/*Sorry this took so long to post! I moved out of my house this week so things are crazy right now. I'll probably start working on a sequel soon, but won't be posting anything for awhile. I wrote a couple shorts that branch off of this that I will post in between. Thanks for reading and hope you all enjoyed! */

*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP* Haruka slapped the obnoxious alarm on her bed stand. The bright red numbers read '23:30'. It wasn't like she actually needed the alarm. She had ended up lying on her back, staring at the ceiling and counting the eight-no nine now- nine imperfections there repeatedly. How could she sleep on a day like today?

She managed to push herself up, her lavender comforter falling from her chest and down to her lap as she went. Her body moved automatically, her legs sliding over the side of the bed and her feet planting on the cool wooden floor.

Six months. It had been six months. His reishi had faded long ago, along with the familiar scent, that cool male musk mixed with a spring rain. She had been beyond excited for this day, but also terrified. What if he didn't come back? What if she sat there in Urahara's basement for endless hours staring at a black hole that would forever be void?

"I'd just start over again." She said to herself, answering her own assaulting thoughts. She would not depend on him for her happiness. She couldn't. She had made that mistake too many times in the past and couldn't any longer.

She found some joy in her new routine. As crazy and overbearing as Isshin was, she had fallen in love with her work again. She was becoming close with the Kurosaki girls and even had a few meaningful conversations with Ichigo every now and again. She looked forward to her days and to her future. It did not, however, erase the aching hole inside. It merely dulled the pain. But if anything, she had learned how to heal from tragedies, from loss. The pain never really went away, she just learned how to cope with it.

In her rambling thoughts, she found herself automatically moving to the dresser, changing out of her night clothes just as the moon started peeking into her window and filling her room with a vibrant white glow. She moved to the kitchen, preparing a large canister of coffee and grabbing a snack before leaving the deadly quiet apartment.

The air was still bitter in the early Spring months. It bit at her exposed skin as she moved to the shelter of her car. The steam from her coffee curled out as she opened the top, taking a small scalding sip before starting her car and driving to that little shop buried in the middle of Karakura Town.

The wind had picked up, attacking her violet locks that attempted to stay buried under her knitted hat as she exited her car. She walked quickly, opening the unlocked shop door and closing it quickly behind her with a thud. She stood for a few brutal moments, listening to the wind's assault before tracing her familiar route to the basement.

She did her best to bury her excitement as the beginnings of the large garganta was revealed to her. The moment her feet touched sand, her closest confident in the World of the Living turned. "Good morning, Akiyama-san." He smirked before lifting a watch up to read the ticking hands, verifying that it was indeed morning of a new day.

"Good morning, Urahara-san." She returned while approaching him.

"Akiyama-sama! I'm so happy you're here! This is a happy day!" Crey cheeredl.

"I hope so, Crey." Haruka nodded. "Good morning, Tessai." She waved to Urahara's quiet partner in crime who was sitting cross legged on the opposite side of the garganta and chanting incoherently. "I see he's concentrating hard." She smirked as she was blatantly ignored.

"It's a lot of work creating one of these things." Urahara confirmed. "And if we are going to keep it open for the next twenty-four hours, we are going to need a lot of concentration."

"Yea, well let's hope it doesn't take that long." She mentioned. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Not at the moment, but don't wander too far. You do have interesting skills that I may need use of." He responded nonchalantly.

"I didn't plan on it." She said as she started walking away from the garganta, looking for a cozy spot to settle for the next several hours. She found a nice flat rock that had a view of the entire ritual. She sat, settling her giant mug of coffee down next to her while shedding her winter clothing piece by piece.

Her gaze settled on that giant swirling portal lingering in the air. She watched each jostling movement, hoping it was a sign of someone coming through, but then hours passed and it became nothing more than a pattern of contortions that she could predict effortlessly. Each moment that passed added to the mounting apprehension that something was very wrong.

"Hey." The familiar mellow tone pulled her attention just enough for her to recognize who had taken a seat beside her. "I brought some breakfast. I figured you'd rush over here without eating."

"What are you doing here?" Her gaze was still fixed on the swirling black mass, unable to stop following the mesmerizing patterns.

"Dad said you took off today. I figured this was why." He said, his tone even and slightly apologetic.

"I should have never told you."

"Why? You think he's going to be pissed at you?"

That finally shattered her concentration. She deadpanned over to his dumbfounded face and bright orange hair. "Ichigo… we're talking about Grimmjow."

His face twitched with irritation. "Yea, so? If he cares about you like you said then he won't give a damn if I'm here or not."

"He's going to take one look at you and rip your damn head off. Then he's going to get mad at me for telling you about us."

"Seriously, why would he be mad about something like that?" He sputtered out while leaning back, his eyes rising to the blue sky above that was eerily shadowed by the massive garganta.

"Because he doesn't like you." She responded pointedly before grabbing some of the food he brought.

"Tch, what a lame excuse."

"And he's jealous of you."

"What!? Grimmjow jealous of me? You're kidding me, right?" He nearly laughed, but managed to hold back.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Her voice was soft and sad, remembering her lover's painful declaration as if he had just shouted it to the world, "I ain't worth anyone's fucking time."

"Well...yeah! Why the hell would he be jealous of me?"

"I'm not answering that. Forget I said anything." Haruka snapped before she stood up and began walking towards the menacing obstruction. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Haruka!" Ichigo attempted, but paused as he watched her slumped form move towards Urahara. She looked so...hopeless. She must had been really worried. "Why the hell would she be so worried about an ass like him anyway?" He thought before settling back down on the rock. He wouldn't invade her space, but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave without seeing this through. He had gone straight to Urahara upon finding out she had housed Grimmjow for nearly three months. She had not been forthcoming with any information since he stumbled on this discovery, so he was determined to hear about it from Urahara instead. That didn't work out much to his benefit, either, but at least he had mentioned Grimmjow's return.

"Urahara-san…" She was trying hard to hide the utter disappointment and worry in her voice, but it was almost impossible.

Urahara offered a sympathetic expression while pressing his hand into her shoulder. "Don't give up hope yet. We've still got a while to go."

She nodded, though remained unconvinced, as he turned away from her to continue monitoring the situation. She wasn't sure why she thought Grimmjow would be there, waiting for the garganta to open up into her world. "Trust me to come back, Ruka." His words sat at the back of her mind like a nagging sensation, refusing to quit.

"What if something happened to him?" She asked, drawing his attention once more.

"We have no way of knowing." He responded.

"Maybe I should-"

"No." His voice cut through her, freezing her in place. It was absolute and there were only a handful of times she had ever heard him so stern. She chose not to test his patience and instead realigned her gaze above.

"Where are you?"

More hours ticked by, long and excruciating. She felt like a cat itching to escape out the open door, but with her watchful owner's strict eye on her. The thoughts were consuming her and it took everything she had to stay rational. "If you go through there, there is a good chance you won't make it. Not only that, but there is a good chance you'll be trapped there...in that hell…" She told herself. "But what if he needs help? What if something happened to him?"

"Or what if he just changed his mind about you?" A familiar pessimistic voice invaded her chaos.

"Dairokkan… As cheery as ever." She rolled her eyes discreetly.

"And you are as reckless as ever. How could you even consider going back to Hueco Mundo?"

Haruka's gaze fell to the ground, her thoughts swirling around her motivation. "Because I trust him. And if he really isn't coming back, then it's because something went wrong. I have to find out what."

"You'd leave everything you have now behind for him? You'd sacrifice your entire life for him?" She spat out bitterly. "Why?"

Haruka sighed. "I guess I'm just a creature of habit." She answered with a bit of humor.

She moved carefully towards the portal, attempting not to draw too much attention to herself. She slipped her hand into her pocket, feeling the dispenser there and wrapping sweaty fingers around it. She clung to it tightly, like it was her lifeline.

"I do not approve." Dairokkan attempted one last time.

"I know."

The round morsel was sweet, with just a hint of tang as it landed in the back of her throat. "Akiyama-san!" Urahara was the first to notice her reckless attempt as she was expelled from her gigai.

"Haruka?" Ichigo stood, confusion maring his features as he watched her sprint towards the portal.

She could sense Urahara preparing to use shunpo in the way his energy collected at his feet. She would only have a split second to get this right. She could feel it. The weight of the garganta bearing down on her as it prepared to swallow her whole. She pushed aside any last fears and then-

It shifted.

She dug her heels in, her eyes as wide as saucers as they locked onto the jagged movement. Urahara, Ichigo, and Crey all paused in their hurried panic as well. Tessai hadn't moved from his spot.

It shifted again, pulsating grotescally before expelling an object from its depths. The person fell, landing several meters from their location. Haruka's heart dropped as her eyes desperately roamed the shadowed figure. There was one thing she knew for certain, however. It was not Grimmjow.

Faster than she anticipated, the newcomer whipped passed her, a mere blur through the air. She turned quickly while unsheathing Dairokkan. "Hey, stop!" She shouted. Horrified, she realized who was its target. "Ichigo! Watch out!"

Ichigo was shocked as he watched the figure bear down on him. "Wh-"

"Ichigo!" A light cheery voice echoed across the training grounds as the figure collided with Ichigo, squeezing hard. "I waited forever for you to come out of the giant black hole in the sky just like last time, but you never came so I jumped in and-" A woman with bright green hair that fell to her waist had Ichigo's face buried between her breasts while rambling.

Haruka quirked her brow in irritation. "Excuse me!" She said loudly as she approached the two.

"-I knew I'd find you here, Ichigo! I'm so happy to see you!" The woman ignored her and continued her attempt at suffocating Ichigo.

"Excuse me!" She attempted again, an added irritation forming as she, once again, was not acknowledged. "Hey!" Haruka went to grab the woman by the arm but stopped short as a pair of green eyes turned and locked onto her. It wasn't her eyes that froze Haruka in place, however. It was that mask. "Arrancar." It came out as a strangled whisper.

This caused her to pause in her exuberant ravings. The unfamiliar Arrancar dropped Ichigo, who was now barely conscious, and stood facing Haruka. She was significantly taller than her, radiant elegance pouring from her stance. She shifted closer, tilting down to where Haruka's neck met her shoulder and then inhaled sharply. "You smell like him."

Haruka jerked back, creating substantial distance. "What did you just say?"

"You smell like him. What have you done with my Grimm-grimm?" She accused. Her tone conveyed a simple arrogance that was only diminished by the childish pet name.

A scowl broke out on the ex-shinigami's face at the mere suggestion. "Who the fuck are you? I don't remember you being one of Aizen's Espada."

Suddenly a strained gasp interrupted the two glaring women as Ichigo finally pushed himself to a stand. "Nel!" He managed to ground out hoarsely. "Nel, this is Haruka. She's a friend of Grimmjow's." He explained.

Nel smirked. "Oh, just friends?" She remarked coyly.

"Haruka, this is Nel. She was one of Aizen's Espada before getting cast out by Nnoitra." He explained as his voice continued to return.

"Nnoitra." Haruka spat the word out as just the thought of that beast evoked a bad taste in her mouth. "Still doesn't explain why she's here instead of Grimmjow."

Nel pressed a single finger on her bottom lip as her brow quirked up. "So this is where he ran off to." She mused while looking around. "And you were waiting for him to come back."

"Have you see him?" The defensive sharpness had left her tone as a slight pang of hope came to life.

"I did. Six months ago." She answered, effectively snuffing out whatever hope Haruka had left.

"I'm going after him." She declared as she stormed back towards the garganta.

"Haruka, wait! It's too dangerous to wander around Hueco Mundo alone!" Ichigo shouted.

It was then an exhausted Urahara finally joined the conversation, stepping in front of Haruka and barring the way. "I must say, I am in agreement with Kurosaki-san. You mustn't go there, Akiyama-san. I know what he means to you, but if he truly wants to come back, he will."

"He won't if something is keeping him from coming back." She urged.

"And again I must point out that if something is indeed endangering his life than it will surely endanger yours. Per his request and my own good conscience, I could not possibly allow you to go." He pressed his hand to her shoulder, the sheer strength of his grip a mild warning of what might happen if she fought him on this.

"Please, Urahara. I can't just abandon him. Is that what you would do if your friends were in danger?" She countered and he paused, his lips pulling down into a frown.

"Haruka, you don't even know where to start looking. Hueco Mundo is endless." Ichigo moved up behind her, pleading with whatever rational mind she had left.

And with a few simple words, that rationale was completely eradicated. "I'll go with her." A light hearted voice interjected, causing all three of them to focus on the green haired beauty.

"It's decided." Haruka pulled herself free from the two men and joined Nel at her side, fighting the nagging sensation of jealousy all the way.

"My, my. I see that nothing will convince you." Urahara mentioned while shrugging. He turned and began making his way back to the garganta.

"Wait, what!? That's it!? Urahara!" Ichigo shouted.

"Do tell Grimmjow I tried when you see him? You'll have to survive for another six months there before I will do this again, Akiyama-san. It does take quite a few resources to create something like this." Urahara called out.

"You should come to, Ichigo! I bet he would be so excited to see you again!" Nel yelled.

A sad smile pulled at Ichigo's lips. "I'll leave it to you two to bring him back here."

"Let's go." Haruka urged.

Nel nodded. "Ok."

"Good luck, Lady-sama!" Mimi cheered from Crey's side as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Right before leaping into the garganta, a strong fist enclosed around Haruka's forearm. She looked back at the shopkeeper that had strangely become one of her closest friends, "do come back to us, Akiyama-san." His stern expression held an underlying worry that Haruka could read effortlessly now. As carefree as he acted, he still couldn't hide the fact that he really did care about her wellbeing.

She nodded before wrapping her arms around his neck. He shifted slightly, taken off guard by the gesture. "I will." She pulled back and offered him a warm smile before turning towards Nel. "Ichigo, tell your dad I said sorry for leaving like this!"

"I will." He shouted back, but the words were swallowed by the enclosing darkness wrapping itself around Haruka and Nel.

"Take care of yourself, Haruka-chan." Urahara whispered as he watched the last of the portal dissipate. The girl that had dropped into his basement was now rushing back to the very place that nearly destroyed her. He hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of the past for her. How much more tragedy could one individual face before falling into the pit of darkness that was insanity? How much more was she going to be able to take?

The chorus of wailing from his two gigais forced him to refocus. "My, my; so much sadness. Come, I have chores for you to do to keep your minds occupied!" He announced cheerily while pulling his fan free.

"Urahara." Ichigo's serious tone pulled Urahara's attention, if only slightly.

"You need to focus on you, Kurosaki-san. Let me handle this." If Ichigo had a response, it went unnoticed as Urahara continued to move towards the steps to his shop.

Soon Ichigo followed; and then Mimi; and Crey; until all who was left was Tessai cleaning up the pillars and reverting everything back to its original state. Soon, he too exited and all that was left was a whisper of violet reishi settled on a single large stone under a giant empty thermos.