. She seemed anxious, twisting a strand of her ginger hair nervously between her fingers. “Why do you ask?”

            “Well… I won some tickets on a radio contest, for a vacation to the beach. I have an extra ticket, and I thought that…Maybe you would want to come along.”

“What about Kurosaki? Or Ishida?” Grimmjow asked her. He wasn’t exactly sure what ‘vacation’ meant, but this already sounded like a hassle.

Orihime glanced downward timidly. “Well, I did ask them… They already have plans. It seems they agreed to help Kurosaki-kun’s father with some remodeling to the clinic. Kuchiki-san too.” She looked up at him sadly. “I just thought, that after all the hard work that Urahara-san has been putting you through with your rehabilitation, that maybe you would enjoy some time off.”

Ulquiorra walked out onto the back patio, a glass of lemonade in one hand, the other stuffed deeply in the pocket of his jeans. “Onna, I believe the phone was ringing inside,” he told her.

“OH! Thank you!” She blew past him, pausing for a moment to plant a kiss on his cheek as she rushed inside.

Ulquiorra watched her disappear inside, until she was out of earshot. “Tell her you will go on the ‘vacation,’” Ulquiorra told Grimmjow quietly, taking a long, slow pull from his drink, the ice cubes tinkling musically in his glass.

“Why?” Grimmjow snapped irritably.

Ulquiorra pinned the former Sexta under his intent, emerald gaze. “Because the others have plans. Because she was kind enough to invite you. And because you owe us for letting you stay here rent-free.” Grimmjow scowled, but Ulquiorra’s reasoning was unshakeable, and left no room for discussion. “It will make her happy. When she is happy, I am happy. Surely, you do not wish to displease me, while living under my roof.”

Grimmjow sighed, running his fingers through his spiky blue hair, sighing. “Alright, dammit. I’ll go,” he conceded.

“Sound happy about it when you tell her,” Ulquiorra threatened. “I am not overly pleased myself at this human idea of a ‘vacation,’ whatever it entails. But apparently, it is what they do, and we are trying to fit in.” He took a sip from his lemonade as Orihime returned out the back door, joining them on the patio.

“Ulqui-kun, are you sure you heard the phone?” she asked. “I didn’t hear it, and there were no messages.”

“Perhaps I was mistaken,” he told her, glaring significantly at Grimmjow from behind a wisp of mid-length, raven black hair.

Grimmjow realized that his host had graciously told a white lie to his girlfriend, in order to get the two of them alone for long enough to discuss the terms of Grimmjow’s ‘surrender’ to this vacation, without upsetting her. He was slightly touched by this thoughtful gesture on Ulquiorra’s part, to make his girlfriend happy. What is it with you, Ulquiorra? he sighed to himself. Why does it always seem like I’m helping you in some way with your woman?

“Orihime?” Grimmjow leaned forward, folding his magazine in half and laying it on his knee. “I would be honored to go with you and Ulquiorra on vacation.”

The blue-haired man grimaced and blanched as an ecstatic Orihime flung her arms around his neck in a happy hug. “Oh, thank you, Grimmjow!” she gushed. “We’re going to have so much fun, I promise!”

He looked pleadingly to Ulquiorra for help, but the other man only turned back toward the house, hiding the merest shadow of a sadistically amused grin in his glass of lemonade.

//////////

“Why is the van so huge? And do we really need all this shit?” Grimmjow grumbled as Ulquiorra crammed yet another duffel bag in the back of the rental vehicle.

Ulquiorra sighed, closing his eyes, his face pinched in slight irritation. “The Onna seems to think so, and you or I wouldn’t know, so we will take her word for it.” He shouldered into the bag, grunting slightly. They both froze and stared at each other as they heard a loud ‘POP’ emit from somewhere in the mountain of luggage. Ulquiorra slowly backed away, and pushed the hatch closed.

“Okay, I’m ready!”

The two Ex-Espada turned to see Orihime sprinting lightly down the brick pathway from the house to the street. Her long yellow sun-dress whipped around her shapely legs as she ran, and one hand held her white, wide brimmed sun hat in place. The red ribbon around the hat band whipped behind her, trailing in the wind. Grimmjow did not miss the hungry look that Ulquiorra gave her as she came to the vehicle. He wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her lips a little harder than was perhaps warranted on a public street, and leaned in to whisper something in her ear as his hand snaked down to firmly squeeze her round backside through the flowing yellow fabric.

“Ulquiorra!” she squealed, scandalized, swatting his hand away playfully as she glanced over at Grimmjow with embarrassment.

For his part, Grimmjow was every bit as embarrassed as she was, and took pains to focus his gaze elsewhere as Ulquiorra glared at him with a possessiveness that bordered on predatory, as if staking his claim with this display, silently affirming, Don’t get any ideas about who she belongs to…

Ulquiorra, always the gentleman (except for the rare occasion when he was being a horny exhibitionist, apparently), opened the door for Orihime and let her into the passenger’s side of the van. Grimmjow got in the far back and sprawled out comfortably. He pulled out his music, plugged in his headphones, and shut his eyes, settling in for a long ride.

It wasn’t long before he sensed someone close in his space, and felt something tickling his face. He opened his eyes to find a huge set of breasts shoved near his face. “What the hell?!” he screamed.

“Oh, I’m just trying to get my bag settled,” Rangiku Matsumoto told him, reaching over his head, trying to add her duffel bag to the pile behind his seat. Grimmjow swatted her long, blonde hair out of his face, spluttering. “Dammit Rangiku! Git yet tits outta my face! I will fix your freaking bag!”

“Aww,, thanks, Grimmjow!” she said, pulling back and pinching his cheek annoyingly as if he were a child. She dropped her bag with a painful thump into his lap. As she settled herself into the center row of seats, Grimmjow spied the unmistakable short white hair of Gin Ichimaru sitting on the other side of her.

Gin grinned and gave a lame wave. “Hey there Grimmjow. How’s it going?”

“Better now that your girlfriend’s rack isn’t stuffed up my nose,” he muttered to the luggage as he turned around in his seat to secure her bag. Once he was finished, he turned back around and flung himself overdramatically into his seat, sprawling out again to get comfortable as he sank back into darkness and music.

They got underway again, but soon Grimmjow was overcome with a feeling of unease. He opened his eyes to be met with sea-green orbs, regarding him intently from behind a messy shock of sun bleached blonde hair. The sandy tone of the darkly tanned skin seemed lost to Grimmjow as he submerged into the oceanic depths of those eyes, paralyzed, feeling unable to draw breath.

“Move over.”

The calm, commanding voice of Tia Hallibel shook Grimmjow from his hypnosis, and he scrambled to accommodate her. She slid litlely into her seat, securing the safety restraint as the vehicle started on its way again. Grimmjow swallowed hard, and inched away from the former Tres, who lounged easily beside him. He pulled his knees up and attempted to listen to his music, intently focusing on his breathing, trying to calm himself.

He couldn’t understand why he’d been feeling this way lately around Hallibel. He knew he had the hots for her, but recently, things seemed… Different. More intense for him. It was maddening to Grimmjow, who was usually so arrogant and self-assured, that whenever she came around, he found himself reduced to an anxious, fumbling mess.

He tipped his head back, closing his eyes as he struggled internally, feeling his Reitsu flaring wildly out of control with her seated so near to him.

Unexpectedly, he felt a powerful Spiritual Pressure reach out to him. A hot, golden Reitsu pushed tentatively against his, initially causing him sense of panic. He shoved back harshly against it, but it bore down with a calm, steady pressure, unyielding to his attack. He felt it slide up against him, so warm and strangely comforting. It made him feel like a cat, lazing in a warm patch of sunlight, shining its rays through a window on a late spring day. His breath caught in his throat, and he felt trapped between the simultaneous urge to either purr aloud, or suffocate on the spot.

He opened his eyes and glanced around covertly, wondering who could be the source of the deliciously sensual power that was washing over him. Sitting next to him, Hallibel regarded Grimmjow with a cool, sidelong look through a half-lidded eye. He completely discounted her; he knew what Hallibel’s Reitsu felt like, and this was much,much different than anything he had ever felt before. The Reitsu pressed down on him, like a blanket, smothering the wild flaring of his own Spiritual Pressure, soothing and quieting him instantly. He let out a tremulous sigh, lolling his head back and struggling to keep his eyes open as the strong, warm power lapped at his ragged soul with a slow, easy rhythm. He slipped into an ecstatic torpor, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, giving himself over to the pleasure coursing through veins. His eyes were closed, or he might have caught a glimmer of the heat that was smoldering there in the depths of those two green pools. Hallibel gave the faintest smirk of satisfaction before she allowed herself to close her own eyes and drift into a deep, quiet meditation.

////////

            When they arrived at the resort, Orihime checked them in while Gin and Grimmjow busied themselves unloading the van onto a luggage cart. Grimmjow fiddled obsessively with the bags, situating them and restacking them repeatedly as Ulquiorra parked the vehicle in a nearby lot. Grimmjow was doing anything he could to keep himself busy, and his mind off the strange, erotic Reitsu that had pressed down on him earlier during the drive over. He was starting to get paranoid, thinking maybe it had just been his imagination, or a dream he’d had.

            Orihime seemed to be taking over-long at the check-in desk, and Grimmjow was becoming impatient. He stalked over to see what the holdup was.

            “I’m sorry, miss, but your reservations are non-negotiable,” the young man at the desk was telling her. “If you’d like to purchase an additional room for the nights of your stay, I can see what’s available. But as it stands now, your reservations are for the three, single queen rooms/”

            Hallibel stood at a distance, watching the scene unfold. As Ulquiorra came back from the parking lot, she caught his eye and called him over with a small jerk of her head. He gave her an inquisitive look as he came over. In answer, she nodded almost imperceptively, indicating Grimmjow, and licked her lips. Ulquiorra’s eyes widened, and he glanced dubiously over at the blue-haired man standing at the counter next to Orihime. She gave Ulquiorra’s Reitsu a playful nudge with her own, and nodded toward Grimmjow.

            Ulquiorra looked skeptical, but reluctantly turned toward Grimmjow. He pressed him with a heavy, commanding Reitsu of dominance. The effect was immediate.

Grimmjow froze, nervous eyes darting around, searching for the source of the unfamiliar energy. This was not like the other power he had sensed earlier. This was dark, uncomfortable and heavy. It was alarming to him, and he began to panic. He didn’t want anything to do with this energy, and whatever, or whoever, was the owner of it.

Hallibel reached her hand out a laid it on Ulquiorra’s arm then, signaling that was enough. As he stopped, Hallibel stepped forward and reached out to Grimmjow with her strong, warm energy, blanketing him again in it.

He visibly melted at her touch, the foreign power gone and only the soft comfort of this new, yet almost familiar, Reitsu remained. He was instantly at ease, slumping into the counter slightly as he struggled to keep his feet. He took a deep breath and they watched him as he settled into it, unable to do anything but submit to the Reitsu that washed over him, just as unstoppable to him as the waves lapping at the sand.

Matsumoto leaned toward Gin, whispering to him behind her hand. “Uh-oh… Look.” His eyes followed hers, and he spotted Hallibel watching Grimmjow with a fierce intensity. “I’ve seen that look before,” Matsumoto tittered, bumping her hip playfully into Gin’s as she gave him a coy smile.

“This could be an interesting trip…” Gin murmured back with an amused snicker.

Hallibel strode up behind Grimmjow and Orihime, to listen in on the conversation.

“I don’t have the money to pay for an extra room for a whole three nights though,” Orihime was saying. “Are you sure we can’t trade one of the single queen rooms for a double twin, or something?”

“Grimmjow will stay with me,” Hallibel said with finality. Grimmjow turned and stared at her, eyes wide. She saw him swallow the lump in his throat.

“Are you sure, Hallibel-san?” Orihime asked. She was hesitant, but the undertone of her voice was hopeful.

“Of course. We endured worse conditions in Las Noches. It is the least we can do, to express our gratitude to you for your generosity in inviting us along.”

Orihime’s face brightened. “Oh, that would be great! What a relief. Is that going to be ok with you, Grimmjow?”

Orihime had addressed the question to the Sexta, but as he opened his mouth to protest, Hallibel overspoke him. “It will be fine. Isn’t that right, Grimmjow?” She gave him a withering glare, and he suddenly felt like a dog that had been scolded by his master. If he’d had a tail, he would have tucked it between his legs and slunk to her feet, ears back, begging forgiveness. Instead, he just muttered something affirmative, and tolerated Orihime’s thankful hug, keeping his eyes averted.

He scowled all the way to the room, huffing angrily as he stormed ahead of the others. He tried the handle of the door, but it was locked. He let out a small roar of frustration, and kicked at it. Then, he felt eyes on him, and he looked up to see Hallibel standing too close for comfort, at his right shoulder. He stared at her for the longest time, hatred seething through him. She is so damn pushy, he glowered.

She glared back at him, her eyes unwavering as Ulquiorra and Orihime passed them in the hallway. Hallibel could see them out of her peripheral vision. “Is everything ok?” Orihime asked worriedly.

Ulquiorra laid his hand on her arm, ushering her away. She didn’t understand what was going on here, he knew, and he gave a knowing nod to the Tres as they passed, as if to say, Carry on.

“Everything’s fine,” Hallibel told the woman without taking her eyes off Grimmjow. “We’re just working some things out.”

Something about her tone of voice made Grimmjow uneasy. He finally stepped back, letting out a roar of fury and defeat, and she smiled, pulling the key card from her pocket and swiping it in the lock. Grimmjow hoisted his bag but she stopped in the doorway, blocking him, and stared him down again as she passed through the doorway first. As the door swung closed, he shoved it open and slammed it behind him.

“You are such a bitch,” he hissed at her, stalking up behind her in a boiling rage, sure he was going to hit her.

She glanced back at him over her shoulder at him though, and the look stopped him cold. Somehow, he had gone from furious to aroused in the blink of an eye, and he turned away from her in embarrassment.

“What was that?” she asked him coolly.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, keeping his back to her as he set his bag on the counter, digging around in it aimlessly just to give himself something to do, and keep himself from having to look at her. He didn’t have a clue what was going on. First he wanted to punch her, then he wanted to tear her clothes off… His head was spinning. She always seemed so collected, and it was irritating to Grimmjow, who had such a short fuse about everything.

He was in a bad mood the rest of the evening. Even though he tried to participate in the dinner conversation, he was feeling excluded and left out. He excused himself early, making a lame excuse of being tired, and went back to the room, and crawled into bed.

Grimmjow woke a while later, and was alarmed at the realization that Hallibel was crawling into bed with him. “What the hell, Hallibel?” he whispered, frantic.

“If you have a problem sharing the bed, you can sleep on the couch,” she told him.

His rage began to boil over again, and he reached his hands out in a mockery as if he was going to strangle her. He yanked the comforter off the bed, snatched a pillow, and grumbled over to the couch. Truthfully, it wasn’t even a couch; more of a love seat, and certainly much too small for Grimmjow to get comfortable on, try though he may. He finally found the least uncomfortable position, and managed to fall into a troubled and restless sleep.

He dreamed of Hallibel. She was wearing a long white kimono, made of thin silk that billowed and trailed behind her in the wind. She was walking through an orchard of cherry trees, all in bloom, and the petals swirled around her magnificently. She strode slowly along, dragging her fingers across the flowers that burst from the trees, making her way to the center of the garden. There was one tree there, much different from the others. This tree was not in bloom, and on its branches hung a single large peach. Hallibel approached the tree and gently stroked the soft fuzz of the fruit, smelling it and examining it closely. “Almost,” she whispered, and began to hum a song that Grimmjow found to be hypnotic. He remembered it from the first time he had seen her in the orchard, when she had been sitting before the campfire in the darkness, clutching the chain in the midst of the blue flames.

“Hallibel,” he called to her gently. But when she turned, he could see that she was wearing her Espada jacket, and it was unzipped, revealing the broken Hollow mask across her lower face.

///////////////

Grimmjow awoke in a cold sweat, a crick in his neck. I don’t care how mean she is, I’m not spending another night on that couch, he resolved, rubbing at his shoulder as he stood and stretched. Through the window, he could see the beach in the early morning light. Hallibel was down on the sand, stretching and doing a combination of Tai Chi and Yoga positions. Grimmjow was struck by her poise and grace, and he watched her, a soft, faraway look in his eyes.

She could feel him watching, but she paid him no mind. Let him be hungry, she thought, as I have been, for so long. When she finally finished her exercises, she looked directly at him and saw him cringe. He is so weak-willed, she mused as she toweled the sweat from her face and neck, walking slowly back from the beach. After all this time, I didn’t expect that would be part of the deal. But he’s almost ready now. Amazing that it’s taken him so long to mature… He withered under her heavy gaze, and she stalked past him and into the bathroom, turning on the shower water. She hadn’t bothered to close the door, and she peeled off her sweaty clothing, well aware of his struggle to keep his eyes off her. Why will he not submit to me? she wondered silently, climbing into the hot spray. Why does he continue to struggle, and fight his natural instinct?She stretched out her dominant Reitsu to him then, stroking him teasingly.

Grimmjow felt like he was losing his mind. Where was this energy coming from? It kept assaulting him, seemingly at random, and as he lay incapacitated on the bed, panting in ecstasy, his thoughts spun. I want this, he called out to the heavy, warm Reitsu that pressed down on him, reaching out to it, rubbing against it. He beckoned to it, but it remained steady, and he was becoming frustrated. He felt his erection straining through his jeans, and, listening for the water that signaled Hallibel was occupied, he unzipped them and reached in. He gave a soft shudder at the glorious combination of the Reitsu licking his soul, and his skilled fingers against himself. He didn’t go after it too vigorously, because he knew Hallibel wouldn’t be much longer probably with washing the sweat off from her morning workout. But just a little gentle stroking was helping to release some of the tension that was beginning to build painfully in him.

She could feel him. Oh, yes. He was going to be in trouble. He should know better than that, she scolded in her mind as she stepped out of the still-running shower. She sensed that he was too lost in himself to be aware of her presence in the room, and so she went in to watch him, not bothering even to dry off. He was clearly submerged in his pleasure, completely oblivious of the world around him. She wanted badly to go and assist him, but she knew the time wasn’t right yet. She would be a lenient mistress, she decided, and allow him this little indiscretion. Things seemed to be progressing much more slowly than she had expected, and while she wondered if the tension-release would be ultimately detrimental to her progress, she decided to allow it. It seemed warranted, somehow, even though it went against her instincts.

She watched him with a smile on her face, and lapped against him with her Reitsu again. He moaned softly, and it sent shivers up her spine. He was positively feline at moments like this, and she saw the way that even the cool touch of the sheets against his bare back was causing him pleasure. She turned back toward the bathroom and just as she passed through the doorway, she gave him a final parting glance.

He looked up at that moment, and froze. The sight of Hallibel, her dark, bare flesh cascading with droplets of water, pausing in the doorway of the bathroom, was too much for him. She was watching me? he thought, incredulous. How long has she been watching me? He was suspended briefly somewhere between mortification and desire, when the look in her eyes pushed him over the edge. There was no mistaking it; hunger, and heat, boiling in the depths of those emerald orbs of hers. As she disappeared back into the bathroom, Grimmjow lost his self control and spilled onto the sheets with a guttural moan and a gasp. He lay there heaving, and stared warily at the doorway as he heard her shut the water off and busy herself with dressing. Maybe she’s interested after all, he thought to himself.

////////////////////

Matsumoto and Orihime pounced on Hallibel at breakfast. They wanted a “girl’s day,” and that was going to include shopping. Hallibel cringed internally. She didn’t hate shopping in itself, so much as the method with which the two women were known to employ it, which was to say, more as an activity in itself instead of a means to an ends. She reluctantly conceded, feeling that maybe it would do Grimmjow some good to have some space to himself, and stew in it for a while.

As they ran from store to store, the two women seemed oblivious to her internal strife. Hallibel couldn’t understand what was going wrong. Grimmjow wasn’t responding at all the way she had expected.

But Matsumoto at least had noticed. While Orihime was getting changed in a dressing room, she leaned toward the Tres. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Hallibel shook her head, frustration furrowed on her brown. She didn’t need to drag anybody else into this. If she couldn’t figure it out on her own, she didn’t deserve him.

“Are things not going well with Grimmjow?” Matsumoto asked with a smirk.

Hallibel’s face colored. She hadn’t realized she’d been so obvious to everyone else in her pursuit. Something in her wanted desperately to confide in the Shinigami; in anyone honestly, but Rangiku was the one here in her moment of weakness, and so when the words began to spill out, she didn’t think they would stop. “He won’t submit to me. I’ve been trying so hard to lay claim over him, and he’s been defiant and rude and unyielding. It’s very unbecoming in a mate, but it’s almost like he doesn’t understand what’s going on. He can’t be that stupid. I mean, I know it’s Grimmjow we’re talking about here, but still… He’s not an idiot. I can sense the time is right. I’ve waited for so long…” Matsumoto could hear the tears quavering the voice of the Tres, but she let her continue. “I have had him marked for decades, but he was never ready to be claimed. We were together long in the past, and I think it meant nothing to him really then, but I knew. I knew. An Alpha always knows her mate, and I knew it was him, but he wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t…” Hallibel struggled, looking for the term.

“Ripe?” Matsumoto offered.

Hallibel sighed, relieved that the Shinigami seemed to understand, at least in part. “Yes!” Exasperation was thick in her tone. “But he’s conflicted. He wants to submit, but he challenges me at every turn. I know he’s almost ready, ‘ripe’ as you said, because of his response when I press him with my Reitsu of Dominance.” Her eyes grew distant as she spoke softly. “It’s almost like a piece of fruit. You press it, gentle but firm, and it yields…” She took a shaky breath, and snapped herself back to reality, looking up at the enrapt face of Matsumoto.

“Oh, my!” Matsumoto laughed, fanning herself with her hand. “That’s intense! I can’t say as I understand all the details, though. What’s this business about ‘Alphas’ and ‘dominance?’” She leaned toward Hallibel, and whispered behind her hand. “I’m not judging or anything, but it sounds kinky…”

Hallibel laughed, and shook her head, looking down. “No, not really. It’s how Hollows mate. We have no love, so a dominant Hollow that is an Alpha, chooses a submissive consort. I’m an Alpha. It’s something predestined, not affected by our Espada ranking. I carried the Alpha signature before I was ever an Espada, maybe even from before I was an Arrancar.”

“Hollows… Mate?” Matsumoto was clearly perplexed.

“Well, not for procreation. More for companionship, I suppose,” Hallibel confessed. “An Alpha chooses a Beta, or in Grimmjow’s case… An Omega.” She gave a little delicious shudder. “They’re rare, and of great worth, to the right Alpha. That’s why I’ve had him marked for so long. He’s worth the wait.”

“So, let me see if I’m following this,” Matsumoto said, counting the points off on her fingers. “You’re an Alpha, he’s an Omega. He should be submitting to you, and he’s not, but you think he’s ready. Does that sound about right?”

Hallibel nodded. “Yes, basically.”

Matsumoto laughed lightly. “Oh, dear… Hallibel, I hate to be obvious, but have you thought about the fact that you’re not Arrancar anymore?” Hallibel stared blankly. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re a woman now. You’re human. He’s a man. You can’t just force your will on him…” Matsumoto giggled. “Well, you could, technically, but I guess that would be rape… Do you have actual feelings for him?

Hallibel’s eyes widened. “I…. I don’t know. I never thought of that.” She stared off for a few moments. “I was always so focused just on the fact that I’d marked him, waiting for him to be ready for me to claim him… And after we were resurrected, I saw the change in him that I’d been waiting so long for…” Her voice was strained with the weight of lonely years spent in solitude. “I had my Fraccion, but it’s not the same. It’s not the same as having a mate. And much less, knowing you’ve marked the one, and still having to wait…” She sighed.

Matsumoto nodded somberly. “I understand. I felt the same about my Gin, only I thought I’d lost him...” Her breath caught in her throat, and her ample chest heaved. She shook her head, shaking the ghosts away. “When I heard about what Urahara was doing with you all, I had to find out if he could bring Gin back as well. Fortunately for me, his Reitsu was twined with my Soul Chain after he died, just like your Grimmjow’s was.” She pressed her fingers to her lips in thought. “I guess he must be your soul mate then!”

Hallibel cocked her head. “Soul mate?”

“Oh, sure,” Orihime agreed brightly as she brought her outfits out the dressing room. “Like me and Ulqui-kun!”

Hallibel’s eyes widened.   What was this ‘soul mate’ that they spoke of? “What is it? And how do you know?”

“Well, Urahara-san told me that I was able to bring Ulquiorra back because his soul was not at peace after his death. He was tied to me, his Reitsu wound in my Soul Chain, to keep him anchored from drifting off into nothingness. He wouldn’t pass on, and my Rikka sensed that in my sleep, and brought him back.”

“I never understood that,” Hallibel told the other women as they all walked toward the register to make their purchases. “I mean, I understood how that could have happened with the two of you, and maybe even Grimmjow and I… But why was Grimmjow tied to Ulquiorra?”

The woman looked at one another, then back at the Tres. “He never told you?” Orihime asked, incredulous. Hallibel shook her head in confusion. “He helped to save me from Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra was losing control to Murcielago, and he knew he was becoming a danger to me. He went to Grimmjow, and asked him to help to protect me. Grimmjow sacrificed himself, basically, to fight Ichigo to the death and help strengthen him, so he could be strong enough to defeat Murcielago. Things went wrong though, and he got sucked into the Koryu. He hadn’t finished what he set out to do, or fulfilled the promise he’d made to help protect me”

Hallibel’s eyes shimmered. Grimmjow did that? Why had he never told her this? They’d been living at the Urahara Shoten for over a week before she moved out, and she’d been there to visit almost every day since… Why had he never said anything? “That’s unbelievable… But why would he do that?”

“Oh, who knows why men do anything,” Matsumoto laughed. “This heat is cooking my brains like an egg on the pavement! I think I’m done shopping for the day. I’m ready to get in the water!” she squealed excitedly.

They headed back to the hotel, Hallibel’s mind spinning with uncertainty.

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The men had spent their day down at the cabana on the beach, shooting pool and visiting. Grimmjow and Gin had become quite competitive, and Ulquiorra was satisfied to sit back and watch the two of them finally, because he was only playing to pass the time whereas the two of them seemed to really be enjoying themselves.

Gin came to the bar and took a sip of his soda, shaking the moisture off his fingertips when his turn to shoot came. He leaned in to take a winning shot, but the wetness on his fingers caused him to fumble the cue. He tried to recover, but it got worse somehow, and he ended up cracking himself in the nose with the butt of his cue. He started to bleed profusely, dripping onto his shirt. “Ah, shit,” he cursed, snatching a cocktail napkin from the bar and stuffing it to his face as he looked down, disgruntled at his shirt. “Rangiku just bought me this shirt, too. She’s going to be pissed if it’s ruined. I’d better go try to wash this out. I’ll catch up with you guys in a while.”

Grimmjow plopped on the stool with the weight of more than just his body, and sipped some orange juice. Ulquiorra glanced over at him, taking in his irritation. “You can finish the game when he returns,” Ulquiorra assured the other man, but he was fairly sure that wasn’t the cause of his dismay.

A shake of his head confirmed his suspicions. “It’s not that.” An oppressive heaviness settled on his shoulders.

Ulquiorra weighed his options in his mind. He knew that claiming a mate was personal business, and it would be considered very meddling of him to get involved. But things didn’t seem to be going very smoothly between the two of them, and he didn’t like seeing Grimmjow like this. It gave him a pained sense of unease, and he wondered if this was the concept of ‘friendship’ that Urahara had been trying to convey to him in the past few weeks. He hesitantly decided to speak his mind. “Why are you fighting against her?”

Grimmjow gaped at the pale man beside him, but quickly regained his composure. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was so obvious. I mean, aside from that nonsense in the hallway yesterday.” Grimmjow swirled the pulp around in the bottom of his glass, watching the particles shift in the shallow liquid remaining. “I like her so much, I really do. But she’s been pretty much nothing but a bitch to me since we picked her up at her place yesterday.” He flagged down the bartender, indicating a refill was desired.

“How did last night go?” Ulquiorra had a nagging suspicion there was something more here than met the eye, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Fuck…” Grimmjow rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his blue hair with a sigh. “She told me if I didn’t want to share the bed, I could sleep on the couch.” The bartender set the glass in front of him and Grimmjow took a sip, making a horrible face. “Ugh, what the hell is this?”

The bartender’s eyes widened. “A Screwdriver, isn’t that what you were drinking, sir?”

Grimmjow scowled. “Seriously? Who drinks vodka before noon?”

“Today, you do.” Ulquiorra dropped a few yen bills on the counter and the bartender shrugged, nodding in thanks. “Drink it. It will help to calm your nerves.” He pushed his wallet back in his pocket. “What happened next?”

“I slept on the fucking couch, man! What did you think?” Grimmjow barked. “That I just… Hopped into the bed and laid down and let her have her way with me? She’s playing games with my head, and I hate it. One second, she’s looking at me like she wants a piece of me, and the next, she’s pulling rank. I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

Ulquiorra eyed him carefully. “Have you been feeling an unusual Reitsu lately?” He was beginning to suspect what was going on. The look on Grimmjow’s face was a complex mixture of embarrassment and ecstasy, and it answered the question without need for words. “That is her,” Ulquiorra told him.

Blue eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Bullshit. I know Hallibel’s Reitsu. This is…” He shuddered at the memory.

Ulquiorra leaned closer. “It is her Dominance. You have never felt it before, because it is only used in the process of claiming, and then afterward on one’s mate.” The green eyed man stared hard, questioningly at the other. “You know she has marked you, yes?”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Grimmjow asked, clearly confused.

Ulquiorra sighed. This explained it. She had never made clear to Grimmjow that he had been marked all these years. And with him being an Omega, he probably couldn’t have cared less about the political dynamics of Alphas and their hierarchy. He really could be clueless sometimes.

“Hallibel is an Alpha. She has marked you as her mate, but she has been waiting for the right time to claim you. The time has finally come, but…” Ulquiorra paused. “Something is wrong. The claiming is not progressing as it should have. Your Omega instinct should have taken over by now and you should have automatically submitted to her.” Ulquiorra sipped his water. “The very fact that I had to have this conversation with you makes it clear that something has gone awry in the natural order of this. Even someone as oblivious as you, should have felt their instinct, and been unable to resist.”

Grimmjow was intrigued, and let the subtle jab of being called ‘oblivious’ pass without addressing it. “So wait… You’re saying she’s trying to dominate me? Like a dog?”

“Like an Arrancar,” Ulquiorra corrected, slight indignation in his tone.

“Is this because she’s higher ranking Espada than me?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “Her Espada ranking had nothing to do with her Alpha signature, just as yours had no bearing on your being an Omega.”

Grimmjow’s brow furrowed. “I’m dominant,” he objected defensively.

“You are insecure, and an asshole.” Ulquiorra’s uncharacteristic use of language made Grimmjow look sharply at the man. “There is a difference. You play by your own rules. I am not judging you, or saying it is a bad thing. I am merely explaining the facts.” Ulquiorra thought for a moment. “Imagine two rams, butting heads over a nearby ewe. The one who wins is the Alpha, the loser is the Beta.”

“But you called me an… Omega?” The word was awkward on Grimmjow’s tongue.

Ulquiorra nodded. “The Omega is the ram who’s been watching from the nearby trees, and darts out to mate with the female while the other two are occupied.”

Grimmjow let out a roar of hysterical laughter that was so loud, it turned the heads of almost every person in the cabana, and even some nearby on the beach. He wiped tears from his eyes. “Oh, damn, that’s the best joke I’ve ever heard, Ulquiorra…” He chuckled, settling back down with a grin. “Ok, ok, so when you put it like that, yes, that sounds pretty much like me.” He thought for a minute. “So, what, are you an Alpha?”

“Naturally,” Ulquiorra said.

“So what is Orihime?”

Ulquiorra opened his mouth, but he realized he didn’t have an answer for that. The Onna was… Different. “It is more complicated than that, with her. She is not Arrancar, and thus, feels love. Because she triggered the split in myself, magnetically drawing my void to Murcielago, I was more human than Arrancar when she and I were…” Ulquiorra paused.

“Together?” Grimmjow supplied.

“Yes. When she and I were together, intimately, it repelled the void, and in the emotion that remained, I learned to love as humans do. I did not have a claiming with her, as is traditional when taking a mate, even though I was an Espada still while we found each other. Now, without Murcielago to draw the void to him and create a negative space so to speak, in which my emotions may collect, I still become more intensely connected with her when we are together intimately, but it is not as apparent the rest of the time. I am still myself, molded by my memories and experiences. My personality still retains that quality of myself, and even though because of that, I am not proficient at expressing it, the Onna knows I still experience the emotion of ‘love’ toward her.”

Grimmjow stared in admiration. “You fell in love with her, as a Hollow… That is so impossible. I think that’s why I helped you save her, and why Urahara found me tied to your Soul Chain. I wanted that. I wanted what you had with her, so bad, I wasn’t willing to die.”

A realization dawned over Ulquiorra. “That explains it, then. How simple.”

Grimmjow sipped at his drink. “Hn?”

“You resist her because you do not wish to be claimed. Your desire is to be loved.”

Those words sent a peace through his soul, and Grimmjow felt as if the missing piece of everything, of his whole world, had just fallen into place. “Love,” he murmured. It all made perfect sense now. Why she’d been acting the way she had been, and why he’d been so angry and hurt by it.

Gin strolled back in, wearing a clean shirt. “What’d I miss?”

Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra, breaking into uncontrollable laughter, as the black-haired man could only hide a smirk in his water glass. “Okay, so there’s these two rams…”
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Pina Colada Espada