Kairi could only nod as he spoke, her eyes traveling to the bag in the corner when Ulquiorra pointed to it, then looking back to him. She was still trying to take in all of this real life business that was happening, the business she didn't want to be happening.
Sighing shakily and regaining her composure silently for a moment, Kairi pulled out out her phone with her free hand and hit a button on her speed dial. She didn't care who she got a hold of, as long as they had a car and they were willing to do this for her. "I'm going to call someone for a ride," she muttered to Ulquiorra, forcing a small smile as she squeezed his hand and held the phone to her ear.
"This is Captain Kirk, leave a message." Axel. She sighed again, hoping, just hoping he'd be willing to help her.
"Axel?" she started, her voice a bit shaky, but otherwise normal. "It's Kairi. I know you really don't like me and all of that, but I have a favor to ask of you. Please, call me back when you can."
With that, she hung up her cell and looked back at Ulquiorra. "I hope he calls back soon," she muttered, giving Ulquiorra's hand another squeeze. She wasn't planning on letting go of his hand, not yet. Kairi didn't know if he had a problem with it, but she considered it a way of comforting him until he didn't need it, and it was helping her own psyche because she sure as hell needed the comfort, too.
Another moment, and she felt her phone vibrate before playing her ringtone. She didn't even let it play for a full second before she flipped open the phone and brought it back to her ear. Hearing Axel's voice on the other end, she smiled with relief, completely unforced. She spoke again, her voice slightly frantic. "I need you to give me a ride back to my place. Where I'm at is pretty far from it and I have a friend who's injured, and I don't want him walking more than he has to." She paused and sighed, her voice taking a pleading tone. "Can you do this for me? Please?"
"Yeah, okay. Gimme the address. And, hey, you okay?"
Kairi rattled off the address, then shook her head. It took her a moment before she remembered she was on the phone, and she spoke instead. "I... I think I will be, eventually." She sighed again, then added as a warning, "Just be careful when you come in; the apartment is in really bad shape."
"I'll be there. Just don't give me any details, alright? And don't let anyone see you."
Kairi's smile grew, grateful that he was willing to do this for her, and she squeezed Ulquiorra's hand one more time. "I won't. Thank you for this Axel, really. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."
"Yeah, whatever. See you."
And that was it. She hung up her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. Kairi let go of Ulquiorra's hand and moved to the corner to get his bag, then set it down next to the bed away from any blood, holding out her hand for him to take so she could help him up. She glanced down at the bag, then looked back at Ulquiorra. "Are you sure that's all you want to take?" the redhead asked him quietly.
[ooc; for anyone curious and so I don't get blamed for godmodding or whatever, phone conversation here.]
Ulquiorra watched her call, curiously. He wasn't sure he wanted someone else to see him like this, but he knew that they would need some help. He lived deep in Monacello territory, and there was no way a girl like Kairi lived anywhere near Mafia territory. There was also no way that Ulquiorra could walk that far at the moment. Especially while he was covered in blood. There was no way to clean him up while they stayed there, too, since the water had been turned off the night before.
He just watched her, trying to calm her down by rubbing his thumb over her hand. He really didn't like having to worry people like this. Maybe it would have been better to call Chase. But then Chase would have told Gin about his state...Gin. Damn it. Everything was falling apart.
He hoped that this friend of hers didn't have any family connections. The last thing he needed was for another Monacello to see him like this. Even worse if it was another family. But Kairi was clean enough girl. Mafia connections, even as friends, would surprise him. But then again, there she was with him. But he didn't care right now. There were excuses he could make for why he lived in deep Monacello territory. He just wanted to get cleaned up.
Ulquiorra nodded at her question. "Yes...I will get the rest of my things when I have a new place," he explained. He shifted again, putting his own cellphone, which had been on the bed beside him in his pocket. he wanted to get some more of his knives from under his bed and get his gun form the kitchen, but he didn't know if he would be able to do it without Kairi noticing. Then there were the clips for his gun under the bed too. He'd just have to settle for taking the sword with him if nothing else. But he could always try.
"There are one or two more things I need to take...but they are in the kicthen...can you help me up?" As he had found out previously, he could walk, but not get up from his lying position. For once both of his legs were strong and uninjured. Grimmjow had been more concerned with his face and his neck. Grimmjow probably wished Ulquiorra had not been interested in disabling his limbs, especially one of his legs.
Kairi smiled as she leaned forward and took Ulquiorra's hand, gently pulling him up as she stood straight. "That's why I had my hand out there, silly," she chided, her optimism sliding its way back into her mindset as she flashed him a small smile.
The nightmare was starting to fade and the redhead was more than relieved about it. Her nausea also had faded away for the most part. Granted, she didn't think she'd be able to eat for a while, but she didn't care. Hell, she didn't care about much at this point in time other than that Axel got here safe, that they made it to her house safely, and that she had enough dressings and clean washcloths so she could take care of the major injuries.
And once she was sure that Ulquiorra was settled down in her home, she'd try to get a hold of Rukia and ask about Grimmjow. After all, she was concerned about him, too. But for now, just one crisis at a time was all she could deal with.
Once Ulquiorra was standing, she picked up his bag again and looked at him, catching sight of his back. So much for her nightmare and nausea disappearing. Kairi looked away and moved to the side, holding the bag with both of her hands in front of her, looking back up at Ulquiorra's face. "Do you need any help walking?"
Ulquiorra took it and let her pull him to his feet. He looked around his room, and bent down to get one of his black suit coats, making sure to stuff one or two of the clips from under his bead in the pockets. There were a few daggers still in there too. Good. He picked up his sword again, wobbling as he stood to his full height again. Not a very good idea to bend down and let the blood rush to his head, he guessed.
Once standing his put the coat on. It covered the wounds on his back and some of the blood stains on the front of his shirt. He wanted to look like he was on top of things, even if he wasn't, to this friend of Kairi's. He didn't want to alarm anyone else. He started to walk out of the room, quickly at first, but then slowing down to step over the debris from the ceiling and the couch and the spots of still damp blood. The wall his bedroom and the living room shared was completely smeared with Grimmjow's blood, and there were dark, half-dried pools of it under that spot on the floor.
"I just need to get something." He had been cooking before Grimmjow had showed up. He had invited him to dinner. All he had wanted was a nice dinner, and maybe getting Grimmjow to spend the night so they could do something other than arguing and fighting. That was all he wanted. But instead it had had to turn into this. Ulquiorra had planned on it, but he had hoped deep down that he could have avoided telling Grimmjow about the hit for a bit longer. But then what? Their relationship had already been over from the night that it began. Grimmjow had never been serious.
Even though he was injured, he tried to go as quickly as he could to where he usually stashed his gun while he was cooking. He jammed it in the pocket of his jacket where it belonged. He felt better fully armed. He turned back to wait for Kairi.
"Can we meet your friend downstairs at street level?"
Kairi had watched him leave the bedroom quickly, and she paused for a moment to look around at the mess. No, this wasn't the outcome she had wanted at all. And really, all she wanted to do after she took care of Ulquiorra's wounds was to stay there next to him and apologize to him over and over and over and tell him that she was honestly only trying to help.
Look what 'trying to help' caused. She shook her head at herself and slowly walked out of the room, hearing Ulquiorra's voice as she caught sight of him slipping into the kitchen.
The redhead kept her slow pace through the living room, her hands tightening around the handles of the bag as she looked at the living room, taking it all in better now that she wasn't in a panic. Even then, it didn't improve the appearance of it all, and it certainly didn't help the images in her mind as they played with the images of Ulquiorra and Grimmjow fighting. The images were unfinished, since she had no clue of Grimmjow's power, but she figured there were ways to make the ceiling fall or rip apart the couch. It all sort of felt surreal now, looking at the damage the apartment has sustained. Like it was all just dream.
Hah. If only.
Slowly stepping over the debris and blood, Kairi made her way to the kitchen, plastering on her gentle smile as she stepped through. Hearing his question, her smile became a little more natural and she nodded. "Of course we can. It might be better that way, anyway."
It certainly wasn't Kairi's fault. If anything she had helped him to make a decision that he had been too afraid to make on his own. His heart had told him not to break it off, but his mind had been screaming that his loyalty should stay with the House Monacello and Gin and Hei. With Kairi's help, his logic had won out.
Unfortunately it had been the wrong choice. Gin and Hei were gone. So was Grimmjow. He had meant to gain back two of them, but had sealed the deal in losing all three. What was he supposed to do now? Where was he supposed to go?
Ulquiorra turned back to Kairi as she entered the kitchen. Good thing the gun was already hidden. He would have made some cover up like getting food out of the fridge, but he had tried very hard to make a nice meal for Grimmjow, and now all that food was under the debris. He hadn't had much else.
"My thoughts exactly," Ulquiorra said, opening the door for Kairi. He eyed the keys hung up on the wall by the refridgerator. he didn't need them anymore, did he?
Walking out of the apartment, Kairi felt so much better. The drastic change from the odor of stale blood to fresher air might have made her lightheaded for a few seconds, but it was a change for the better. She stood aside and waited for Ulquiorra to move away from the doorway, close the door and start walking before she moved again.
It was strange how eerily calm she felt, and when she walked, she felt like she was floating more than anything. If she happened to do anything irrational while she was like this, she knew she probably either wouldn't remember it or she would, but think she dreamt it. Maybe she was just numb to everything until the reality of it all hit her again. Even then, she'd usually be wearing at least a calming smile, but her lips were formed into a thin line, neither smiling nor frowning, very much like Ulquiorra's own usual expression.
It was definitely a creepy feeling.
As she made her way down the stairs, she shifted the bag to one hand and left her other free just in case Ulquiorra stumbled so she could catch him. The last thing either one of them needed was for him to get injured anymore, that was for sure.
And when they weren't going down the stairs, Kairi was gently leaning her head against his arm. She didn't really speak much, either, and it didn't bother her at all. She thought the silence between them was a comfortable one--she'd have the opportunity to fuss at him once they got to her house and away from that depressing place Ulquiorra once called home. And he could finally see Neffe and now Reine, too. The kittens were sure to love him.
Ulquiorra lead her down the hallway of the building to the stairs. It really was a nice change from the apartment. he shut the door behind him. He knew that he was shutting the door on the past few months. He was going to start over again and try to forget that everything after he had met Grimmjow had happened. He was going to be strong again. He was going to get his family reputation. He was going to rebuild his life.
Ulquiorra went down the stairs, just more slowly than he would on any other day. He had gotten used to taking the stairs slowly ever since his leg injury, so it was not that bad. He was still glad when they got to the bottom, though.
They waited by the curb for Kairi's friend. Ulquiorra looked down at her when she put her head on his arm. He could feel her warmth, and he had to admit that he didn't dislike being close to her. If he could have moved he might have put his arm around her, but that wasn't the best idea. Ulquiorra silenced it, and just looked ahead. He would have to be doing more of that, looking ahead. Everything that was behind was meaningless now.
Axel had told Tieria he was going out, and though he received a questioning look in return, he wasn't stopped. He always had a gun on him, but he grabbed an extra one just in case. The address Kairi gave him was deep in Monacello territory, and Axel would have never gone there by himself without being heavily armed, but it sounded like Kairi was in trouble. And, yeah, he wasn't exactly fond of the girl, but he wasn't going to just leave her there on her own when she had asked for help.
After hotwiring a car, Axel made his way to the specified location, gun in one of his hands the whole time. It was common knowledge that Axel had little to no sense of self preservation, but he was not going to get killed for a teenage girl. He saw two figures standing in front of the building and pulled to a stop before getting out of the car.
Axel raised an eyebrow at the sight of the man next to Kairi and said nothing. Don't ask, don't tell. If it was something serious, he couldn't lie if someone found out he was involved. But Axel wasn't going to do anything, he was just going to drive Kairi to her place. It seemed harmless enough. Giving a nod for Kairi to get in the car, Axel approached the bloodied man and shook his head slightly. He was more messed up than all the times Lockon kicked his ass put together. Carefully sliding an arm around the man's waist, Axel helped him step off the curb and ease into the car.
Kairi lifted her head off of Ulquiorra's arm when the car pulled up to the curb, and she smiled and silently thanked whatever gods there were that Axel made it out there okay. She didn't get into the car right away, though. She waited and watched until she was sure Ulquiorra was settled in before heading to the other side of the car and sliding into the backseat.
Axel was getting a kiss for his help later, whether he wanted it or not.
Once they had all settled in the car, Kairi rattled off the directions to her house, thanked Axel again, then leaned back against the seat, her hand instinctively reaching for Ulquiorra's. Once they got to her home, everything would be better. She just had to keep telling herself that, because once she got Ulquiorra cleaned up and bandaged and settled into her home, everything would be better.
Ulquiorra eyed Axel carefully as he got out of the car. He looked vaguely mafia connected, but he didn't know for sure. He was surely not a Monacello. He was thankful that it was no one who knew his identity, The last thing he wanted to break to Kairi at the moment was his connections. That's why he couldn't tell her that it wasn't her fault that Grimmjow and him had come to blows. It was Gin's fault. Gin's fault and he wouldn't even have to pay for it. Ulquiorra's fist clenched, unconsciously. Now he had lost the only person who had made him feel anything.
He looked at the ground as Axel approached. He started a little as the other man put his arm around his waist. "I can walk just fine," Ulquiorra protested, awkwardly, but let himself be put into the backseat. It wasn't going to feel so nice to sit down, now was it? His back protested sharply. He shut his eyes in a rather pained expression, and tilted his head back. As soon as they got to Kairi's, the sooner they could wrap his open wounds, and the sooner he could let himself rest. But something was gnawing at him.
He opened one eye when Kairi took his hand. He said nothing for a while, just feeling her hand on his. It was strange, but ti was also the comfort that he needed.
"Kairi...?" He asked, softly. "Could you...do something for me?" There was no way that he could check on Grimmjow. Rukia had probably taken him somewhere deep into territory where he could not tread. Rukia would shoot him on sight. His wounds had been serious. Rukia had said that much. That he had almost died. Ulquiorra had almost killed him....wasn't that what he wanted? Hadn't that been his order? No. He hadn't carried out his order but he had lost everyone. "I need you...when you try to contact Rukia...to...tell me how he's doing...please?" Ulquiorra bit his lower lip and closed his eyes again. Another wave of pain came from his back. He needed to know if he wasn't allowed to see him. He would probably have to get used to not having that presence from the last two and a half months in his life anymore.
Axel ignored the pair's conversation as he drove, determined to stay out of whatever mess they were in. He had enough shit of his own to worry about without getting mixed up in someone else's drama, thanks. Though Axel's version of driving carefully was probably about as dangerous as smoking at a gas station, he tried to avoid anything that would have caused more pain to the man in the backseat. He knew what it was like to get the shit kicked out of him, after all.
He still hadn't said a word since he'd met up with Kairi, but he doubted that he needed to. It wasn't his business, really. He looked out for him and his, and that didn't include anything unless he conjured it did. Unfortunately for Kairi, she and her friend were excluded.
Axel zoned out until he reached Kairi's home and stopped the car, getting out and heading to the rear door to aid the man in standing again. The stranger had said he needed no help, but Axel knew it was most likely just his pride speaking. Still silent, Axel held out his arm for the man to take, not at all affected by the blood now staining the back seat.
When Ulquiorra first said her name, Kairi's hand tightened around his as she looked up at him. She stayed quiet as she listened to him speak, then smiled, knowing that he was talking about Grimmjow. "Of course I will, Ulquiorra." After all, that wasn't something that she would be able to or even want to hide from him. And Kairi knew that if she were in the same situation, she'd want to know, too.
Then again, she had no idea of the extent of Grimmjow's injuries, either.
She let out a soft sigh as she repeated Ulquiorra's earlier actions and began rubbing her thumb over his hand. The action was done half out of comfort on Ulquiorra's behalf and half out of giving her something else to do with her hands other than nervously rub her pendant like she had started to do.
Once they made it to her house, Kairi quickly got out of the car and made her way to the front door, pulling her key out of her pocket as she walked. She fumbled with it for a few seconds before finally opening it and swinging it open widely.
And then came the kittens. The redhead smiled just a little as they both ran to the door, and she easily scooped them up. "You're not going outside this time. Sorry," she muttered to them before stepping out of the doorway to watch Axel help Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra opened his eyes a little again to look down at Kairi as she replied. "Thank you," he said, softly. He frowned a little when he closed his eyes again. What would happen when Kairi went to see him? He knew that Grimmjow couldn't hurt her while he had in such a condition, but that condition was the problem too. Ulquiorra looked very injured by himself, but compared to the damage he had done to his ex-lover, it was minor. What would Kairi think of him if she saw what he could do to another human being? He had done much worse, too. Usually for his jobs, his kills were clean. They only got ugly when he lost control.
Was that what had happened last night?
No. He hadn't enjoyed a moment of fighting Grimmjow.
Ulquiorra was glad twhen they finally came to Kairi's house. He wasn't a fan of driving in the crazy streets of Italy. He still had memories of the busy, somewhat controlled chaos of the streets of his home town. But Italy was one more step towards insanity in the traffic lanes. He didn't have a car, and he didn't want one.
Ulquiorra let Axel help him out of the car. He could get in the car alright, but getting back out was a different story entirely. He grimaced, looking back to see some blood on the seat. He thought that his back had stopped bleeding, but maybe sitting there had opened it again. This was yet another pair of perfectly good clothes that Grimmjow had ruined. He would have to get new clothes with that new place to live, it seemed. If he could manage it. Until he got permission from the family and the funds, he would probably stay with Kairi.
His eyes brightened slightly at the sight of the kittens. It reminded him that Blue would need to be fed if Grimmjow was going to be absent from the apartment a while with his injuries. Ulquiorra made a mental note that he would have to go over there tomorrow or the next day. Grimmjow would be furious, no doubt. But he owed him, didn't he? He felt like he did. He knew he did.
Kairi stepped forward, kittens still in hand, once Ulquiorra was out of the car. She caught sight of the blood on the backseat and shuddered slightly, averting her gaze away from that to Axel.
"Thank you again for this, Axel," she said, smiling as she moved to stand in front of him. "And sorry about the mess in the backseat." She shifted Reine into the hand with Neffe in it, glad that they weren't squirming for once, and she placed a hand on Axel's shoulder before standing up on her toes and kissing him on the cheek.
When she pulled away, she flashed him a bright smile before turning to Ulquiorra, the smile still gracing her lips. "Come on," Kairi started, nodding her head in the direction of the house. "Let's get you cleaned up finally."
[ooc; Axel's reply is after this. ♥ and lol, short reply is short again.]
Ulquiorra nodded to Axel as well. He muttered a bit of thanks and also an apology for bleeding on the seat. He hoped that wouldn't really cause any problems for him later, since he had no idea where that car was going to end up. But he decided that it was best not to think about it for the time being.
Ulquiorra nodded to Kairi then, distancing himself from Axel and following Kairi to the door, and then inside of the house.
His green eyes followed the cats in her hands. "Can I...hold one?" He asked, eyes wide. "I mean...so you have your hands free...?"
Sighing shakily and regaining her composure silently for a moment, Kairi pulled out out her phone with her free hand and hit a button on her speed dial. She didn't care who she got a hold of, as long as they had a car and they were willing to do this for her. "I'm going to call someone for a ride," she muttered to Ulquiorra, forcing a small smile as she squeezed his hand and held the phone to her ear.
"This is Captain Kirk, leave a message." Axel. She sighed again, hoping, just hoping he'd be willing to help her.
"Axel?" she started, her voice a bit shaky, but otherwise normal. "It's Kairi. I know you really don't like me and all of that, but I have a favor to ask of you. Please, call me back when you can."
With that, she hung up her cell and looked back at Ulquiorra. "I hope he calls back soon," she muttered, giving Ulquiorra's hand another squeeze. She wasn't planning on letting go of his hand, not yet. Kairi didn't know if he had a problem with it, but she considered it a way of comforting him until he didn't need it, and it was helping her own psyche because she sure as hell needed the comfort, too.
Another moment, and she felt her phone vibrate before playing her ringtone. She didn't even let it play for a full second before she flipped open the phone and brought it back to her ear. Hearing Axel's voice on the other end, she smiled with relief, completely unforced. She spoke again, her voice slightly frantic. "I need you to give me a ride back to my place. Where I'm at is pretty far from it and I have a friend who's injured, and I don't want him walking more than he has to." She paused and sighed, her voice taking a pleading tone. "Can you do this for me? Please?"
"Yeah, okay. Gimme the address. And, hey, you okay?"
Kairi rattled off the address, then shook her head. It took her a moment before she remembered she was on the phone, and she spoke instead. "I... I think I will be, eventually." She sighed again, then added as a warning, "Just be careful when you come in; the apartment is in really bad shape."
"I'll be there. Just don't give me any details, alright? And don't let anyone see you."
Kairi's smile grew, grateful that he was willing to do this for her, and she squeezed Ulquiorra's hand one more time. "I won't. Thank you for this Axel, really. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."
"Yeah, whatever. See you."
And that was it. She hung up her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. Kairi let go of Ulquiorra's hand and moved to the corner to get his bag, then set it down next to the bed away from any blood, holding out her hand for him to take so she could help him up. She glanced down at the bag, then looked back at Ulquiorra. "Are you sure that's all you want to take?" the redhead asked him quietly.
[ooc; for anyone curious and so I don't get blamed for godmodding or whatever, phone conversation here.]
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He just watched her, trying to calm her down by rubbing his thumb over her hand. He really didn't like having to worry people like this. Maybe it would have been better to call Chase. But then Chase would have told Gin about his state...Gin. Damn it. Everything was falling apart.
He hoped that this friend of hers didn't have any family connections. The last thing he needed was for another Monacello to see him like this. Even worse if it was another family. But Kairi was clean enough girl. Mafia connections, even as friends, would surprise him. But then again, there she was with him. But he didn't care right now. There were excuses he could make for why he lived in deep Monacello territory. He just wanted to get cleaned up.
Ulquiorra nodded at her question. "Yes...I will get the rest of my things when I have a new place," he explained. He shifted again, putting his own cellphone, which had been on the bed beside him in his pocket. he wanted to get some more of his knives from under his bed and get his gun form the kitchen, but he didn't know if he would be able to do it without Kairi noticing. Then there were the clips for his gun under the bed too. He'd just have to settle for taking the sword with him if nothing else. But he could always try.
"There are one or two more things I need to take...but they are in the kicthen...can you help me up?" As he had found out previously, he could walk, but not get up from his lying position. For once both of his legs were strong and uninjured. Grimmjow had been more concerned with his face and his neck. Grimmjow probably wished Ulquiorra had not been interested in disabling his limbs, especially one of his legs.
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The nightmare was starting to fade and the redhead was more than relieved about it. Her nausea also had faded away for the most part. Granted, she didn't think she'd be able to eat for a while, but she didn't care. Hell, she didn't care about much at this point in time other than that Axel got here safe, that they made it to her house safely, and that she had enough dressings and clean washcloths so she could take care of the major injuries.
And once she was sure that Ulquiorra was settled down in her home, she'd try to get a hold of Rukia and ask about Grimmjow. After all, she was concerned about him, too. But for now, just one crisis at a time was all she could deal with.
Once Ulquiorra was standing, she picked up his bag again and looked at him, catching sight of his back. So much for her nightmare and nausea disappearing. Kairi looked away and moved to the side, holding the bag with both of her hands in front of her, looking back up at Ulquiorra's face. "Do you need any help walking?"
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Once standing his put the coat on. It covered the wounds on his back and some of the blood stains on the front of his shirt. He wanted to look like he was on top of things, even if he wasn't, to this friend of Kairi's. He didn't want to alarm anyone else. He started to walk out of the room, quickly at first, but then slowing down to step over the debris from the ceiling and the couch and the spots of still damp blood. The wall his bedroom and the living room shared was completely smeared with Grimmjow's blood, and there were dark, half-dried pools of it under that spot on the floor.
"I just need to get something." He had been cooking before Grimmjow had showed up. He had invited him to dinner. All he had wanted was a nice dinner, and maybe getting Grimmjow to spend the night so they could do something other than arguing and fighting. That was all he wanted. But instead it had had to turn into this. Ulquiorra had planned on it, but he had hoped deep down that he could have avoided telling Grimmjow about the hit for a bit longer. But then what? Their relationship had already been over from the night that it began. Grimmjow had never been serious.
Even though he was injured, he tried to go as quickly as he could to where he usually stashed his gun while he was cooking. He jammed it in the pocket of his jacket where it belonged. He felt better fully armed. He turned back to wait for Kairi.
"Can we meet your friend downstairs at street level?"
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Look what 'trying to help' caused. She shook her head at herself and slowly walked out of the room, hearing Ulquiorra's voice as she caught sight of him slipping into the kitchen.
The redhead kept her slow pace through the living room, her hands tightening around the handles of the bag as she looked at the living room, taking it all in better now that she wasn't in a panic. Even then, it didn't improve the appearance of it all, and it certainly didn't help the images in her mind as they played with the images of Ulquiorra and Grimmjow fighting. The images were unfinished, since she had no clue of Grimmjow's power, but she figured there were ways to make the ceiling fall or rip apart the couch. It all sort of felt surreal now, looking at the damage the apartment has sustained. Like it was all just dream.
Hah. If only.
Slowly stepping over the debris and blood, Kairi made her way to the kitchen, plastering on her gentle smile as she stepped through. Hearing his question, her smile became a little more natural and she nodded. "Of course we can. It might be better that way, anyway."
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Unfortunately it had been the wrong choice. Gin and Hei were gone. So was Grimmjow. He had meant to gain back two of them, but had sealed the deal in losing all three. What was he supposed to do now? Where was he supposed to go?
Ulquiorra turned back to Kairi as she entered the kitchen. Good thing the gun was already hidden. He would have made some cover up like getting food out of the fridge, but he had tried very hard to make a nice meal for Grimmjow, and now all that food was under the debris. He hadn't had much else.
"My thoughts exactly," Ulquiorra said, opening the door for Kairi. He eyed the keys hung up on the wall by the refridgerator. he didn't need them anymore, did he?
"Let's go."
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It was strange how eerily calm she felt, and when she walked, she felt like she was floating more than anything. If she happened to do anything irrational while she was like this, she knew she probably either wouldn't remember it or she would, but think she dreamt it. Maybe she was just numb to everything until the reality of it all hit her again. Even then, she'd usually be wearing at least a calming smile, but her lips were formed into a thin line, neither smiling nor frowning, very much like Ulquiorra's own usual expression.
It was definitely a creepy feeling.
As she made her way down the stairs, she shifted the bag to one hand and left her other free just in case Ulquiorra stumbled so she could catch him. The last thing either one of them needed was for him to get injured anymore, that was for sure.
And when they weren't going down the stairs, Kairi was gently leaning her head against his arm. She didn't really speak much, either, and it didn't bother her at all. She thought the silence between them was a comfortable one--she'd have the opportunity to fuss at him once they got to her house and away from that depressing place Ulquiorra once called home. And he could finally see Neffe and now Reine, too. The kittens were sure to love him.
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Ulquiorra went down the stairs, just more slowly than he would on any other day. He had gotten used to taking the stairs slowly ever since his leg injury, so it was not that bad. He was still glad when they got to the bottom, though.
They waited by the curb for Kairi's friend. Ulquiorra looked down at her when she put her head on his arm. He could feel her warmth, and he had to admit that he didn't dislike being close to her. If he could have moved he might have put his arm around her, but that wasn't the best idea. Ulquiorra silenced it, and just looked ahead. He would have to be doing more of that, looking ahead. Everything that was behind was meaningless now.
Except for Kairi, he guessed.
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After hotwiring a car, Axel made his way to the specified location, gun in one of his hands the whole time. It was common knowledge that Axel had little to no sense of self preservation, but he was not going to get killed for a teenage girl. He saw two figures standing in front of the building and pulled to a stop before getting out of the car.
Axel raised an eyebrow at the sight of the man next to Kairi and said nothing. Don't ask, don't tell. If it was something serious, he couldn't lie if someone found out he was involved. But Axel wasn't going to do anything, he was just going to drive Kairi to her place. It seemed harmless enough. Giving a nod for Kairi to get in the car, Axel approached the bloodied man and shook his head slightly. He was more messed up than all the times Lockon kicked his ass put together. Carefully sliding an arm around the man's waist, Axel helped him step off the curb and ease into the car.
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Axel was getting a kiss for his help later, whether he wanted it or not.
Once they had all settled in the car, Kairi rattled off the directions to her house, thanked Axel again, then leaned back against the seat, her hand instinctively reaching for Ulquiorra's. Once they got to her home, everything would be better. She just had to keep telling herself that, because once she got Ulquiorra cleaned up and bandaged and settled into her home, everything would be better.
[ooc; lol, short reply is short.]
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He looked at the ground as Axel approached. He started a little as the other man put his arm around his waist. "I can walk just fine," Ulquiorra protested, awkwardly, but let himself be put into the backseat. It wasn't going to feel so nice to sit down, now was it? His back protested sharply. He shut his eyes in a rather pained expression, and tilted his head back. As soon as they got to Kairi's, the sooner they could wrap his open wounds, and the sooner he could let himself rest. But something was gnawing at him.
He opened one eye when Kairi took his hand. He said nothing for a while, just feeling her hand on his. It was strange, but ti was also the comfort that he needed.
"Kairi...?" He asked, softly. "Could you...do something for me?" There was no way that he could check on Grimmjow. Rukia had probably taken him somewhere deep into territory where he could not tread. Rukia would shoot him on sight. His wounds had been serious. Rukia had said that much. That he had almost died. Ulquiorra had almost killed him....wasn't that what he wanted? Hadn't that been his order? No. He hadn't carried out his order but he had lost everyone. "I need you...when you try to contact Rukia...to...tell me how he's doing...please?" Ulquiorra bit his lower lip and closed his eyes again. Another wave of pain came from his back. He needed to know if he wasn't allowed to see him. He would probably have to get used to not having that presence from the last two and a half months in his life anymore.
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He still hadn't said a word since he'd met up with Kairi, but he doubted that he needed to. It wasn't his business, really. He looked out for him and his, and that didn't include anything unless he conjured it did. Unfortunately for Kairi, she and her friend were excluded.
Axel zoned out until he reached Kairi's home and stopped the car, getting out and heading to the rear door to aid the man in standing again. The stranger had said he needed no help, but Axel knew it was most likely just his pride speaking. Still silent, Axel held out his arm for the man to take, not at all affected by the blood now staining the back seat.
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Then again, she had no idea of the extent of Grimmjow's injuries, either.
She let out a soft sigh as she repeated Ulquiorra's earlier actions and began rubbing her thumb over his hand. The action was done half out of comfort on Ulquiorra's behalf and half out of giving her something else to do with her hands other than nervously rub her pendant like she had started to do.
Once they made it to her house, Kairi quickly got out of the car and made her way to the front door, pulling her key out of her pocket as she walked. She fumbled with it for a few seconds before finally opening it and swinging it open widely.
And then came the kittens. The redhead smiled just a little as they both ran to the door, and she easily scooped them up. "You're not going outside this time. Sorry," she muttered to them before stepping out of the doorway to watch Axel help Ulquiorra.
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Was that what had happened last night?
No. He hadn't enjoyed a moment of fighting Grimmjow.
Ulquiorra was glad twhen they finally came to Kairi's house. He wasn't a fan of driving in the crazy streets of Italy. He still had memories of the busy, somewhat controlled chaos of the streets of his home town. But Italy was one more step towards insanity in the traffic lanes. He didn't have a car, and he didn't want one.
Ulquiorra let Axel help him out of the car. He could get in the car alright, but getting back out was a different story entirely. He grimaced, looking back to see some blood on the seat. He thought that his back had stopped bleeding, but maybe sitting there had opened it again. This was yet another pair of perfectly good clothes that Grimmjow had ruined. He would have to get new clothes with that new place to live, it seemed. If he could manage it. Until he got permission from the family and the funds, he would probably stay with Kairi.
His eyes brightened slightly at the sight of the kittens. It reminded him that Blue would need to be fed if Grimmjow was going to be absent from the apartment a while with his injuries. Ulquiorra made a mental note that he would have to go over there tomorrow or the next day. Grimmjow would be furious, no doubt. But he owed him, didn't he? He felt like he did. He knew he did.
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"Thank you again for this, Axel," she said, smiling as she moved to stand in front of him. "And sorry about the mess in the backseat." She shifted Reine into the hand with Neffe in it, glad that they weren't squirming for once, and she placed a hand on Axel's shoulder before standing up on her toes and kissing him on the cheek.
When she pulled away, she flashed him a bright smile before turning to Ulquiorra, the smile still gracing her lips. "Come on," Kairi started, nodding her head in the direction of the house. "Let's get you cleaned up finally."
[ooc; Axel's reply is after this. ♥ and lol, short reply is short again.]
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Ulquiorra nodded to Kairi then, distancing himself from Axel and following Kairi to the door, and then inside of the house.
His green eyes followed the cats in her hands. "Can I...hold one?" He asked, eyes wide. "I mean...so you have your hands free...?"
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