BLEACH – Into a New World

WHOOHOO! THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

Have fun reading. :D

Chapter 22: Truth

Head down, I twiddled my thumbs nervously. Cautiously, I eyed the katana hanging from Grimmjow's hip. After he'd found me at Orihime's place, he immediately Sonido-ed us back to our apartment. At this very point in time, I was sitting, hunched on the couch and he was standing in front of me, arms crossed, his dark shadow looming menacingly over me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand move slightly.

"I'M SO SORRY!" Throwing myself onto the ground, I kowtowed, my forehead smacking the cold hard floor with a loud thud. "I WAS WRONG! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME AND MAKE ME INTO SOUP!" Eyes squeezed shut, I awaited my fate. After a moment of stunned silence, there was a heavy sigh before I felt myself being lifted by the hood of my jacket and plopped back onto the couch. A few seconds later, my phone was shoved under my nose.

"It's yours ain't it?" He didn't look at me.

"Oh. Uh, yeah." Gingerly, I took it from him. I put it on the counter didn't I? Why is he giving it to me like this? "Thanks." I muttered. Then it was back to the nerve-wracking silence from before. He doesn't seem particularly angry? I took a quick glance at his face. It looks like he's thinking about something…but what? What could he be thinking about? My brows knitted together as I considered the options. Unless… The blood drained from my face. HE'S THINKING OF WAYS TO KILL ME?!

"…you."

"What?" My head flew up. HE'S DECIDED ALREADY?! Beginning to panic, my eyes flickered around the room, looking for escape routes, although I already knew it was useless.

Growling slightly, he scowled at me. I flinched. Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap. I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"I said: 'I never rejected you'!" he snapped.

"Wha-" I started to ask what he meant by that, but he was already gone. Sonido-ed out of the window. Standing up slowly, I repeated his words to myself. "So I wasn't rejected?" I murmured, still puzzled. Pacing around the room, I thought hard. So I wasn't rejected, but does that mean he likes me? I paused for a moment. "No, no, no." I shook my head. Just because he didn't reject me, doesn't mean he likes me either. Maybe I was being stupid and pig headed, but I was the kind of person who needed absolute confirmation before committing to anything, whether it be a project or a relationship. I hated getting hurt. Grimmjow's usually the type to say things straight out, but he's being all vague and mysterious…it's confusing and frustrating me. Huffing crossly, I folded my arms. "Maybe I should hunt him down and have him explain?" I pondered to the empty room.

Suddenly I realized something. "He went through my phone!"

Knocking twice on the wooden frame, I waited for a moment before sliding open the wooden door slightly.

"Hi Mr. Urahara."

"Oh, Nagi!" he beamed. "Come in! Long time no see, eh?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't think I'll be staying long though, sorry." I laughed self-consciously. Letting myself in, I spotted a black cat sitting next to him. "Hi Yoruichi."

"Hey." She smiled. Or at least I assumed she did. It was always difficult to tell with a cat. "Looking for Grimmjow?"

I blinked. "How'd you know?"

Yoruichi howled with laughter as Mr. Urahara chuckled behind his fan. "Of course we know!" She replied once she recovered. "You don't come here for any other reason do you?"

"Well." Do I really chase after him that much? "I guess." I admitted grudgingly. They were right, as much as I disliked it.

"Anyway, he left a little while before you came." Mr. Urahara said. "He mumbled some incoherent excuse and just went off all of a sudden."

"Oh ok. Thanks." I was a tiny bit disappointed. Apart from Mr. Urahara's shop, I didn't know any of Grimmjow's other hangouts, so finding him was going to be rather difficult. Better get started. Sighing, I dragged myself out of the shop.

I wasn't certain before, but now I knew for sure. "That stupid Grimmjow's avoiding me!" I complained to an uninterested Pantera. I had seen neither hide nor hair of that incorrigible man for the past three days. "Why the heck is he avoiding me and-hey! Where are you going?" I called after the sassy grey cat, but he ignored me and trotted out of my room. "Impudent feline." I grumbled, not really meaning it. Sighing, I turned my attention back to the problem at hand. Although I didn't understand why he was avoiding me, I felt like it was my punishment for doing it to him previously. Being avoided was actually really depressing. I felt a twinge of remorse. So this is how he felt when I was avoiding him…I realized. It makes you feel unwanted and unneeded. I chewed my bottom lip guiltily. I'll make it up to him. I decided. After all this is sorted out, I'll make it up to him. But that brought up another problem. How on EARTH is he avoiding me so well? My brows furrowed. It's as if he has a tracker on me or something. Oh, right! I snapped my fingers. I'd almost forgotten. He tracks me through my Reiryoku. Groaning, I buried my face in my pillow. How was I supposed to catch him if he knew whenever I got close? Despondent, I hung limply, half on, half off my bed. "WAIT!" Suddenly, I got up, resulting in me toppling off my bed. But I didn't care. I'd just remembered Kurosaki mentioning something about learning how to hide Reiryoku. If I can learn how to do that…Grimmjow would never see me coming! Grinning, I pulled on my scarf. I knew just the man to go to.

"Mr. Urahara!" This time, I burst into the room behind the shop without knocking. "Teach me how to hide my Reiryoku!"

Stunned by my unexpected entrance and taken aback by my request, he merely gaped at me for a moment or so before regaining his senses. "M-my, Nagi, this is quite…sudden."

"I know." Taking off my scarf, I sat down. "But I need to learn."

"What for?" the poor man looked positively confused.

"Well, long story short, I need to be able to creep up on Grimmjow without him noticing." I told him honestly, without beating around the bushes.

"Well…" rubbing his chin, he pondered my request.

"Well?" I leaned forward.

"There's another way to do that too." He finally said.

I blinked owlishly. "Really?"

"Oh, yes." He smiled his trademark shady smile. "In fact, I invented it myself!"

"Really?" I pursed my lips, eyeing him suspiciously. The last thing he invented was that stupid Modsoul Eli. Although I was forced to put up with his perverted antics for a month or so, eventually he'd become attached to Yoruichi and took to the habit of following her everywhere. Strangely enough, he'd become less perverted and more obedient after the switch. But then again, she was a tough woman. Either way, I learned to be cautious of his items.

"Don't worry." He laughed as he got up. "This is something I invented a while back. I'll go see if I can find it."

"Ok…" I replied, still unsure.

He was back within minutes. "Here it is!" he held it up proudly. "My Reiryoku invisibility cloak!"

"Hrmm." I eyeballed it skeptically.

"Don't look like that." He chuckled at my expression. "This really does work! You can ask Tessai if you don't believe me."

"Oh alright then." I finally relented. " I just need it for today anyway." Taking it from the blond man, I put it on before leaving.

"Good luck!" he called, waving at me through the door.

Against all my expectations, the cloak actually seemed to work properly, as it wasn't long until I found Grimmjow. Or rather, it wasn't long until he walked into my trap. Seeing as Grimmjow appeared to know where I was all the time, I figured he'd be a little worried, or at least I hoped he'd be a little worried when he couldn't track my Reiryoku. I was right. Hiding under the staircase opposite my apartment complex, I watched as Grimmjow rounded the corner, making a beeline towards the apartment. Silently, I followed at a reasonable distance as he went up the stairs. Crouching in the shadows, I watched as he unlocked the door to our apartment and went in. NOW! I thought. Slipping in after him, I lunged at his exposed back, discarding the cloak in the process. Suddenly sensing my Reiryoku behind him, he tried to turn around, but it was too late. Wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, I resolutely attached myself to his back.

"What the hell!" Spinning around, he tried to dislodge me, but I was stuck like a limpet on a rock. After a few minutes, he gave up. "Stubborn girl." I heard him mutter under his breath.

"You never saw me coming did you?" I crowed triumphantly.

"No I didn't." he snapped. "I thought you were dead!"

"Huh?" I frowned. "Why would I be dead?"

He rolled his eyes. "Your Reiryoku suddenly disappeared. What else was I supposed to think?"

I felt a smile touch my lips. "So you were worried?"

"I was-" he paused, "…not really worried." He finished gruffly, but his face seemed to be a little pinker than before.

"Grimmjow." I decided to get to the point. "When you said that you never rejected me, did you mean…" turning red, I trailed off. Argh. Stop blushing and say it. I scolded myself mentally as I cleared my throat. "Ahem, well, what I mean is, do you, um, by any chance, l-l-like me? R-r-romant-t-ticaly?" I was dying on the inside. Why couldn't I have said it more causally? I wailed in my head. And why did I have to stutter? ARGGGHHHH. I'd sunken so deep into my despair that I almost missed his next words.

"S-so what if I do, hah?"

I couldn't believe my ears. He liked me. I couldn't believe my eyes either. His face was almost as red as mine. It was the single most adorable thing I had ever seen. Grinning delightedly, I hid my face in my arms. He likes me. I told myself over and over again. He likes me.

Grumbling, he tugged at my arms. "Now get off my back."

"Alright. "Giggling slightly, I complied. I felt like I was losing my mind. But it wasn't a bad feeling exactly. "Hey Grimmjow." My eyes sparkled as I looked up at him. "When?"

His brow knitted together. "When what?"

"When did you start to like me?"

His blush, which had just started receding, came back in full. "Wh-wh-what?! I don't have to answer that shit! Shut up! Don't ask me shit like that!"

"C'mon, c'mon." emboldened by his discomfort, I nudged his arm.

"W-well what about you then?!" he shot back, face still burning.

That made me pause. Tapping my finger on my chin, I thought. Come to think of it, when did it happen? After a moment, I had my answer. "I think it was around the time you got me this." Holding up my arm, I pointed at the black leather band that encircled my wrist.

"Oh yeah, I remember that." He inspected it. "Was right before the whole Hollow shit."

"Hmmm, yeah." I remembered too. It wasn't the kind of experience that was easily forgotten. "So what about you?" I turned my attention back to Grimmjow. "So? So? So?" I nagged incessantly.

Sighing, he conceded. "I dunno." He muttered rubbing the back of is neck. "Maybe around the time you slapped me?"

I had to laugh at that. Trust Grimmjow to fall in love with someone because they slapped him.

"Shut it!" he snapped, blushing again. "I didn't exactly LIKE you, I was just INTERESTED, got it?"

"Got it." Calming down, I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. I hadn't laughed so hard in long time.

Sighing, Grimmjow covered his face with a hand, but his lips curved up into an unmistakable smile.

Grimmjow is a cutie. :)