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Beep... Beep... Beep...

The sound of a heart monitor.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

This was a new sound for Ulquiorra. He didn't even remember the last time he genuinely heard sound. It had been quiet for so long.. how much time passed?

The last thing he remembered, was death. He looked that teenage girl in the eyes, reaching out to her, with questions still running through his head. They were never answered. In a blink of an eye, he was gone. Gone from this world. But to his surprise, there was an afterlife.. if you could even call it that. One might compare it to hell, but no. This was much worse than hell. This was worse than torment, worse than anything imaginable.

An eternal void, where no sight, sound, or smell could reach him. At first, this was horrifying to the Forth Espada. I mean, who wouldn't be horrified? Eventually though, he learned to accept this new environment.. not like he had a choice anyway. It wasn't all bad however, he had his memories to keep him company.. that had to go for something, he guessed.

So for years, he lived like this. He had attempted to keep track of how many days he spent here, but ended up giving up after two months. What was the point? After all, his purpose was fulfilled.. is this what he truly deserved in the end? All that hard work.. just to arrive.. here? Thoughts like these constantly plagued his mind.

It wasn't until one day, Ulquiorra happened to be awake in this world of his, and he saw a faint ball of light. First time he'd seen light in a while. Thinking he was just seeing things, he ignored the light. But that orb.. it was more enticing as the days went on. He started to move, slowly shuffling his feet. He inched closer and closer to it until it was almost in reach. He stretched his fingers in front of it. He had hands..? Goodness he still had hands! He'd been here for so long he forgot what they looked like.

With twitching fingers, his hand connected with the orb, and that's when the beeping sound began. The world around him.. it was almost lighter now. Still incredibly dark, a different kind of dark, though. The beeping wasn't the only thing he could hear either, if he listened closely, he heard the faint sound of breathing. Who was breathing? Was it him? Someone else? More questions. But these wouldn't remain unanswered.

As if his body jolted and contorted, his numb limbs found feeling again. Tingles all over his body.. tingles so intense they started to hurt, as if little needles were pricking at the skin over and over and over.

Suddenly, the orb he had touched exploded, the light blinding Ulquiorra instantly. All he could see was white.. then black again.. then back to white.

Like a blink.

He was.. blinking. He didn't understand. He is supposed to be dead. Gone forever. The world is no more for him. How the fuck was he blinking? His vision was fuzzy, the light irritating his eyes a little. Slowly but surely, he could make out details in a room. A door on the left side.. a strange looking box in the middle near the ceiling.. a window on the right.. a woman near said window.. Wait. A woman? Ulquiorra squinted more than he already was. She had mint green hair. Puzzled, he studied her, noticing the pink streak on her face which went over her nose and stopped on either side of her cheek. He only knew one Arrancar with makeup like that. Nelliel tu Odelschwanck. It had to be her. But how was she so tall? How was she even an adult? Last time he saw her, she was a mere toddler due to unfortunate circumstances.

Nelliel stood there by the window, watering a tiny black bat flower which resided there. She paid no attention to Ulquiorra finally opening his eyes, she grown used to looking over and seeing him still lying there.. lifelessly.

Ulquiorra wanted to speak, but he couldn't. He found a strange mask over his face, which pumped air into his lungs.

He tried and tried and tried.. until finally a choked groan-like noise escaped from his throat, causing the previous third Espada to look over almost immediately. Her eyes widened, blinking a few times. She even rubbed them a little, thinking she had to be hallucinating. Ulquiorra had been in a coma for years, his body practically dead. Yet, the infamous Kisuke Urahara had managed to preserve his brain, and keep it alive after his fight with Ichigo Kurosaki. Nelliel dropped the glass cup she was using to water the flower, glass shattering everywhere. "Ulquiorra..?" She muttered ever so quietly, essentially voicing her thoughts out loud. The man blinked again, the subtle movement becoming his favorite thing to do since regaining consciousness.

Almost if it were on command, a dam inside the woman broke. Her eyes leaked, quite hard too. In a flash, she ran out of the room.

Ulquiorra was muddled. No. More than that. Why was she crying? And more importantly, why over him? And why the hell did she run away like that? How could someone who didn't even have enough time to form a relationship with him, have so much emotion in her heart upon seeing him? He didn't have enough time to think on it nonetheless, because the sound of running footsteps echoed in the distance, eagerly growing closer.

BAM!

The door clapped open, almost falling off it's hinges on account of the pure force used to open it.

And who came rushing inside the room?

None other than Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

Oh. And Nelliel was behind him too, of course.

Grimmjow's reaction at the sight of Ulquiorra being.. well.. alive, was remarkably similar to Nelliel's. The blue haired man grew teary eyed, granted that his expression looked undeniably angry. Perhaps that's how his face always looked, though. He dashed over to the bed, leaping onto it, pretty much landing on top of the other man. With a swipe of his claws, he yanked the ventilator mask off Ulquiorra's face. Disregarding personal space, he inched his head closer until he was within kissing distance of the other man. "What the fuck, Ulquiorra?!" He hissed out, his voice cracking with each word as a result of his heavy sobs.

The Arrancar was left bewildered, mouth left agape. He stared back into Grimmjow's fiery gaze, the man over him erupting as he barked out statements like;
"Why did you have to die on me?!"
"Idiot, you should have called for someone!"
"I should've contained you in that gargantua a little longer, none of this would've happened!"
"I should've killed that orange bastard when I had the chance!"
Nelliel had attempted to pull him off, but it was no use. It would be as hard as pulling a cat off a log, and Grimmjow was particularly stubborn.

Thudump... Thudump... Thudump...

The close contact was making Ulquiorra feel weird... He could apprehend a noise from within him. It beat in an unsteady rhythm, quickening by the minute. His face increased in temperature, becoming unbearably hot. The man tried to let out a breath, but he couldn't, shit, he forgot how to breathe! Maybe pulling off the mask that was literally breathing for him wasn't the best idea... Then again, Grimmjow always made impulsive decisions without a second thought.

The larger Arrancar halted his emotional ramble once realizing the man underneath him was struggling. An uncomfortable pang of guilt filled his chest.. and he didn't exactly know how to deal with the strange emotion. Moving back a little, he looked over his shoulder, at Nelliel who was watching everything go down with a concerned look. "What do I do??" Grimmjow managed to mutter out. "Give him oxygen!!" The woman responded, approaching the bed to better observe Ulquiorra's state, of which he was still gasping for air.

In the heat of the moment, Grimmjow shook his head, he had to do something and do it now. He grabbed Ulquiorra's jaw, opening it and pressing his lips against his. Progressively initiating mouth to mouth, giving Ulquiorra the air he needed. The Fourth Espada could still hear his heartbeat, however his gaze lingered on the others face, noting his flustered-panicked look. The two breathed together for what seemed like hours. Ulquiorra eventually relaxed, his arm creeping around Grimmjow's shoulder, holding him in place. The touch caused a grumble to escape from the Sixth Espada's lips, he pulled away, panting slightly. "Can you breathe now?" He asked, not looking at the other man directly. Ulquiorra quietly nodded, he was indeed inhaling and exhaling on his own now, although his breaths were short at times.

Nelliel came into view, gripping at Grimmjow's arm and ultimately throwing him off of the bed.. and Ulquiorra. "Was you TRYING to suffocate him?!" She remarked, displeased. Grimmjow growled, landing on the ground with a thwack, rubbing his head. "Of course not!! I'm not stupid!" He huffed. Nelliel rolled her eyes, "I beg to differ." The man stood up, peering over the one still in bed, "I was just giving him.. a warm welcome." He mumbled.

With a low raspy voice, Ulquiorra spoke for the first time. "Why.. Did you miss me that bad.." he mithered, looking unamused. Grimmjow looked even more embarrassed now, "What?! No!!" He stammered out, "In fact.. I.. I was angry at you! For losing that fight and dying!!" He adverted his gaze once more, crossing his arms. "Right..." Ulquiorra knew better than that, but there was no point in arguing, not when he was in this physical state. Nelliel intervened, "How do you feel?" She questioned, her face looking perturbed again. "Terrible." Ulquiorra responded bluntly, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling. He still couldn't exactly.. feel his limbs properly. He can move them, yes, but his motions were very sluggish, and the tingles throughout his body made them ache.

"Tch... Sounds like we need to hit up that stoner again. Bastard's always busy with his shop nowadays. Left us ta' watch ya." Grimmjow butted into the conversation, still not looking over to the bed. "For once, I agree with you.." Nelliel replied, twiddling her fingers a bit anxiously as she headed towards the door to exit. "Grimmjow, can you watch him while I go get Kisuke?" She requested, already assuming that she would be the one to fetch him. The Sexta's ears perked up, almost.. surprised. "Eh?? Why do I have to watch him?!" He rumbled. Putting a hand on her hip and glaring at the man, she bit back; "Let's not forget that, just a few moments ago, you were practically making out." Grimmjow was offended, turning even more crimson, "I was giving him air!!!" He yelled in defense. "Air my ass." The Tres Espada said sarcastically, leaving the room.

"Great... Now I'm stuck making sure you don't suffocate again." The Arrancar kicked the side of the bed, making it shake slightly. Ulquiorra gave the other man a look, wanting to give him a remark, but again, decided against it. He was a puzzling man for sure.. first he was acting as a life support, next he was acting annoyed at the thought of watching over him. He was definitely harboring some emotions he didn't want to confront. Grimmjow stood there for a minute, evidently finding a spot at the end of Ulquiorra's bed to sit on. No chairs were prevalent in the room, so...

Minutes of silence passed by, until the blue haired man determined that it was time for small talk. "So... Did you hear anything while you were err.. asleep?" Asleep was an obvious understatement. "No." The lying man breathed out, rather quickly. "Really? Nothing at all? Damn. All them nights I spent ranting to ya were pointless." Grimmjow shook his head, disappointment creeping in his tone. Ulquiorra raised a brow, "You talked to me when I was unconscious?" He quipped. "Shit.. Erm. No. Not like that." Grimmjow denied, even though he just admitted otherwise. "What did you conversate about with me?" The Fourth Espada continued to probe for information, his curiosity piped. Groaning in annoyance, the Sexta caved in, "You know.. like how dumb you were to underestimate that damn ginger." Calling his bluff, Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. "...I'm supposed to believe that's the only thing you spoke about?" Grimmjow nodded, "Yep." He huffed, knowing full well he was lying.

Another moment of awkward stillness went by, till the lying man spoke up this time. "What is that box on the ceiling?" He squinted, trying to focus, his sight still not fully there. Grimmjow turned his head in the same direction, "Oh, that's a television." He answered. "Somethin' them humans like to look at to rot their brains." Ulquiorra tilted his head, "We're.. not in Hueco Mundo?" He had presumed that they were this whole time, only having been to the world of the living just a couple of times in his life. "Yeah, I personally wanted to keep ya at home, but noooo, Kisuke just had to move you here." The Sexta muttered.

They carried on with their small talk, the hours ticking by. Nelliel had came back with Kisuke, the scruffy man inspecting Ulquiorra thoroughly, coming to a conclusion. "Honestly, I wasn't really expecting him to ever wake up..." He tapped his hand fan on his chin. "He's gonna need a lot of recovery time.. as of right now, his legs are immobilized.. but with time and therapy, he'll be able to regain his strength and walk." Kisuke spun around, looking at the two Arrancar which were standing and sitting respectively. "I could speed up the process however... With a price that is." He winked. "Seriously?! Is money all you think about?" Grimmjow snarled, claws extending and ready to lunge. "Well, I do have a shop to run." The blonde man tilted his hat a little more. Standing up, Grimmjow growled, "Who gives a fuck about your sho-"

"Enough." Nelliel asserted herself into the conversation, moving in between the two men. "How about we do half and half? Kisuke speeds up the process halfway, and we'll take care of him the rest of the time." She compromised. "What, are we playing nursemaid now?" Grimmjow snorted, although reflecting more on it, he wasn't entirely against taking care of Ulquiorra. It made him have a strange sensation in his chest just thinking about it. Pondering the accommodation, Kisuke accepted the terms. "As long as I get paid for my services.. do whatever you please." He smirked. "It's a deal then." Nelliel's eyes lit up, looking at the bedridden man who's head kept going back and forth between speakers. "We're taking him back home, to Hueco Mundo, by the way." Grimmjow commanded, inching to the bed again.

"Ah, Ah, Ah.." the blonde man wagged his finger, beating the Espada to Ulquiorra, digging in his pocket and pulling out a needle. "Not until I do my part." In an instant, he injected the Fourth Espada with a mysterious substance. Ulquiorra's head thrashed to his arm, "You know, asking before you stab me with god knows what would've been nice..." He grumbled. Kisuke broke into a laugh, "Oh please! It's just a stabilizer.. it shouldn't have much side effects.." his tone was suspicious. "Alright enough!" Grimmjow barked, leaning over and yanking Ulquiorra by the waist, slinging him over his shoulder. "Hey!" The Fourth Espada's voice raised, his body still felt like jelly, he didn't appreciate being picked up like a ragdoll. Okay, maybe he liked being picked up a little bit, but you'd never catch him admitting that out loud.

Everyone parted ways, the Arrancar went back to Hueco Mundo, and Kisuke returned to tending his shop. Nelliel knew they would have to come up with a way to pay the shinigami back at some point. If possible, maybe she could convince Ulquiorra to sign the same contract as her and Grimmjow did previously. "Could you move any faster?" Ulquiorra complained, using some of his regained strength to blow gentle punches to Grimmjow's back. "I'm going, I'm going!" The man picked up speed in response.

When arriving to the desolate, dark, dessert-like environment, Ulquiorra noted it's.. emptiness. It was a different one than what he was used to. He could feel the lack of spiritual pressure, like all the Hollows and Arrancars disappeared from the land. He'd later find out that he wasn't entirely wrong... Most of his previous comrades, were dead, much like how he used to be. And what about Sosuke Aizen? Was he dead too? So many wonders...

The trio entered a worn down version of Las Noches, Grimmjow and Nelliel split paths, the woman going off to do her own thing, while the Sexta was planning on moving the Forth Espada into his room. He ended up placing the man on a pile of blankets and pillows.. it could almost be compared to a nest. Ulquiorra sat up, rubbing his head, trying to fix his hair that was all out of place now. "Make yerself at home." Grimmjow announced, kicking off his boots.

Taking in the sight of the new room, he felt a sense of familiarity. Grimmjow really hadn't changed his room much since he passed... A memory replayed in his head. It was the night before it happened, the blue haired man had invited Ulquiorra to his room, before hesitantly confessing his true feelings to him. They shared a passionate kiss, not knowing that their love would be cut short. It was no wonder why Grimmjow acted the way he did upon his revival.. he remained loyal to him, vowing to never be involved with anyone else ever again as long as Ulquiorra was gone. Just like a cat...

"Grimmjow... Come here." Ulquiorra blurted out, beckoning for him. Fazed, Grimmjow did just that. "What? You need somethin'?" He questioned. "Yeah... I feel a weird spot on my shoulder, I need you to check if it's a wound or a rash." The Quatro fibbed, coming up with an excuse on the spot. Skeptical, the Sexta moved so he was within centimeters of the other's body, peering over to where Ulquiorra pointed at. Taking a deep breath, the man made his move, pressing his lips against Grimmjow's cheek. The feeling of Ulquiorra's soft lips on his skin made gears run throughout Grimmjow, his movements halted, processing the sensation.

"What are you doing.." he whispered, an arm slipping around Ulquiorra's torso. "Making up for lost time." Ulquiorra breathed back, properly pulling Grimmjow into a passionate kiss filled with built up tension.

Recovery was still a long road for Ulquiorra, but he wanted to spend every second of it with Grimmjow, building a new life with him once and for all.