It took him a little longer than usual to finish his paper, but he did. He had a bit of trouble concentrating on answering the questions, what with the conversation that he had with Ichigo Kurosaki constantly resounding in his mind, but he managed to answer all of the questions presented to him. Ulquiorra was not the first to complete his paper, but he was not the last. Upon completing his paper, the teen got up and gave his paper to Mr. Urahara as usual, completely ignoring Grimmjow when he walked past him. His teacher accepted the paper and smiled at him.

"Didn't have too much trouble with the paper, I hope?" Mr. Urahara said pleasantly.

"No, sir," Ulquiorra replied.

"That's good to hear, Ulqui-chan. Enjoy your holidays then." Mr. Urahara waved his hand, a sign that said that Ulquiorra was free to go.

"I will. You too, Mr. Urahara."

The teen bowed his head slightly before exiting the exam hall, but Ulquiorra did not go back home, though. Instead, he walked around aimlessly, deep in thought. The things that Kurosaki said. About Grimmjow going to his house to break things off with him. That Grimmjow really loved Ulquiorra. That, that night was not a lie. That this whole thing was merely a misunderstanding. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. He could feel a headache coming on. He needed to go somewhere to clear his thoughts and just, think properly.

When he looked up, Ulquiorra saw that he was standing in front of the music room. His legs had brought him here without him realizing it.

Raising his hand, Ulquiorra twisted the doorknob, and pulled the door open. The familiar sight of musical instruments, tables and chairs met his eyes.

Maybe being here and playing one of the instruments would help clear his mind. Ulquiorra closed the door behind him. No one would disturb him here, especially since everyone else had either gone home or were still doing their exams. The door closed with a soft click.

Damn. Was it that late already? Grimmjow looked around as he walked in the hallway. The place was practically empty. He did not see another student in sight. Was he the only one here in the entire school? The way his footsteps echoed in the hallway only solidified his reasoning that he was the only one there. Exhaling softly, Grimmjow cursed under his breath. He was going to return home late, and his parents were so going to give him a lecture. His mother might actually punish him by making him send Luppi to school every day for a whole semester, and what a joy that would be. Grimmjow could already imagine the insults that he would have to tolerate from Luppi.

This was all Mr. Urahara's fault.

After dragging Grimmjow away from Ulquiorra, much to Grimmjow's frustration, the blonde man turned around, his fan covering half of his face. Grimmjow would bet anything that behind that fan of his was a smile. He tried not to scowl or show his temper, though. After all, Mr. Urahara was still his teacher.

"Grimmy-chan, I need you to do me a favour," Kisuke Urahara said as he fanned himself. Before Grimmjow could even respond, the man went on and said, "I need your help reorganizing some files after you finish your paper. Can you do that?" Again, before Grimmjow could open his mouth, Urahara tapped the teen's nose lightly with the tip of his now closed fan, and exclaimed, "Thank you! I knew I could count on you!"

Grimmjow bit the inside of his cheek upon remembering that memory. So Grimmjow had no choice, but to help Mr. Urahara after he finished his paper. Helping the man reorganize his files did not take too long. In fact, if that was the only thing that Grimmjow had to do, then he would have gone back home hours ago, but Mr. Urahara kept on finding him more and more things to do. He asked Grimmjow to help tidy up his office, to carry tables and chairs around, to make him some coffee, to help find his missing books, to help buy him some food and what not. After Grimmjow was done doing one task, Urahara would quickly find something else for Grimmjow to do, each task more ridiculous than the last.

Needless to say, Grimmjow was so close to popping a vein.

Why his teacher made him do all the work, like carrying a whole butt load of tables and chairs by himself when Urahara could have asked for more students to help out, Grimmjow did not know.

All of this just made Grimmjow come to the conclusion that Mr. Urahara was a sadist.

The teal haired teen stretched his arms above his head. He felt sore all over. Damn. He could not wait to get back home and to take a nice, long shower before hitting the sack. He was exhausted. That was the thought that ran through his mind when he came upon the school doors that lead outside, only to find that they were locked. There was even a chain wrapped around both the door handles with a padlock locking it securely. The hell? Grimmjow shook the chains to check. The chains rattled and held.

What the hell? Is it really that late?

"Of all the fucking luck," Grimmjow swore under his breath. Trying not to panic, Grimmjow tried all of the other exits that he knew of in the building. But came up with nothing.

All of the doors were locked.

He tried the door in the kitchen, the door at the other end of school, the door at the other other end of school, heck he even tried opening the doors to all of the classrooms. But no matter how many doors he tried opening, none of them budged. They were all locked. No way. Grimmjow checked his watched. It was still 5.03 PM. School should not be locked just yet. At least, that was what he thought. Grimmjow was about to slam his fist against the wall when he remembered that he had brought his cell phone. He could call someone to pick him up. Duh.

Fishing for his cell phone in his pocket, Grimmjow pulled it out once he found it.

Only to find that it was dead.

Damn it!

Grimmjow shoved the gadget back into his pocket. Calm down, Grimmjow. There must be a way out. Maybe there was a classroom that he did not check yet, and he could get out of school through the window. Assuming that the room was on the ground floor, of course. If there was an unlocked classroom on this floor, then he was out of luck since it was not on the ground floor. And as if on cue while Grimmjow was looking around, cerulean eyes caught sight of a classroom door that was slightly ajar. It was the Music Room, and there was the soft sound of a piano being played coming from the room.

Ulquiorra allowed his fingers to glide across the piano keys, marvelling at how smooth they were. Although he was not that good at playing the piano, he knew a few simple songs. Just songs for children, but still, it counted as something. Nothing much happened here except that Szayel had come by a few hours ago to check up on him before leaving him. As expected, being here in the Music Room helped Ulquiorra to clear his mind. He was much more relaxed now, and the only thing that filled his mind was the sound of the piano keys being played. Here, it was like he was the only person in the room. There wasn't anything that could distract him now.

A pale finger pressed down on a piano key when the owner suddenly stopped, breath caught in his throat. He could feel someone staring at him.

He was no longer alone.

Slowly, Ulquiorra turned around, and caught sight of an all too familiar teal haired teen. He froze and his eyes widened, but quickly caught himself. He did not expect to see him here of all places.

"Jaegerjaquez," he intoned, his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahh... Nothing," Grimmjow responded sheepishly, shifting uncomfortably under Ulquiorra's glare. "Look, Ulquiorra, I-"

"Leave."

"But-"

"Leave." And this time, Ulquiorra placed more emphasis on the word.

Silence.

Then...

"Fine," Grimmjow snapped.

Turning around, Grimmjow reached out to twist the doorknob open. But it did not open. Cerulean eyes widened. "Fuck."

"What is it?" Ulquiorra said in spite of himself.

Jaegerjaquez looked back, worry in his eyes. "The door. It's locked."

His hand shook as he pulled the key out of the keyhole after locking the door. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and steady his breathing. His heart was beating hard against his chest. He could not believe that he was doing this.

Staring at the door for a moment, knowing exactly who he had locked inside, he turned and walked away, putting as much distance between himself and the Music Room. He did not even look back.

Rangiku was in the living room reading a magazine when the house phone suddenly rang. Annoyed, she closed the magazine reluctantly, blue eyes looking up at the phone that sat across the room. Who on Earth could be calling now? Sighing, the blonde woman stood up and placed the magazine on the coffee table before walking towards the phone and answering it.

"Hello?" she said, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers.

"Hello, is this by any chance Grimmjow's mother?"

"Ah, yes, that's me," she responded. Her eyebrows knitting together, she asked, "May I know who this is?"

The person told her.

"Oh! Hello!" she exclaimed, her suspicious air immediately gone and replaced with her usual friendliness. "Sorry, I almost didn't recognize your voice there. I really shouldn't have drunk so much just now. Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me, dear?"

"It's alright. I just wanted to tell you that Grimmjow will be home quite late today."

"Ah, really?" she said, surprised.

"Yes. Since he has just finished his exams, he has gone off to celebrate it somewhere. I think he went to the mall with a bunch of his friends."

Rangiku clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "He did not tell me that. He really should have called, that naughty boy," she said in annoyance. "I'm so going to make him drive Luppi to school every day for this."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, no, it's okay," she laughed. "Thank you, really. Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome." A pause. "Well, I have to go now. It was nice talking to you, ma'am."

Rangiku giggled. "You really don't have to call me that, you know. But it was nice talking to you. Take care, hun."

And with that, Rangiku put the phone down and returned to reading her magazine on the couch, determined to give her eldest son a piece of her mind once he got back.

"It ain't gonna work, Ulqui. I already tried opening it."

"It's Ulquiorra, not Ulqui," Ulquiorra snapped.

Ulquiorra slammed his fist against the door in frustration. He did not look too happy about being stuck in a room with the man who had left him. Grimmjow heard Ulquiorra swear under his breath before the pale teen leaned his back against the wall and slowly sat down. Ulquiorra looked up at the ceiling, his arms wrapped around his knees loosely. "We can't even get out through the window. It's too dangerous. Unless we want to break our necks."

Cifer sighed, picking at the fabric of his jeans. They had been stuck in this room for well over an hour now, and to be honest, he was worried. The holidays had already started, and he was not sure whether the janitor or anyone would come by school tomorrow to check on things. What made matters worse was that Grimmjow's cell phone was dead, so they could not call anyone for help. Ulquiorra did not think about bringing his own cell phone. Grimmjow had even tried yelling to attract the attention of whoever that accidentally locked them in, but to no avail. The person must have already left the building if he or she did not hear Grimmjow, but then again, how could the person leave the building that quickly?

Ulquiorra sighed and rubbed his temple for what must have been the fifth time that day.

Grimmjow had taken to pacing around the room, opening drawers and opening the cupboards in hopes of finding something, anything that could help them get out of the room, but Ulquiorra highly doubted that he would find anything. Especially since the key to the room was with the janitor. Climbing out of the window was no go either since they were on the third floor.

Emerald eyes followed Grimmjow, watching the way he walked and the way he looked as he searched the room in determination, his lips pursed.

They did not speak much since they were locked in here. Ulquiorra had made it a point that he did not want to speak to Grimmjow, and often avoided looking at him. He was still angry, but he was also a bit nervous being so close to Grimmjow again. However, seeing him here now, the object of his affection and heartache, Ulquiorra could not help, but wonder. His mind kept on going back to the conversation that he had with Kurosaki. He balled his hands into fists, slowly clenching and unclenching them.

"Well, he did come to my house."

Ulquiorra lowered his eyes to the ground, unable to look at Grimmjow anymore.

"But he only came to end things with me."

Why was it that just this one piece of knowledge was capable of making him doubt what he thought about Grimmjow?

He pulled his knees closer to his chest and rubbed his forehead against his kneecaps.

This just was not fair.

Grimmjow opened yet another cupboard. The Music Room was quite big and there were a few cupboards here, most of them filled with the smaller musical instruments, stacks of paper and textbooks. So far, his search proved fruitless, but he was determined. They needed to find a way to get out of here, and climbing out of the window really was not an option. Grimmjow was about to close the cupboard door when some items placed neatly on top of a stack of papers caught his eye. They were blankets, two bottles of water and two containers of food.

"Hey, Ulqui- I mean Ulquiorra, look what I found, I-" Grimmjow started, but then the words died on his lips when he saw Ulquiorra sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees and his forehead on his kneecaps, as though trying to shut himself out from everything else. With the items in his arms, Grimmjow walked over to the pale teen and lowered himself so that he would be level with Ulquiorra. "Hey," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing Grimmjow's voice, Ulquiorra, startled, looked up and, seeing Grimmjow, immediately moved away from him until his back was back against the ceiling. "Nothing's wrong," he said dismissively, though the nervousness that flashed through his eyes said otherwise. "I'm fine."

"Ulqui..."

"What was it that you found?" Ulquiorra interrupted. He did not want to talk.

"Eh? Oh." Grimmjow looked down at the items he held and presented them to Ulquiorra. "I found these in one of the cupboards. The food looks pretty fresh too, I think someone must have forgotten to bring it back or something. And since it's nearly time for dinner, well... We should eat first, and then get some rest. My parents are bound to notice that I'm missing so someone will look for us soon."

Ulquiorra did not answer. Instead, he took one container of food and a bottle of water gingerly, his eyebrows knitted together. Strange.

It was almost as if that someone had planned for them to be here.

But he did not say anything about it, though. Instead, he kept his eyes averted from Grimmjow's the entire time, and did not attempt to make any conversation with him while Ulquiorra ate the food in the container tentatively. It seemed safe enough. Once he had established that fact, Ulquiorra act the food more readily and when he was done, he washed it down with some water. After they were done with "dinner", Grimmjow and Ulquiorra quietly cleared away the bottles and containers, still not speaking.

Tired, Ulquiorra chose a spot in the corner of the room to sleep at. Though the floor was hard, he lay down on the floor without complaint, curling up into a small ball due to the cold from the air-conditioning. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. Ulquiorra shifted slightly, trying to get into a comfortable position. Just when he was about to close his eyes, though, he could feel Grimmjow draw near and place a blanket on top of him.

"Goodnight, Ulquiorra," he said. His hands lingered on Ulquiorra's arms for awhile before he settled to sleep at a spot not too far off from Ulquiorra's.

Ulquiorra clutched at the blanket, pulling it close to him. Why?

"Save it, Jaegerjaquez," he heard Ulquiorra say. "Now let me go. People are beginning to stare."

And he was right. People were beginning to cast them strange looks their way. Some were whispering to one another, shaking their heads in disapproval as they frowned at them.

Some of his tears dripped onto Ulquiorra's shoulder. So this was it, huh?

"Hey, Ulquiorra, are you awake?"

Ulquiorra gave him no response, choosing to look at the palm of his hand in front of him, looking at his own fingers.

"I just want to talk to you about what happened this morning."

The room was cold. Ulquiorra clutched the blanket closer to his body. He closed his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath. Why?

From the moment he had met Grimmjow, he hated him. At the time, he regarded Grimmjow as nothing more than an idiot whose only redeeming quality was his looks. Never mind the fact that he had a lot of friends and was well-liked, he was mere trash in Ulquiorra's eyes. The teen's intelligence was nothing to brag about, and he was much too loud for Ulquiorra's liking. He was loud, annoying, and expected too much.

So when Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez approached him for help on his love life, Ulquiorra quickly rejected him. He was not interested in associating himself with trash, much less helping trash. And then there was the fact that he thought that love was a worthless feeling. A feeling that was only a burden and did not bring anyone any benefit. What was the point in indulging one's self in such an emotion when it brought nothing to one's life?

In his own words: It has no use. It is not going to help a person in his or her studies. Or to further their career. Or make them stronger. Therefore, love is, and always will be worthless.

"Ulquiorra." Grimmjow bit his bottom lip. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"It's over, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said, his voice soft.

And with that, the teal haired teen released Ulquiorra from his grasp, letting his arms fall limply to his sides. He knew that it was no use. Ulquiorra had made up his mind.

"When I wanted to talk to you about us."

Ulquiorra closed his hand into a fist, trying to block the memory out of his mind.

And yet, in spite of all of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez' flaws, Ulquiorra Cifer had opened up to him. Though Ulquiorra could have easily backed out of helping Grimmjow, he still did. He only helped the first time because the other had threatened him into it. But the second time, the second time was different. Ulquiorra had not only agreed to helping him, but he also brought Grimmjow to his house and even went as far as to allow Grimmjow to kiss him, to touch him. Though they did not go very far that day, that incident still left him breathless.

As if that was not enough, he could have chosen to stop associating himself with the person he once deemed as "trash", but he did not. Instead, he continued seeing Grimmjow. What had begun as just business became something more. Eventually, they did not meet and spend time with each other because they had to, but because they wanted to.

Bit by bit, Grimmjow became an important part of his life. He became the person that Ulquiorra opened up to, showing him a side of himself that he did not show anyone else. Ulquiorra had let Grimmjow kiss him, touch him, taste him, take him. After Ulquiorra had given him everything, he found himself waking up alone in bed.

"Oh and one last thing. Here. You can have this back." Ulquiorra fished for something in his pocket and pulled a device from it. He pushed it into Grimmjow's hands and looked into Grimmjow's eyes, sadness and tears ever present in emerald orbs. And with that, Ulquiorra turned on his heel and walked away.

Tears filling his eyes and blurring his vision, Grimmjow opened his hands.

It was his cell phone.

"I know I said that I wasn't looking for your forgiveness." Grimmjow paused, trying to choose his next words carefully. "But I'm sorry for forcing you to listen like that, even when you didn't want to."

Ulquiorra stared at the wall before him, his expression unreadable.

After being deserted, Ulquiorra had closed himself off to the world again. He returned to the shell that he was so familiar with. It was comfortable there, but most of all, he felt safe. Safe from getting hurt again. But at the same time, he longed for Grimmjow. It was a feeling that he was ashamed of having. He kept thinking and wanting the very person that hurt him.

So when Ichigo Kurosaki came to him and told him that Grimmjow had only gone to his house to break things off with him, Ulquiorra could not help feeling a flutter of hope in his heart. But still he did not want to believe it. What if it was not true? But then again, if it was not true, then Grimmjow would not have tried asking for his forgiveness. If he only wanted Ulquiorra for his body, Grimmjow would not have bothered talking to him, much less ask for his forgiveness.

Though Ulquiorra kept pushing him away in a cruel manner, Grimmjow was still nice to him.

Why are you still so nice to me?

Ulquiorra wanted to know. He wanted to know the truth.

"But I want to know if we're... cool yet, since Urahara interrupted us before. I just want to make sure, so I'd know where we stand right now." When Ulquiorra did not respond, Grimmjow pushed his blanket off of him and said tentatively, "Ulquiorra?" Nothing. Thinking that Ulquiorra was purposely ignoring him again, Grimmjow frowned and sat up, about to give Ulquiorra a piece of his mind. And the first thing that met his eyes when he turned to look on his side was Ulquiorra lying curled up on the floor, the blanket wrapped around his slim body. His heart immediately softened at the sight. "Sleeping, huh?"

No answer.

Well, he could always talk to Ulquiorra about it in the morning.

Grimmjow leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. "Didn't mean to bother you. I'll-"

A hand covered his mouth.

"Keep quiet, Jaegerjaquez," said a cold voice.

Grimmjow's eyes snapped open. Right there, right in front of him was Ulquiorra sitting on his lap with a pale hand pressed against Grimmjow's mouth. Grimmjow's eyes widened. Ulquiorra had a very serious expression on his face, his lips set in a thin line and determination in his eyes. Leaning forward, Ulquiorra said, his voice low, "I don't want to listen to any of that." Removing his hand from Grimmjow's mouth, he leaned closer, till his lips were practically an inch away from Grimmjow's. "What I want to know is, what happened after we happened and you disappeared all of a sudden?"

"Eh?" Grimmjow froze, his heart beating hard against his chest. Even if he wanted to move away, he could not, for Ulquiorra had hooked his fingers at teal hair at the back of his head. He took a deep breath in an attempt to clear his mind. Having Ulquiorra so close that he could feel Cifer's warm breath fan across his lips was making him dizzy. "Why do you want to know?"

"Hmm." Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows, not pleased with the answer he received. However, he continued to speak, ignoring the look of discomfort on Grimmjow's face, "Kurosaki told me something very interesting today." Ulquiorra placed his other hand on Grimmjow's shoulder to steady himself. "He told me that you went to his house to end things with him. Is this true?"

"Wh-what? He told you that?" Grimmjow spluttered. "When did he-"

And that was all Ulquiorra needed to hear to know that Kurosaki had spoken the truth.

"Silence, Jaegerjaquez. I don't need to hear it."

Without so much as saying anything else, Ulquiorra closed the distance between their lips and kissed Grimmjow, pressing his body against the taller teen's. Shocked, Grimmjow sat absolutely still, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Ulquiorra was kissing him, and throughout his knowing Ulquiorra, sure, they had kissed before, but Ulquiorra was never the one to initiate any of their kisses. Ulquiorra's eyes were closed while he kissed Grimmjow. He seemed so calm, from the way he brushed his lips against Grimmjow's gently, that Jaegerjaquez was startled when he felt something wet trail down his cheek. It was then that Ulquiorra withdrew and rested his forehead against Grimmjow's, and Grimmjow saw something on Ulquiorra's face that he had not seen in a long time:

Emotion.

Tears were falling down Ulquiorra's cheeks. Pearl-like tears that formed at the corners of his eyes and fell down one by one, falling onto their shirts.

"I'm the one who should be saying sorry," Ulquiorra said, looking down. "I'm sorry, Grimmjow."

What followed after was an exceptionally long stretch of silence.

Every breath that Ulquiorra took, and every heartbeat that his heart made, they were all incredibly clear to his ears. Every sound around him, no matter how small, all seemed apparent to him now, when before, he did not notice them at all. His fingers on one hand were still hooked to the hair at the back of Grimmjow's head, while his other hand was still on Grimmjow's shoulder, never leaving. Sapphire eyes were wide and staring, and Ulquiorra could not bear to look into them. Ulquiorra was almost tempted to stand up and leave the warmth that the other offered when Grimmjow did not give him any response. He loosened his grip on Grimmjow's shoulder. He was too late, wasn't he?

So when he felt a pair of hands cup his cheeks and a pair of lips press against his forehead, Ulquiorra sat still in shock, unable to believe what was happening.

"It's okay," Grimmjow said softly before proceeding to kiss each of Ulquiorra's closed eyelids, and repeating the same sentence with each kiss. He moved down and kissed away Ulquiorra's tears and murmured the same sentence with each kiss. When he reached Ulquiorra's lips, however, he said, "I understand, Ulquiorra," his lips brushing against Ulquiorra's lightly, and ended that sentence by kissing Ulquiorra fully.

He understood.

Ulquiorra did not need to offer any explanation. He did not need to tell Grimmjow why he acted the way he did.

Because Grimmjow understood.

He understood why Ulquiorra was hard to get close to.

He understood why Ulquiorra was cold and kept to himself most of the time.

He understood why Ulquiorra viewed love with disdain.

He understood why Ulquiorra did not want to fall in love.

He understood why Ulquiorra was afraid.

With this knowledge in mind, Ulquiorra allowed Grimmjow to deepen the kiss, their tongues meeting and intertwining. Though it was hard, having to let himself be vulnerable again, he let go of his fears and allowed himself to open his heart to Grimmjow once more; his doubts towards the teal haired teen no longer existed. The way they kissed, their lips, their tongues moved in a familiar pattern that only the both of them knew. Loosening his hold on Grimmjow's hair, Ulquiorra moved his hand down in favour for wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's neck.

As Grimmjow sucked on Ulquiorra's tongue, he ran his hands down Ulquiorra's body, until they rested on slim hips. Pulling the smaller teen closer, Grimmjow broke their heated kiss in favour for trailing kisses down Ulquiorra's neck and occasionally licking at the pale expanse of skin that was exposed to him.

He felt Ulquiorra shiver when he started sucking at Ulquiorra's collarbone in such a way that would surely leave a mark afterwards. It truly was a wonderful experience being able to hold, touch and feel the warmth that was Ulquiorra again, his hands exploring the body that was once again his. Though they had only spent one night together, Grimmjow remembered Ulquiorra's body. How it looked, how it felt, the warmth. The memory of that night, and every kiss they shared were embedded in his mind.

"Nn... More, Grimmjow. Haa..." Ulquiorra panted, pushing at Grimmjow's shirt, his intention clear.

"Give everything to me, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow breathed hotly against Ulquiorra's ear.

"Grimm... Grimmjow!"

After they finally came, Ulquiorra sat comfortably in Grimmjow's arms, exhausted, his chin on Grimmjow's shoulder and his hands hanging onto the back of his shirt. The raven haired teen closed his eyes, savouring the warmth that the other offered. It had been a long time since he was in Grimmjow's arms like this and being here made him realise how much he missed it. Grimmjow held Ulquiorra close, not wanting to let go. He nuzzled raven hair, taking in his lover's scent.

"I missed you." He tightened his grip on Ulquiorra. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again."

"And don't you ever do something as stupid as that again," Ulquiorra retorted childishly. When Grimmjow chuckled at his response, Ulquiorra withdrew so that he was facing Grimmjow and narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious."

Tucking a finger under Ulquiorra's chin, Grimmjow drew Ulquiorra close and pressed his lips against his in a chaste kiss. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Hmm..." Ulquiorra sighed, feeling extremely content and relaxed. There was absolutely nothing that could spoil this moment. This moment was perfect. He closed his eyes. This was how it should be between him and Grimmjow. No walls, no defences, no lies. Just them being them.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Nn?" Sleep was beginning to take over his mind. It was just so comfortable here.

"I just realised something."

"What is it?"

"We just did it in school."

Ulquiorra groaned inwardly.

Grimmjow just had to ruin the moment, didn't he?

"Idiot."

Grimmjow only laughed and pulled Ulquiorra into yet another hug. "I love you, Ulquiorra." He nuzzled his boyfriend's pale neck.

Ulquiorra smiled. "I love you too, Grimmjow."

So caught up in the moment, they did not even hear the soft click of the door being unlocked.

Sitting outside in the hall by himself, Szayel Aporro Grantz let out a breath that he had been holding in and leaned his head against the wall. He stared up at the ceiling listlessly. He could not believe that he had done that. The keys that he had gotten from Mr. Urahara were still in his pocket. He was lucky that Mr. Urahara was willing to help him with his plan, so long as he gave his teacher a reward in the form of candy.

Although it was difficult and it pained him to do it, it was worth it. Szayel smiled bitterly. He did not want to see Ulquiorra sad anymore.

He wanted Ulquiorra to be happy, even if it was without him.

Taking out his cell phone, Szayel flipped it open and looked at the wallpaper. It was a picture of him and Ulquiorra, taken a few years back. Ulquiorra was smiling one of his rare smiles and Szayel had his arm around him. He touched the screen, as though longing to go back to that time. They looked like they were having fun. Things were so different back then. Szayel had always been the one to take care of Ulquiorra. That was how it had always been. Just him and Ulquiorra, no one else. So having to do this was probably one of the most difficult things he ever had to do. Things have changed. Now he was no longer the one taking care of Ulquiorra.

Szayel pushed the card into Ulquiorra's small hands. "Here, this is for you. Happy Valentines Day." Szayel smiled.

At the confused look on Ulquiorra's face, Szayel explained, "Love is not only celebrated by couples. It is also for friends and family. Just as long as you love that person. As your friend, I love you."

Biting his bottom lip, Szayel went to his cell phone's gallery.

"I love you too, Szayel." He pulled the surprised pink haired boy into a hug. "You are my best friend."

He deleted all pictures of Ulquiorra.

Doing this made his already broken heart break again. Shoving his cell phone back into his pocket, he rubbed at his eyes hurriedly. They would realise that the door was already unlocked anytime now, so he had to leave. He did not want them to see him or know that this was all his doing. He would rather keep it a secret.

Walking out of the school, Szayel took in a deep breath of the chilly night air. He felt much better now that he was outside. It was suffocating being in there. Szayel was about to pull on his jacket when he caught sight of a blonde, dark skinned person sitting on one of the benches. Drawing nearer, Szayel immediately recognised who it was.

"Harribel?" Szayel said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Startled, the blonde female looked up at him. "Szayel?" she said. She did not expect to meet anyone here. When she got over her surprise, she looked away from amber eyes and looked straight ahead at the street in front of her, a melancholy, faraway look in her eyes. "I'm just... thinking," she answered vaguely. "I usually come here so that I can sort out my thoughts."

"Hm? Hey, is there something wrong?" Szayel asked her in concern.

He had not seen Harribel in awhile now, but he heard the rumours going around about her. It was no secret that she was devastated over her break up with Nnoitra. The guy must have been his usual asshole self when he did that to her. Even the thought of it was beginning to make Szayel feel indignant. "Is this about Nnoitra?" he questioned. "Did he do something wrong to you? If he did then I-"

"No, he didn't do anything wrong," Harribel said absently. She looked up at him then, a small smile on her face. "I am sad, yes, but I don't mind. Nnoitra was actually quite nice to me when he broke things off. He was nothing like how the other girls described him as."

Szayel blinked, taken aback by her answer.

Nnoitra? Nice?

He never thought that the day would come that Nnoitra Jiruga would actually be sincerely nice to girls. Or that the words "Nnoitra" and "nice" could even be used in the same sentence.

The pink haired teen chuckled, his anger immediately forgotten.

It looked like Nnoitra was not as big a womanizer as he made himself out to be.

Noticing Tia Harribel shiver, Szayel immediately placed his jacket on her shoulders. This action only earned him a questioning look from her.

"It's cold and it's late," Szayel said, holding out his hand for her. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

Harribel smiled and accepted his hand. "Of course."

As they walked away from school, Szayel could not help looking back at the building that they were leaving behind. The corner of his lips lifted up in a smile.

You better take good care of him, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Don't you dare make me regret my decision.

"Lucky thing that the door was unlocked. It must have unlocked itself after we kicked at it so much."

"Yeah..." Ulquiorra said doubtfully.

He pulled his jacket closer to his body when a light breeze blew past them. He still felt a bit sticky and sore from their previous... activity. But other than that, he was fine. Before they left, they made sure to clean up the mess that they had made. Doing that made the heat rise up to Ulquiorra's face. It was a lucky thing that he had decided to try opening the door one more time or else they would have to sleep in school. To be honest, Ulquiorra could not help, but to feel that there was something not right about this whole thing. Like him being stuck with Grimmjow was not a mere coincidence. Although he felt that, the raven haired teen decided to ignore it.

It's probably nothing anyway.

With Grimmjow's arm wrapped around his shoulders, Ulquiorra relaxed and leaned against his boyfriend's chest as they walked back home together.

"It's really late. Mum is going to throw a fuss," Grimmjow said conversationally. "Hey, Ulqui. When are you going to sing for me?"

And so, we have finally come to the end of this story. Throughout this entire experience, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and their friends all learned many important things in life.

"What for?"

Szayel Aporro Grantz learned to sacrifice; he had let go of the one he loved the most in order for the other to be happy.

"You promised to sing for me after the exams, remember?"

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ichigo Kurosaki both learned the same lesson, which was to open their eyes to what they had all along. What they had came in the form of Ulquiorra Cifer and Kuchiki Rukia.

Oh yes. He did promise that to Grimmjow. "I will. Later."

Ulquiorra Cifer learned to stop running away from his fears, to open up and to embrace the person he loved the most.

"Hey, that ain't fair!" Grimmjow whined. "You promised."

And Nnoitra Jiruga? Well... let's just say that he was still learning.

"Later." Amused, Ulquiorra could not help, but to smile.

These were the lessons that they learned.

... In the lessons in love.

-THE END-

DIOR: Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and put this story on alert! You guys are awesome. It was fun writing this fic, but all things must come to an end, even this story. Ah, well. Till next time, everyone. *waves*

EXTRA NOTE: This chapter has been censored in order to abide to the site's M-rating rule. In order to read the uncut version, visit my profile and click "Fic Livejournal". You can search for the chapter from the Fic Master List.