Did I say it was over, no, no I did not. It's not over until I say it's over, which is after you read this epilogue.

Epilogue

While Ulquiorra was recovering a lot had occurred. The gangs had officially been dispersed, they were no more, both Starrk and Byakuya had agreed not to be affiliated with their pervious gangs, minus, of course their family, Rukia and Lilynette. Starrk had to let Ulquiorra go but for any 'inconvenience' (they all knew it was because Ulquiorra made them victorious) gave him one final pay check totalling eight million Yen. Hatred between the previous gang members was still evident but the possibility of the gangs mingling once school started again was now possible.

For most of the break Ulquiorra was stuck in bed with Grimmjow's watchful, almost constant supervision. It was December thirtieth; Ulquiorra was out of bed and in the den with Grimmjow watching television. Ulquiorra did not really care for wrestling, especially sumo wrestling but Grimmjow was enjoying himself and cheering on the contestants. Ulquiorra had tried to turn the volume down several times, the television volume seeing as he didn't need to hear a cheering Grimmjow as well as the live audience, but Grimmjow was monopolizing the remote. For that reason when Grimmjow's phone rang Ulquiorra had to inform Grimmjow of it and it was four rings later that Grimmjow finally understood what Ulquiorra was telling him. "Tell me who wins." He more or less shouted answering the phone and walking out of the den.

Ulquiorra took this opportunity to silence the blaring device in front of him. Seeing as Ulquiorra did not know the names of the opponents it would be hard to tell Grimmjow who won. The fight lasted several more minutes the guy with the beard having been knock unconscious rendering the other the winner. A sudden weight on the other end of the couch and a snatch of the remote signalled Grimmjow was back. Ulquiorra watched as the other turned off the television leaving them in the dark. Something was gravely wrong, the way Grimmjow's body trembled ever so slightly, it was almost invisible, the way he continued to stare at the black television screen, the way his knuckles turned white as he squeezed the remote. "Grimmjow, what is it?" Ulquiorra asked finally. For another few minutes Grimmjow remained silent.

"I hate her." He spoke softly.

"Beg pardon?" Ulquiorra was not sure if he had absorbed the information correctly, who was 'her'?

"I fucking hate her." He told him a little louder than before still refusing to turn his head. The trembling had become evidently stronger, Ulquiorra observed. Given the spoken words one would assume Grimmjow was trembling with rage trying to control himself from breaking something however, Ulquiorra's instincts perceived otherwise. Although the rage and anger was obviously there it appeared to be masking another emotion, one Ulquiorra could not yet define and felt Grimmjow himself was unaware of.

"Who Grimmjow?"

"Mother." He snarled as if his mother was a sworn enemy, hell bent on eradicating his life and had the nerve to stand in front of him. Ulquiorra reached over and touched his hand causing the other to recoil as if scorched.

"You're bleeding." Ulquiorra informed him allowing his voice to take on a hint of concern. Grimmjow glanced first at the hand clutching the remote and after setting that down looked at his hand farthest from Ulquiorra, sure enough his nails had peeled back his skin causing the blood beneath the surface to emerge. He held his hand out and observed it not quite sure what to do with it, it was not bleeding profoundly, it did not hurt, but he did not want to get blood on anything. Removing the blanket Grimmjow had insisted he wore, Ulquiorra took Grimmjow's forearm using his other hand to catch a drop of blood. "Come." He ordered leading the other, who seemed dazed, into the light of the kitchen, Ulquiorra limping slightly due to the fact a bullet had hit his leg a few days back.

With warm water Ulquiorra washed the blood from both of their hands and then pressed a paper towel to Grimmjow's hand to prevent further bleeding. The other took the paper towel with his good hand and held it there but continued to stare out the window. Ulquiorra frowned, what had made him this upset? Pulling out a chair he forced Grimmjow to sit, although his ankle was practically healed Ulquiorra believed it best if the other sat.

"I hate her, fucking hate her." He mumbled again causing Ulquiorra's frown to deepen. Had the other gone delusional, mentally insane? The trembling had creased all together now and Grimmjow just sat there staring into nothingness. Ulquiorra moved behind Grimmjow placing his hand upon the other's shoulders. Grimmjow turned his head eyes finally locking with Ulquiorra's.

"I'm-" He started but cut himself off, "No...I don't know what I am." He looked away again and his hands fisted Ulquiorra uncurled them again to prevent him from injuring himself further.

"I'm going to brew us some tea." Ulquiorra told him just to fill the silence and to give himself something to do. Grimmjow made no objection to this making Ulquiorra mentally up the level of disaster in his mind, Grimmjow not making a remark about tea was quite severe. After five minutes Ulquiorra placed a cup of tea in Grimmjow's hands which he took without comment, before he sat in front of him. He watched as Grimmjow took a tentative sip from the mug, then another before closing his eyes.

"This shit isn't all that bad actually." A miniscule, forced smirk graced his face and Ulquiorra felt himself relax slightly before taking a sip of his own tea. A few minutes of silence passed, the clock, which Grimmjow still had neglected to get rid of, ticking and the two males sipping their rapidly cooling tea.

"Mother is dead." Ulquiorra locked eyes with Grimmjow before the other looked away. "She was driving drunk going to her hotel after some party and hit a truck, she was dead before the paramedics even arrived. I'm not mad because she died, it's because she lied. S-she was- wasn't rich at all. A few thousand Yen here a few thousand there, hundreds of bank accounts, in truth she was majorly in debt. The head of staff, Baraggan, called to tell me I had to take care of her affairs, pay the rest of the staff, and settle her debts. He said he tried to pay everyone like he normally would but found that there wasn't enough money in any of the accounts he has access to. I have to go to the main house on the second for the funeral and to settle everything. I- I'm not going to lie, I'm going to lose the house and all the money from her, probably all the money I have saved for college too. I- I HATE HER!" He whipped his half empty glass at the wall before standing up and pacing.

"My whole life she has done nothing but disappoint me!" He punched the wall before continuing. "It's obvious she never wanted me so why they hell didn't she get rid of me, have an abortion or something!" He kicked the cupboards throwing his hands in the air, making Ulquiorra wince hoping he hadn't damaged his ankle further. "My whole life has been a lie! I've had no parents and whenever I think I'm finally satisfied her life ruins mine!" He flipped the table leaving Ulquiorra sitting with a cup of tea in his hands and nowhere to set it. "All she ever was was a slut, a bitch, a drunk, a LIE! I HATE HER! I FUCKING HATE-!"

"You are making a mess, Grimmjow."

"Sorry."

"Are you?"

"I SAID I WAS SORRY ALRIGHT!" He aimed a punch at Ulquiorra before rapidly halting his fist. Too late. It had connected, luckily though, with Ulquiorra's own hand. They stayed silent Grimmjow's hand still in contact with Ulquiorra's before Grimmjow removed his fist.

"She was your mother Grimmjow, perhaps you detested her, but she was still your mother. A part of you is at least grateful for what she has done, a part of you loved her. You are using your anger to channel away your grief but the longer you attempt to do that the more destructive it will be when it hits you. Accept it Grimmjow, it is futile to do otherwise." When Ulquiorra had told him to accept it he didn't expect the other to latch onto him. His only response was to wince in pain but otherwise, he did not protest.

They sat there together in the aftermath of the destruction that was Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, the clock ticking away the minutes, the sky lightening before the sun rose to meet the horizon, as neighbours left their homes to go to their places of occupation. Finally the final sobs creased and the wetness on Ulquiorra's shirt began to dry, his friend had at last found a dreamless sleep. Not able to carry the other to his room upstairs Ulquiorra settled for placing him on the couch in the den, covering him with the blanket, and drawing the curtains closed. He attempted to clean the kitchen but decided he was too tired, not having the energy to drag himself upstairs Ulquiorra settled for sleeping on the couch adjacent to the one Grimmjow was on. Chamomile tea had a tendency to relax and at the same time it cleared the mind, the smell and warmth could also work both ways, either making you drowsy or more alert, it allowed Ulquiorra to keep a level head, which was why he enjoyed tea so much. So he just never stated whether or not he had an ulterior motive when he had Grimmjow consume some, wasn't his fault.

...

They attended the memorial together. Grimmjow refused to cry in front of the house staff and his mother's associates but if by the way he was gripping Ulquiorra's arm was any giveaway, he was having a hard time. Ulquiorra was somewhat surprised at how well behaved Grimmjow was, he wore his suit and tie without complaint, he kept a cap on the language, and he acted like a well mannered host. He lightened the mood with a smile here and a joke there even if it was forced and only Ulquiorra seemed to take note of that. When people asked who Ulquiorra was he replied without hesitation that he was his friend here to pay his respects even if he never met his mother and to give him moral support. When the memorial was over at least eighty percent of the crowd left, the rest were staff.

"Grimmjow-sama do you need anything?"

"What should we do now Grimmjow-sama?"

"Let's settle the affairs first I want my pay, I have a family to feed."

"Grimmjow-sama!"

"Grimmjow-sama!"

"Grimmjow-sama!"

"ENOUGH!" He closed his eyes for a second before making sure he had gained everyone's attention. "I don't want or need anything at the moment, and you can drop the 'sama', half of you hate me, most of you have never seen or spoken to me before. I am going to my old room to settle my mother's affairs, when I'm done you'll have your money, for now just stay outta my way and leave me alone." With that he stormed away leaving a confused crowd whispering hushed words.

"For wanting to be alone you appear to be dragging me along." Grimmjow did not respond instead grasping tighter to Ulquiorra's arm and continuing at a pace a semi-damaged Ulquiorra could keep up with. Finally they stopped in what appear to be an incredibly large bedroom, much larger than Grimmjow's current one. Grimmjow closed and locked the door, and bolted it Ulquiorra noted, before switching on the light. Grimmjow plopped himself down in a bean bag chair and placed his head in his hands.

"Why do I feel like this?" He asked, although whether the question was directed at himself, Ulquiorra, or the universe, was unclear. Should a question be directed at him Ulquiorra would respond but, to this particular question, which he felt was not directed to him, was one he was unable to obtain an answer for. "I guess I should start with the accounting and everything." He sighed kicking off his dress shoes and loosening his tie. When it came to getting his jacket off he was unable to, the buttons kept slipping from his hands and the more they slipped the more frustrated he became, the more frustrated the more his hands seemed to shake taking him in an interminable loop of growing anger. He stood up and tossed the chair at the wall before returning to his jacket.

"Stop." Ulquiorra commanded grabbing his hands before he had a chance to rip the buttons off. Grimmjow watched annoyed as the other was able to undo the buttons with ease and slip the jacket off without destroying it, he also helped Grimmjow with the cuffs and neck of the shirt knowing that Grimmjow would have the same problem with those buttons as well.

"Sorry."

"There is no need to apologize, you are frustrated, it is understandable."

"I shouldn't be."

"Nonsense, everyone is expecting things from you and you feel pressured. Some want to see you mourn, others just want their money, some want you to lighten the mood, while still others expect you to act like a civil adult and quickly put an end to all of their problems."

"I'm going to go get the paperwork from Baraggan, I'll be back in a minute." Ulquiorra nodded his head in understanding while the other left. He deemed it best to stay in this room there was no way he would find his way around this manor.

When Grimmjow returned with stacks of documents in his hands he set to work right away. At first he refused to let Ulquiorra assist him but as he delved deeper into the piles he became more lenient. Soon Ulquiorra had taken half of the work upon himself and when he noted Grimmjow was becoming more and more agitated with each passing negative sign he ordered the other to rest and took all of the work upon himself. There was no money left, after covering all the costs and settling all the debts it was all gone. Not just Ms. Jaegerjaques' money, but all she had given Grimmjow, the money that would come from selling Grimmjow's current place of residence, all of his mother's possessions, including her cars and house. Ulquiorra worked well into the night and was still working when the sun rose, he spoke to some of the staff and called some of the credit card companies and banks to see if he could have the numbers reduced. Even after the reductions there was not enough.

Ulquiorra knew that there was no money left, even the money that was rightfully Grimmjow's, the money he had made, was gone. Ulquiorra bit his bottom lip and looked over his shoulder to the bed where the other slept soundlessly, although not peacefully. Rubbing his eyes due to fatigue, pinching the bridge of his nose, recalculating all of the numbers for a seventh time, and finally landing upon a decision, Ulquiorra scrawled the final numbers down and finally allowed himself to relax seeing a small positive in the finishing balance. If Grimmjow ever found out he would be furious, but after all, Ulquiorra had to pay Grimmjow back for his hospitality. It is what they had agreed upon more or less. Figuring he was done for the night Ulquiorra grabbed a blanket from the sleeping Grimmjow, he had enough to spare, and he curled up in the corner on the bean bag chair. The sun had pnly risen a few hours ago.

...

"Ulquiorra?"

"Yes?" Ulquiorra asked snapping awake.

"Sorry, um, is this finished, these calculations?"

"Yes."

"And there's a few thousand Yen left over?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I guess I'm just glad there is anything left at all. I'm going to run this down to Baraggan so he can pay the staff and sell this place and whatever. If he's looking for extra money because of it he can forget it. Can you be ready to leave in a few minutes?"

"Yes." Grimmjow turned the handle on the door but didn't open it. He glanced down at the neatly organized, clearly labelled papers and then at the door before releasing the knob and speaking.

"These last few days I've been wondering what I would do without you. It took my mother's death to make me realize just how much you have changed my life, but now I'm going to find out what it is like without you, aren't I? You are eighteen now and have the money Starrk gave you. I'm seventeen and have next to nothing. I'm either going to end up in a foster home or on the streets for the next few months at least. Funny how the positions are reversed."

"No, I owe you, remember, that was our deal, I pay you back or I go to jail, do the chores, pay rent, all I have done are chores. Every day the amount of work I have done around your house did not amount to my rent, I still have to pay you. I have given it some consideration. We can pool the money we have together and rent an apartment for the time being. I will stay not only to finish this school year but I will also stay until you turn eighteen that way I can work full time for a few months and you won't have to go into foster care. After that I will accept my scholarship to Harvard University and study aboard in the Americas. They have offered me a full scholarship, all expenses paid including my getting there. My English is quite superb and their semester starts in September meaning I can stay until your birthday. Education there is extremely valued and living expenses are cheap and jobs high paying. Before I leave you should have enough money to last you until college, if you dedicate yourself to your studies then you will not have to worry about post-secondary education and could potentially earn a scholarship."

Grimmjow met his eyes. "That's not fair to you though, it's your money."

"And I owe you. Perhaps it is my money but what will really matter is how much effort we put into it. I must find another job and work as much as I can while you will have to study harder than ever before, adjust to a much more meagre life style, one lacking the luxuries you are accustom to. I will be tough Grimmjow, living space will be cramped and probably not that ideal when it comes to location and quality but wouldn't this be for the best. I barely survived life on the streets, I doubt you could, I cannot picture you in foster care. This is the best solution I can achieve, if you have a different idea please enlighten me."

Grimmjow remained silent for a moment. "No I don't have a better idea. I still don't like it though. When I told you that you had to pay me for letting you stay with me I never thought it would turn out like this. I feel like I'm using you. I'm also... I'm not going to see you again after you leave Japan, am I?"

"I'll come back once I am done my studies." Grimmjow just gave a small smile knowing that this would not be.

"You'll have a house, a job, an American education. I wouldn't be surprised if you got married or something."

"I'll come back Grimmjow, even if it is just to visit."

"Well I gotta get these to the old fart, I guess in a few days we'll be living in some crappy apartment, right? Damn I'm gonna miss this life."

...

And a crappy apartment it was. Ulquiorra had insisted upon this one saying that it was already furnished and in a better location than their other option. He also said that they wouldn't be able to furnish the other one if they wanted to keep the place, pay for the basics, and eat. So they ended up in a one bedroom apartment with a permanent musty smell, walls as thin as cardboard, and a lot of vermin.

Sharing the space wasn't too hard, now that they had sold off most of their stuff they didn't argue about sharing a closet and the dresser. It was small and sometimes they had to leave the place just to get a breath, after all they couldn't afford to fight and damage something, taking a breather was the best ultimatum. One problem did arise. And that problem was concerning the lone double bed.

The first night in the apartment they had argued about it all night and had almost been late for school the next morning. The next night they had agreed Ulquiorra should get the bed seeing he was paying for the place. However the couch was too small for Grimmjow so on the third night he argued that because Ulquiorra technically owned the place he should be a good host and give him the bed, Ulquiorra got the couch that night. Although Ulquiorra fit on the couch he couldn't sleep on it, there was a spring that came out of the back of the couch, between the cushions, that was poking into his back all night. On the fourth day they had some serious contemplating to do.

It wasn't as if the bed was that great, it was about one level above sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag, but it beat the couch. The bed was a double bed so they couldn't split it in half (it was Ulquiorra's idea to check to make sure it wasn't two twin beds pushed together, cheap places tended to do that a lot to save money). The idea came up about alternating between a night on the couch and a night on the bed but then they decided that neither of them would be happy, they would be tired and cranky and working overtime and studying would become impossible.

"Ah to hell with it! It's a double bed and even though I miss my king sized bed it is made for two people. We are two males and have been living with each other for a year now, I'm sure we could share it, right?" And so they ended up sharing the bed, although there were also problems with that.

When one's alarm went off in the morning half an hour prior to when the other needed to get up the result was a pretty irritated Grimmjow. When one was reading late at night and the other was trying to sleep the result was a pretty irritated Grimmjow. When one kept kicking the blankets off in the night causing the other to freeze the result was a pretty irritated Grimmjow. When cold feet had a tendency to shift over in their owner's sleep and touched the other's legs the result, dare it be said, was a pretty irritated Grimmjow. And when one found out that the other was a cuddler after waking up to being held by the other, the result was a very freaked out Ulquiorra.

That on top of their other problems had them both waiting for the day were this predicament would end. Despite this fact, both did not want to think about what would happen when that time came. Whether they wanted it to come or not they could not escape it, every second, minute, day that past, was another gone, another closer to the day Ulquiorra would leave. In their time living in the apartment they had grown even closer to each other to the point they were nearly inseparable.

And then, that day came.

...

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes."

"Passport, boarding pass, flight information, money, English prescription for your medication."

"Yes."

"And you have clothes and supplies and your scholarship and your documents."

"Yes Grimmjow. Now what about you? The rent for the apartment has been paid for the next three months, the laundry is done, garbage was removed, I stocked up on groceries, your car has a full tank of gas. You have to remember to work and study hard, you are doing exceptionally well. Keep track of the money and don't over spend. I'll try to contact you once I am there e-mail you or something."

The last call for boarding was announced over the PA system for Ulquiorra's flight. It was his first time in an airport and his first time going onto a plane, good thing Grimmjow had forgotten that fact. Ulquiorra held out his hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you and I thank you for all you have helped me accomplish. I will forever be in your debt Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." Instead of accepting the handshake Grimmjow took the other off guard and hugged him tightly.

"Goodbye Ulquiorra Schiffer." Ulquiorra nodded his head and then disappeared into the crowd to get through security. By the look in Grimmjow's eyes he knew what the other was thinking.

I will come back Grimmjow.

But at the same time, as Grimmjow watched his small friend disappear he thought,

Don't lie to yourself Schiffer, I know you are telling yourself you'll come back. You're not.

Well that's all. I forgot to mention I have a tendency to lean towards sad endings. Well it was fun while it lasted and I hope everyone got a little of what they were looking for out of this story. (I noticed however perhaps I am becoming increasingly worse because me views per chapter are declining.) It's almost three a.m. here, and I have work to do tomorrow so do you think you could make me happy and spare me one final review? Thanks.